Resorbable HERNIA post-operative monitoring implant

Abdominal wall hernia repair is one of the most common types of surgery. About 20 million hernia repairs are performed each year worldwide. A complication after a hernia operation can be when the wound opens. If we can measure this opening, action can be taken. This can be achieved by measuring the stress in a suture, or the distance between points either side of the wound. Strain sensing is therefore highly desired. In order to avoid a second surgery to remove the implant after its period of use, the device should be entirely biodegradable.

In internal wound stitching, on the membrane of the colon, the surgeons do not stich the tissues together, but they place stiches around it. How to detect the opening of the wound?

1. Measure the stress using a special suture
2. Measure the opening of the wound by measuring the distance between two points

The implant should disappear after 30 days

Assignment

The student will perform the assignment at ECTM:

• Duration: 12 months (9 months also possible)
• Location: ECTM and EKL facilities

The expected activities

• This project is to develop biodegradable materials/devices suitable for the hernia application.

This project is in collaboration with Prof. Paddy French in Bioelectronics group, and with Erasmus medical center 

Requirements

The project requires interest in the materials and processing. The materials need to be chosen and the processing developed to make the devices. These include devices such as piezoresistive devices to measure mechanical strain. You have a biomedical engineering, physics, material science, mechanical or microelectronics background, fluency in English is required.

Contact

Last modified: 2023-01-06