An ingestible self-propelling device for intestinal reanimation

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Biomedical Engineering
• Medical Devices

Background:

• Postoperative ileus (POI) prolongs hospital stays and lacks effective treatments.
• Current supportive therapies for POI are often insufficient and cause side effects.
• Existing electrical stimulation research shows potential for intestinal pacing but lacks targeted devices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate an ingestible self-propelling device for intestinal reanimation (INSPIRE).
• To restore peristalsis and treat POI using luminal electrical stimulation.
• To assess the device's efficacy in normal, depressed, and chemically induced ileus models.

Main Methods:

• Optimized mechanical, material, and electrical design parameters for the INSPIRE device.
• Validated device deployment, electrical contact, self-propulsion, safety, and degradation in swine models.
• Compared INSPIRE's effect on intestinal motility in various ileus models.

Main Results:

• Intestinal contraction improved by 44% in anesthetized animals and 140% in chemically induced ileus.
• Transit time decreased from 8.6 days (controls) to 2.5 days with INSPIRE.
• Luminal electrical stimulation via INSPIRE effectively restored peristaltic activity.

Conclusions:

• The INSPIRE device efficaciously restores intestinal peristalsis through luminal electrical stimulation.
• This noninvasive technology presents a promising therapeutic solution for ileus and other gastrointestinal motility disorders.
• INSPIRE demonstrates significant improvements in motility and reduced passage time in preclinical models.