Minimally invasive surgery applications

These benefits provide favorable performance-cost tradeoffs for LCP tubing compared with other candidates, such as fiber-reinforced composite and Teflon-coated, stainless-steel tubing. In the near future, LCP tubing should find significant applications in the field of minimally invasive surgery where... 

One of the application segments that is commonly associated with polymer blends is that of surgical instruments. As surgical techniques have proliferated, so has the need for increasingly specialized instruments. The drive toward minimally invasive surgeries has created the need for miniaturization, which in turn drives the need for smaller components with sufficient strength and durability. Access devices that are appropriate for polymer blends include trocars, retractors, and speculums. Hand instruments include staplers and forceps. Thermal ablation and electrosurgi-cal techniques require powered instruments. 

In the fourth chapter, biomedical applications of shape-memory polymers are presented. Vascular, orthopaedic, and neuronal applications are elaborated to illustrate how SMP can improve the standard of treatment. Additionally, the practical challenges of the development of SMP for biomedical devices are described. The fifth chapter deals with multifunctional SMP. The combination of the shape-memory effect with hydrolytic degradability and the capability to release a drug in a controlled way are described as an example of multifunctionality. Drug loading and release, as well as the effects of the drugs on the shape-memory properties are discussed and potential applications in minimally-invasive surgery are outlined. 

Poly(xylitol-co-dodecanedioate)/hydroxyapatite eomposite has a good potential in clinical applications as shape memory implant for the minimally invasive surgeries." With a shape-memory ratio of almost 100%, the poly(xylitol-eo-dodeeanedioate)/ hydroxyapatite composite provides excellent shape-memory effeet" ... 

The shape memory behavior of an SMP makes it a very desirable material for use in biomedical applications. Thermally activated SMPs can be programmed and stored in a small secondary shape, and on introduction to the body and water plasticization, recover their large original shape (Beilvert et al., 2014). This property of SMPs can be harnessed for minimally invasive surgery and tissue engineering scaffolds (Beilvert et al., 2014). However, ceU compatibility of an SMP biomaterial needs to be extensively understood to determine its feasibility as a short-term or long-term implant and the impact of its SME on cells. 

Recently, medical carbonic acid (CO2) has gained more and more importance in a number of medical helds of application. Especially in the promising field of minimal invasive surgery, the stabilization of visceral cavities (aeroperitoneum, pneumothorax) in laparoscopic and thoracoscopical interventions can not be imagined without the application of this gas - which in case of being correctly used reabsorbs easily. 

The use of smart polymers in medical devices for minimally invasive surgery, diagnosis and other applications... 

Photodisruption has found a number of applications in minimally invasive surgery such as posterior capsulotomy of the lens, often needed after cataract surgery and laser-induced lithotripsy of xuinary calculi. 

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