Nitinol offers significant advantages over other materials such as stainless steel or titanium. Its super elasticity, shape memory, and biomechanical properties make it ideal for various medical applications, including;
Nitinol’s versatility extends to various medical devices, including:
- Stents: Self-expanding stents for treating atherosclerosis.
- Catheters: Enhanced flexibility and strength for cardiovascular and urological uses.
- Retrievers and graspers: For retrieving clots or foreign objects.
- Guidewires: Used in minimally invasive surgeries due to their flexibility.
- Vena cava filters: Prevent blood clots from reaching the lungs.
- Endovascular Aneurysm Repair (EVAR): Flexible, self-expanding grafts for aneurysms.
- Surgical instruments: Shape memory and flexibility for minimally invasive procedures.
- Orthopedic implants: Super-elasticity and biocompatibility for joint implants.
- Neurovascular device coils and embolization devices: Treat brain aneurysms by blocking abnormal blood flow.
- Bone anchors and screws: Secure bone fractures, especially where compression is needed.
- Structural heart occluders: As a minimally invasive treatment for congenital heart defects and stroke risk reduction, these devices require the flexibility and structural integrity offered by nitinol.
- Inter-atrial shunts: Nitinol is vital in these investigational devices that create small pathways for blood to flow from the left to the right side of the heart, reducing heart failure symptoms and boosting patient outcomes.
Nitinol’s role is expected to grow, particularly in robotic surgery and the integration of sensing technologies. These advancements could enhance the precision and safety of medical procedures.