Ultrasound keeps stents and catheters clean
Stents or catheters must be replaced every two to six months.
Stents and catheters are vital medical aids – but they often bring serious complications. A groundbreaking method using ultrasound and artificial cilia promises to keep these devices clean without invasive interventions.
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Undergoing medical procedures every two to six months is a burden no one should have to bear. Yet for patients suffering from blocked ureters due to tumours, pregnancy, kidney stones or anatomical narrowing, this is a frequent reality. These individuals depend on stents or catheters to ensure the proper drainage of urine into or out of the bladder. Unfortunately, these devices often become blocked by bacterial biofilms or crystalline deposits – resulting in pain, infections, and the need for frequent replacements.
Cleaning with the help of ultrasound
A multidisciplinary team from ETH Zurich and the ARTORG Center at the University of Bern has developed an innovative approach to tackle these complications. Inspired by natural biological mechanisms, the researchers looked to the lungs, where tiny hair-like structures known as cilia help move microbes and debris out of the airways.
Mimicking this function, the team engineered artificial cilia onto the inner and outer surfaces of stents and catheters. These synthetic hairs can be remotely activated using focused ultrasound through the skin. This generates an efficient streaming that loosens bacteria and crystals from the surfaces and flushes them away. In this way, stents and catheters can be cleaned non-invasively, significantly reducing the risks of obstruction.
The cilia-coated surfaces respond to ultrasound by generating microstreaming that removes both biofilms and encrustations.
Promising feasibility study
In a first feasibility study, published in the scientific journal PNAS, the system demonstrated a significant reduction in both bacterial and crystalline build-up. This could substantially improve patients' quality of life while easing the burden on healthcare systems by reducing outpatient visits and associated costs.
However, as noted in the press release, there remains a long journey from laboratory success to a market-ready product. With CHF 2 million in funding from the Swiss National Science Foundation, the team is now working on a prototype for testing in animal models. If those trials prove successful, the formation of a spin-off company is planned to scale the technology and bring it to market.
Wide-ranging potential
Initial experiments suggest that this approach may have applications beyond urinary stents, including in visceral surgery and veterinary medicine. If upcoming research confirms these early results, thousands of patients could benefit from fewer complications, fewer hospital visits, and greater independence in their daily lives.