Plasma Surface Modification of the Inner Wall of Montgomery’s Tracheal Implant (T-Tube)

Plasma Surface Modification of the Inner Wall of Montgomery’s Tracheal Implant (T-Tube)

Tracheal stenosis (i.e., the abnormal narrowing of the trachea) can occur due to a variety of inflammatory and infectious processes as well as due to therapeutic procedures undertaken by the patient. The most common cause of tracheal obstruction in patients has been prolonged intubation. Depending o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Polymers Vol. 16; no. 22; p. 3223
Main Authors: Kostov, Konstantin G., Barbosa, Ananias A., do Nascimento, Fellype, Cardoso, Paulo F. G., Almeida, Ana C. P. L., Quade, Antje, Legendre, Daniel, Hein, Luiz R. O., Silva, Diego M., Koga-Ito, Cristiane Y.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Basel MDPI AG 20-11-2024
Subjects:
Alternative technology
Biomedical materials
Cold
Decontamination
Health services
Medical devices
Medical electronics
Medical equipment
Parameter modification
Plasma etching
Plasma jets
Process parameters
Stents
Surgical implants
Trachea
Wound healing
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Summary:Tracheal stenosis (i.e., the abnormal narrowing of the trachea) can occur due to a variety of inflammatory and infectious processes as well as due to therapeutic procedures undertaken by the patient. The most common cause of tracheal obstruction in patients has been prolonged intubation. Depending on the extent of the stenosis and its exact location, the surgical insertion of a tracheal stent is the only option for addressing this issue. The Montgomery T-tube implant is a valuable tracheal stent made from medical-grade silicone that provides a functional airway while supporting the tracheal mucosa. However, its performance is subject to gradual deterioration due to biofilm colonization of the stent’s inner wall, which may explain the discomfort claimed by many patients and clinical failures. Recently, cold atmospheric plasmas (CAPs) have emerged as an alternative technology to many conventional medical procedures, such as wound healing, skin treatment, decontamination of medical devices, etc. Here, we report on plasma-induced surface modification of the inner wall of a T-tube implant, considering future biomedical applications. To generate the plasma, we employed a cold atmospheric pressure plasma jet in gas helium, which was directly inserted into the T-tube implant. To assess the treatment uniformity, the degree of surface modification and its extension along the stent’s inner wall was analyzed using different process parameters.
ISSN:2073-4360
2073-4360
DOI:10.3390/polym16223223