Development and Examination of Coated Coronary Stents

The aim of this study is to show the developments carried out by us with coated stents, expansion properties, furthermore the failures of the coatings. The coating was examined before and after expansion, paying special attention to the curves. The quality and the changing of the coatings were examined by different methods: optical microscopy, atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and EDS analysis. The results show that the expansion to a higher pressure did not change the coating. Polyurethane coating was given to TentAur stents. The coatings were produced by a method of dipping. The sterile and dust free environment is crucial to produce a suitable coating. Electro-polished and non-electro-polished sheets and stents were used for these experiments. The quality and the changing of the coatings were examined by different methods after drying. The fatigue tests showed that the polyurethane coating had suitable adherence

Polyurethane Coating on Coronary Stents

Stents are special metallic or polymer endoprostheses of meshed structure and tube shape. Their function is to prevent restenosis in the arteries. Stents can be coated or uncoated. In the expanded part of the artery the chance of restenosis is bigger even without a stent so it is practical to coat the stents. The aim of this work is to present the results of the coating experiments made on the coronary stents. Three types of commercially available polyurethanes were used for these experiments. The coatings were produced by a dipping method. Electro-polished and non-electro-polished metallic sheets and stents were used for these experiments. Contact angle measurements were done to examine the wetting properties of the three different polyurethane coatings. The quality and the changing of the coatings were examined by different methods (stereomicroscope, scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive spectrometry)

Sensor-Based Measurement Method to Support the Assessment of Robot-Assisted Radiofrequency Ablation

Digital surgery technologies, such as interventional robotics and sensor systems, not only improve patient care but also aid in the development and optimization of traditional invasive treatments and methods. Atrial Fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia with critical clinical relevance today. Delayed intervention can lead to heart failure, stroke, or sudden cardiac death. Although many advances have been made in the field of radiofrequency (RF) catheter ablation (CA), it can be further developed by incorporating sensor technology to improve its efficacy and safety. Automation can be utilized to shorten the duration of RF ablation, provided that the interactions between the tissue and the RF tools are well understood and adequately modeled. Further research is needed to develop the optimal catheter design. This paper describes the systematic methodology developed to support robot-assisted RF CA characterization measurements. The article describes the custom instruments developed for the experiments, particularly the contact force limiter, the measurement procedure, and the evaluation of the results, as enablers for new results. The aim was to establish an objective, repeatable, robust measurement method and adjacent procedure