A Study of the Mechanics of Tracheal Stent Migration
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Date
2023-05
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The Ohio State University
Abstract
The trachea acts as a windpipe and allows airflow between the throat and the lungs. Tracheal stenosis is a condition that consists of any significant obstruction to airflow within the trachea and can be caused by tumors, scar tissue, or collapsed cartilage rings. The leading solution to tracheal stenosis is a medical operation where a stent is inserted into the trachea via the throat. The objectives of the stent are to provide structural support in the area affected and promote airflow for the patient to breathe properly. Tracheal stents made of polymers often migrate over time and cease to provide support to the area in the trachea with stenosis, leading to a lack of airflow. Tracheal research began in this research group prior to COVID-19 with an experiment designed to better understand forces present in stent-trachea interactions. Improvements to the experiment have been made to produce statistically viable, repeatable, and reproducible results. For the experiment, a trachea is suspended horizontally, and a stent is pushed and pulled through it by a linear drive system powered by a DC motor. A loadcell is used to measure axial force the stent experiences, and an LVDT is used to measure the stent position. Data acquisition has been automated with LabVIEW and DC motor control is now done with software to precisely control starting and stopping positions. The variables tested in this experiment were the stent profile and motor speed. Two stents were tested, and the triangular profile stent required more force to move than the curved profile stent. Also, as motor speed was increased between trials, axial force and variability generally increased as well. In the future, 3D printed tracheas which better mimic radial stiffnesses, sheep tracheas, and possibly cadaver tracheas will be tested.
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Keywords
Trachea, Stent, Tracheal stent, Stent migration, Tracheal stent migration