Smart Implantable Artificial Bladder: An Integrated Design for Organ Replacement.

Abstract

Substituting the natural bladder with an artificial solution, after cancer and other pathologies, is an ambitious challenge in biomedical engineering. In this work we propose a fully implantable smart artificial bladder system (ABS) that collects urinary fluids and provides the subject with real-time feedback on the implant status. To achieve long term duration, the ABS was designed to be unstretchable in order to be treated with urine resistant coatings and included built-in passive check valves preventing reflux to kidneys. To estimate the amount of fluid collected, the ABS was provided with four electromagnetic distance sensing units and a control unit. An algorithm implemented on an embedded controller enabled the reconstruction of the bladder volume through sensors readings. A wireless data transfer system allows for providing a real-time feedback to the subject. Bench tests validated volume reconstruction accuracy and ex-vivo experiments verified the implantability of the proposed device on a human cadaver, proving the reliability of a Bluetooth data transmission system and paving the way towards an in-body/out-body communication. The proposed solution has the potential to overcome the limitations of currently available replacement strategies towards a new generation of implantable devices for lost organ functions replacement.