Northwestern Nanocenter’s CML AT medical engineering center has developed a flexible sternum implant. Tests of the sample showed that the product makes it possible to completely restore the biomechanics of breathing, the startup said in a statement.
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The developed flexible costal element of the sternal implant makes it possible to treat patients with severe injuries, chest cancer or congenital developmental anomalies.
“The search for a new solution for creating sternum implants is due to the fact that existing products based on rigid structures cannot fully restore natural biomechanics and breathing through the chest. Breast implants available on the market only restore cosmetic and protective functions,” states CML AT Medical.
He also notes that due to the mobility of the ribs, fixation of rigid sternum implants to the ribs is not durable.
According to the company, involvement of the sternum is observed in between 0.5% and 3.1% of patients with bone tumors of various locations. Reconstruction of the chest using an implant is necessary after cancer treatment.
The design phase of the implant lasted two months, after which a prototype of the flexible rib was manufactured. Then the developers carried out cyclic and mechanical tests: the prototype of the product withstood all the specified loads without destruction and plastic deformation.
From the data obtained, it was established that the 3D printed flexible ribs are capable of providing 80 million respiratory cycles.
Author:
Anastasia Marina
Source: RB
I am a professional journalist and content creator with extensive experience writing for news websites. I currently work as an author at Gadget Onus, where I specialize in covering hot news topics. My written pieces have been published on some of the biggest media outlets around the world, including The Guardian and BBC News.
