Bionic people how to portray the fictional writer can be something for the distant future. But battery-powered implants, sometimes called smart or intelligent implants implants, have an important place in today's market. And as we progress closer to creating a bionic man, batteries are becoming increasingly important.
The pacemaker has been more than 50 years. Meanwhile, advances in nanotechnology, microelectronics and polymers open the door for a wider range of implants for various indications. Implant miniaturization will continue to put pressure on the battery manufacturers to develop ever smaller energies. Moreover, the implants are used in younger patients who expect that these implants long time before replacement. And as the population in general enjoys an increased life span, the need for more implants with a longer life expectancy, creating additional demand for sustainable energy sources.
However, this demand will require the long-life batteries, which seems to run contrary to the trend toward miniaturization. That means smaller batteries are usually less energy, in a further challenge for battery developers.
market potential is greater than ever
The market potential for implantable devices is expected to increase dramatically to almost 8 percent per year until 2011. Only part of the devices, implantable drug delivery, it is expected that over $ 12 billion in 2010. As a result, battery manufacturers in a technically difficult and demanding medical market. Fortunately, other than the most stringent (eg implants) Standard battery technology is often well suited.
So far, battery manufacturers are the challenges. The human body is a sensitive, alkalis, dynamic entity, which at high temperatures. There is little room for tolerance or invasive devices. But a pacemaker intended to operate continuously for a period of at least five years, usually in fact more than twice the operations. The close tolerance in materials and manufacturing require failure rates not to exceed 0005 percent in a production environment.
The state of the art
Some of the common battery chemistry in implants are lithium-iodine for pacemaker, lithium-silver vanadium oxide for defibrillators, and lithium-carbon monofluoride for Drugs pumps.
Lithium iodide is used as a gold standard, which has a very high chemical stability as defined by the absence of harmful side reactions (heat, acid or gas generation). It produces sustainable energy for a long time. A generally accepted design criteria is that an implantable device is considered to be at risk if the overall performance by 10 percent.
Three battery chemistry at the forefront of implant devices:
- lithium /polycarbon fluoride, the relatively high energy density. The disadvantage is that with a liquid electrolyte, which paid particular attention to sealing against gas or fluid leakage.
- lithium manganese dioxide, which is also a relatively high energy density. As lithium /polycarbon fluoride, its drawback is that with a liquid electrolyte, which paid particular attention to sealing against gas or fluid leakage.
- lithium thionyl chloride, the relatively high energy density. Even with a liquid electrolyte, which paid particular attention to sealing against gas or fluid leakage. Unlike the two other lithium-based systems, the system can roughly Thionyl concern is highly toxic and highly corrosive.
Replace the implant or the battery?
Currently, the focus is on an implant replaced at the end of his life. Other technologies have tried, with varying degrees of success. The most popular is recharging the battery with a transcutaneous approach, which can shorten the life of the implant.
While this is an attractive concept, it has drawbacks. One of them is that with every charge the battery loses some of its entire lifespan. Another reason is that the battery lasts for a fee, it usually generates heat, so make sure that no damage to surrounding tissue. It also requires the attention of the patient to remember to recharge and remain motionless during the process. Another is that in the course of 5-10 years of a life totally implantable devices, the technology significantly advances. The surgeon can rely on the benefits of these improvements through the exchange of the implant at the end of the life of the battery.
A battery technology that allows for a rechargeable batteries, silver-zinc, used primarily in implantable hearing aids. Another reason is the lithium-ion battery in neurostimulators.
Alternative Battery Technologies
are also in development that take advantage of the natural body chemistry /electrical generation. Development of energy sources with biothermal thermoelectric materials are nano-thin film technologies that are transforming the body the natural thermal energy into electrical energy. Biophan is developing a thin-film battery, the difference between the temperature inside the body and the temperature at the surface of the body to generate energy for low-power, implantable medical devices like pacemakers, sensors, drugs or mini-pumps, Up to the last 30 years.
Research in plastic batteries, rechargeable batteries as small as a grain of rice that the curve, and some can be printed lithographically are also being considered. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has a paper-and nanotechnology, to very thin, flexible batteries with human blood and sweat as a chemical source.
from the leaders in the industry implantable batteries, Great Batch, Eagle Pitcher, Rayovac, and Medtronic Medtronic is unique because it is a vertically integrated company produces batteries for its own products. Recent additions include Biophan Technologies and Micro Power. Currently, competition is not severe. Each developer can find a niche and service the market well, but how new technologies are emerging that will change. The drive for higher performance, more sustainable energy in a smaller package provides not only a problem to solve, but also an opportunity for these companies or new entrants with better technology.
About Nerac
Nerac Inc. (http://www.nerac.com) is a global research and advisory firm for companies developing innovative products and technologies. Nerac analysts deliver custom assessments of product and technology development opportunities, competitor intelligence, intellectual property strategies, and compliance requirements through a proven blended approach to custom analysis: review of technical knowledge, investigation of intellectual property, and appraisal of business impacts. Nerac deploys analysts in diverse disciplines to help clients discover new applications, serving as a catalyst for new thinking and creative approaches to business problems or identifying strategic growth opportunities.
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