Biodegradable 3D-printed gastric stent could eliminate repeat procedures

Researchers at NYU Abu Dhabi have developed BRIDGE (Biodegradable aRchitected Internal DrainaGE), a biodegradable, 3D-printed gastric stent that could improve treatment for gastric leaks, a serious complication following bariatric surgery. By combining an advanced internal lattice design with biodegradable materials, the new device more than doubles drainage performance while potentially eliminating the need for a second procedure to remove the stent after healing, the researchers claim.

Image: BRIDGE (Biodegradable aRchitected Internal DrainaGE), a biodegradable, 3D-printed gastric stent that could improve treatment for gastric leaks, a serious complication following weight-loss surgery. Credit: NYU Abu Dhabi

This latest research builds on the team's previously reported flower-inspired gastric stent by redesigning the device from the inside out. Rather than changing its overall shape, the researchers engineered its internal architecture to make it more flexible, resistant to kinking and better at draining fluid while introducing a biodegradable material that safely breaks down after treatment.

"Medical devices are often adapted from other applications rather than designed for the specific clinical challenge they are intended to address,” said Parima Phowarasoontorn, a research assistant in the Ramadi Lab at NYU Abu Dhabi and first author of the study. “By combining advanced 3D printing with biodegradable materials, we created a stent that improves drainage while reducing the burden of treatment for patients."

Although gastric leaks occur in only a small percentage of bariatric surgeries, they can lead to infection, prolonged hospitalisation and repeated medical interventions. Current drainage stents were originally designed for use in bile ducts rather than the stomach and must be removed once healing is complete, adding another procedure for patients.

Using advanced 3D printing, the research team engineered a highly structured internal lattice that improves both flexibility and fluid flow. Laboratory testing showed the new design achieved up to twice the drainage performance of conventional stents while withstanding bends more than seven times tighter without kinking, helping maintain effective drainage even in complex anatomy.

"This work demonstrates how reengineering medical technologies with advanced manufacturing can fundamentally improve their performance,” added Dr Khalil Ramadi, an assistant professor of bioengineering at NYU Abu Dhabi and Global Network assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering, and senior author of the study. "By redesigning the internal architecture of the stent and introducing biodegradable materials, we have tried to tackle key limitations of current devices while moving toward treatments that we hope are more effective for patients.”

Although additional preclinical and clinical studies are needed before the technology can be used in patients, the researchers believe the same engineering approach could be applied to a broad range of minimally invasive drainage devices used throughout the body.

The findings were reported in the paper, ‘Biodegradable Architected Stents for Endoscopic Internal Drainage’, published in bioRxiv. To access this paper, please click here (log-in maybe required)