Among athletes, the hip, shoulder, and knee are the most impacted and sustain the most injuries in contact sports such as baseball and footbal. Among non-athletes, the main cuases for injury stem from improper form, lack of stretching, incorrect use of gym machines, etc. How can the surgical or repair process be more effecient and less invasive?
To reduce the amount of invasive procedures that one must endure while receiving reconstructive surgery or physical therapy. With the incorporation of nanotechnology and bioresorbable synthetics, we have proposed a long lasting solution that could limit the amount of surgeries to just the initial one.
The ACL is essential for normal knee function and stability as well as athletic movement. ACL injuries are one of the 3 most common sports injuries and there are approximately 150,000 ACL injuries per year. If torn, the ACL needs to be surgically reconstructed. Current solutions can cause muscle weakness due to grafting, reconstruction doesn't last forever and requires invasive surgery causing further degradation of muscle and tissue.
Through many sketching and post-it brainstorm sessions, we finally came up with a few iterations that needed to be tested for structural integrity and aesthetics. Since our group was so diverse in expertise, some ideas were eliminated earlier in the process, which helped quicken the pace of reaching a possible prototype.
The knit will utilize the natural elasticity of a knit structure to realize the coil and uncoil action inherent within the performance of the ACL. The goal of this design is to create a prosthetic ligament that would prevent secondary injury typical to surgical grafting procedures.
With the introduction of nanorobots into the system, the bioresorbable knit can be replaced once it breaks down by the nanorobots.
Bioresorbable polymers break down and can be safely absorbed or excreted by the body as the body rebuilds the area. Bioresorbables are customized for absorption periods.
Polypropylene has been used in hernia and pelvic organ proplapse repair operations. A small patch of the material is place over the spot of the hernia, below the skin, and is painless and rarely, if ever, rejected by the body.
Powering the nanodevice requires considerable energy consumption to be able to propel and navigate towards a target.
Diagnostic or therapeutic activity by the nanorobot will need to be timed at specific sites in the body.
Nanorobots designed for function in patients will need to be degradable or expelled from the body in regard to special medical cases.
Drawing inspiration from biomimicry, the nanorobot would look and function similar to that of a bacterium cell.
The tail imitates the flagella of a bacterium and acts as the source of locomotion and navigation through the body
The nanochips embedded inside the nanorobot act as the DNA and instruction hub of the nanorobot, guiding it towards the appropriate receptors the nanorobot needs to target.
The hole at the front of the nanorobot allows the tail of the next nanorobot to latch on the nanorobot creating a solid connection with room for flexbility.
With the ability to travel through the bloodstream and be biocompatible, this solution for replacement surgery for ACL injury will allow the patient to lead a normal lifestyle without worrying about future problems they may sustain due to a previously torn ACL.