Investigation of Wear Mechanisms in Silicone Sleeved Implantable Cardiac Device Leads using an In Vitro Approach

The Lubricity of Mucin Solutions Is Robust toward Changes in Physiological Conditions

“…As a material pairing for the tribological experiments, we choose a steel-on-PDMS setup. This particular material pairing is selected, since both steel and PDMS-based materials are commonly used in various medical devices, 29,30 and such a hard-on-soft pairing involving both a hydrophilic and a hydrophobic surface is also frequently employed in biotribological studies 31,32 to mimic, e.g., the tongue−palate The error values shown depict the standard deviation as obtained from n = 3 independent measurements. interface.…”

“…As a material pairing for the tribological experiments, we choose a steel-on-PDMS setup. This particular material pairing is selected, since both steel and PDMS-based materials are commonly used in various medical devices, , and such a hard-on-soft pairing involving both a hydrophilic and a hydrophobic surface is also frequently employed in biotribological studies , to mimic, e.g., the tongue–palate interface. Furthermore, with this steel–PDMS paring, all three lubrication regimes are clearly visible, which, compared to other tribo-parings, makes it easier to analyze the tribological performance of different lubricants in detail (Figure S1).…”

Mechanisms of damage related to ICD and pacemaker lead interaction

“…Previous engineering reports have focused on wear from pulse generator material and from internal cable conductor components. 3 , 4 , 5 Studies reporting mechanisms of lead-lead interaction causing insulation and conductor damage are lacking. Although there are published reports of the lead bending conditions associated with lead fracture, there are no reports of in vivo lead-lead interaction conditions, namely, relative sliding distance and contact force.…”

“…Although the actual conditions are unknown, the similarity between in vitro and clinical damage provides insight into potential ranges for in vivo forces, an approach discussed by Placette et al. 5 Experiments in a water bath do not reproduce the fluid and biochemical environment in vivo, which could result in unknown changes to the wear mechanisms. Finally, only 2 lead models were studied; other leads may respond differently.…”