Applications in Medicine and Medical Devices

It is often the case that the impact a given branch of science has upon another requires a rather special vehicle lo become common knowledge. Given that, it is hardly surprising that the impact of electrochemistry on medicine is not yet properly recognized and appreciated by all. Thus, this chapter is designed to focus on electrochemistry as it relates to the medical arena. Specifically, the oft overlooked material-science aspects of medical devices and related power sources that make them tick, are highlighted. This then is the focal point rather than the more often discussed topic of electrochemical sensors in medical devices. 

It is worth observing here that—with the advent of relativity and quantum mechanics in the early part of the twentieth centrrry and the development of molectrlar biology in the second half—it is 

In general, medical devices are man-made structures or machines that function inside or outside the body and have a role in human functioning either in sensing a physiologic variable or manipulating the same. If they are implanted in a host, they may be a temporary or a permanent device. 

Among the rather well-known medical devices are the mechanical heart valve and the pacemaker. Although medical devices are generally perceived as macroscopic and/or permanent ones, many—and in some cases all—of the effects (wanted and unwanted) of the devices are derived from interactions at the surface. Indeed, when the devices are made of metals, many, if not most, of the surface effects are electrochemical in nature. This fact is the main point of this Section. 

We intend to briefly outline the manner in which electrochemistry and electrochemical deposition are crucial to botlr the mechanical and material stabihty of medical devices. In some cases, entirely new industries have been created based on the advances in our understanding of the electrochemical processes occurring at surfaces. An additional aim of the present contribution is to touch upon the ways in which electrochemistry can be used to actively modify surfaces to create a more amicable interaction between the medical device and its host. In at least one example (see below), electrochemical deposition itself (called electroforming) is used to actually create a medical device. 

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Modjarrad and Ebnesajjad, Handbook of Polymer Applications in Medicine and Medical Devices ISBN 9780323228053... 

In recent years so-called evidence-based medicine has been used as a practical tool to assess the clinical efficacy of medicines and medical devices. With compression products, evidence-based compression therapy serves as a quality control procedure and helps to dehver the efficiency statements which service providers require for payment for the accordant therapy services. In practice, compression products should be subjected to appraisal by randomized and monitored studies which investigate the compression therapy process and produce proof of effectiveness. An important objective of this investigation is the resulting contact pressure following the application of the compression product. Attempts should be made to carry out direct in vivo determination of the compression pressure or the chronological pressure profile on patients. 

In order to be successful as part of a medical device a polymer has to resist both biological rejection by the patient s body and degradation. The human body is an enviromnent which is simultaneously hostile and sensitive, so that materials for application in medicine must be carefully selected. The essential requirement is that these materials are biocompafible with the particular part of the body in which they are placed. The extent to which polymers fulfil this requirement of biocompafibility depends partly on the properties of the polymer and partly on the location in which they are expected to perform. For example the requirements for blood biocompafibility are stringent since blood coagulation may be triggered by a variety of materials. By contrast, the requirements for materials to be used in replacement joints in orthopaedic surgery are less severe and materials as diverse as poly (methyl methacrylate) and stainless steel can be used with minimal adverse reaction from the body. 

Supplementary to the technical use of nano celluloses reviewed in the previous sections, BC in particular has great potential as a natural biomaterial for the development of medical devices and applications in healthcare and veterinary medicine. 

As stated in 23 Obligations of the McU keting Authorisation Holder of the new Law No. 140/1998 on medical products and medical devices, the MA holder is obliged to ensure that the properties of the medicinal products registered are in accordance with the documentation submitted with the application for registration. Therefore, the MA holder heis to apply for any intended variation concerning the registered product and its documentation, cis is customary in the EU. There are no differences between type I and 11 variations. 

The observed data indicate the wide prospects in applications of drug-loaded medical devices and microspheres on the base of PHB as implantable and injectable therapeutic systems in medicine for treatment of various diseases cancer, cardiovascular diseases, tuberculosis, osteomyelitis, arthritis, and so on [6]. 

Textile materials are used in a wide variety of applications in healthcare and medicine which include implantable materials for in vivo applications. Vascular grafts, artificial ligaments, artificial blood vessels and mesh gra are typical implantable medical devices. High-tech advances in tissue engineering have enabled researchers to cultivate implantable hiunan organs to the required shape by growing living cells on textile sc olds. 

Recent advances in the field of biomaterials and their medical applications indicate the significance and potential of various nanoceUulose in the development of novel classes of medical devices and applications in healthcare and veterinary medicine. The physical and mechanical properties of nanocellulose are attributes that enable nanocellulose membranes to function as effective temporary wound dressings. On the other hand, because implantable biomaterials (i.e., scaffolds) are also needed, a new approach has been undertaken to apply cellulose as a material entirely integrated into the body, either as a bone or skin graft. 

Shape memory PU and polymers in general have tremendous applications in biology and medicine [104, 105] especially for biomedical devices which may permit new medical procedures. Because of the ability to memorise a permanent shape that can be substantially different from an initial temporary phase, a bulky device could be introduced into the body in a temporary shape (e.g., string) that could go through a small laparoscopic hole and then be expanded on demand into a permanent shape at body temperature. 

F.J. Davis, G.R. Mitchell, Polyurethane based materials with applications in medical devices, in Bio-materials and Prototyping Applications in Medicine, Springer, NY, 2008, pp. 27 8. 

Christensen L (2002) HOME OF the blue morpho butterfly. New York Times (12 May) Crossland RK, Harlan Jr, JT (1975) Block copolymer adhesive compositions. U.S. Patent 3917607 Davis FJ, Mitchell GR (2008) Polyurethane based materials with applications in medical devices. In Bartolo P, Bidanda B (eds) Bio-materials and prototyping applications in medicine. Springer, New York, pp 27 8. ISBN 9780387476827 Djiauw LK, Icenogle RD (1986) Low smoke modified polypropylene insulation cranpositions. U.S. Patent 4622352... 

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