A light-reflecting balloon catheter for atraumatic tissue defect repair

Ellen T. Roche, Assunta Fabozzo, Yuhan Lee, Panagiotis Polygerinos, Ingeborg Friehs, Lucia Schuster, William Whyte, Alejandra Maria Casar Berazaluce, Alejandra Bueno, Nora Lang, Maria J.N. Pereira, Eric Feins, Steven Wasserman, Eoin D. O'Cearbhaill, Nikolay V. Vasilyev, David J. Mooney, Jeffrey M. Karp, Pedro J. Del Nido, Conor J. Walsh

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    33 Scopus citations

    Abstract

    A congenital or iatrogenic tissue defect often requires closure by open surgery or metallic components that can erode tissue. Biodegradable, hydrophobic light-activated adhesives represent an attractive alternative to sutures, but lack a specifically designed minimally invasive delivery tool, which limits their clinical translation. We developed a multifunctional, catheter-based technology with no implantable rigid components that functions by unfolding an adhesive-loaded elastic patch and deploying a double-balloon design to stabilize and apply pressure to the patch against the tissue defect site. The device uses a fiber-optic system and reflective metallic coating to uniformly disperse ultraviolet light for adhesive activation. Using this device, we demonstrate closure on the distal side of a defect in porcine abdominal wall, stomach, and heart tissue ex vivo. The catheter was further evaluated as a potential tool for tissue closure in vivo in rat heart and abdomen and as a perventricular tool for closure of a challenging cardiac septal defect in a large animal (porcine) model. Patches attached to the heart and abdominal wall with the device showed similar inflammatory response as sutures, with 100% small animal survival, indicating safety. In the large animal model, a ventricular septal defect in a beating heart was reduced to <1.6 mm. This new therapeutic platform has utility in a range of clinical scenarios that warrant minimally invasive and atraumatic repair of hard-to-reach defects.

    Original languageEnglish (US)
    JournalScience Translational Medicine
    Volume7
    Issue number306
    DOIs
    StatePublished - Sep 23 2015

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • General Medicine

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'A light-reflecting balloon catheter for atraumatic tissue defect repair'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this