Women can be more in control of their post-mastectomy breast reconstruction surgery.
AirXpanders have created AeroForm, a needleless implant preparation system that creates space for a future breast implant.
The system consists of a tissue expander and a dose controller.
(Credit: AirXpanders)
“The implant has no on-board battery,” said Mark Payne, Senior Director of R&D at AirXpanders. “The dose controller provides power to the implant using the near field [radio frequency] RF waves.”
The silicone tissue expander is implanted under the chest muscle and includes a CO2Reservoir full of 10cc of gas inside the shell. Using Nearfield radio-frequency technology, the dose controller is used to tell the CO2Reservoir to release a certain amount of gas per dose. This prevents accidental dosing.
The tissue expander includes micro valve technology for energy efficiency.
Detailed information about how micro valve technology was implemented into the design can be found here.
The controller is designed with a standard circuit board assembly, a flex circuit antenna, and an in-house made film. It also consists of microcomputers used to keep track of data such as how many doses the user has already taken.
The device is expected to receive FDA clearance in the near future.
