Underactive bladder or detrusor underactivity (DU) is defined as a reduction of contraction strength or duration of the bladder wall. Despite the serious healthcare implications of DU, there are limited solutions for affected individuals. A flexible 3D printed implantable device driven by shape memory alloys (SMA) actuators is presented here for the first time to physically contract the bladder to restore voluntary control of the bladder for individuals suffering from DU. This approach is used initially in benchtop experiments with a rubber balloon acting as a model for the rat bladder to verify its potential for voiding, and that the operating temperatures are safe for the eventual implantation of the device in a rat. The device is then implanted and tested on an anesthetized rat, and a voiding volume of more than 8% is successfully achieved for the SMA‐based device without any surgical intervention or drug injection to relax the external sphincter.

中文翻译：

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一种使用形状记忆合金 (SMA) 执行器排空膀胱的 3D 打印植入式装置

膀胱活动不足或逼尿肌活动不足 (DU) 定义为膀胱壁收缩强度或持续时间的减少。尽管 DU 会对医疗保健产生严重影响，但针对受影响个人的解决方案仍然有限。这里首次展示了一种由形状记忆合金 (SMA) 执行器驱动的柔性 3D 打印植入装置，用于物理收缩膀胱，以恢复 DU 患者对膀胱的自主控制。这种方法最初用于台式实验，以橡胶气球作为大鼠膀胱的模型，以验证其排尿的潜力，并且操作温度对于该装置最终植入大鼠体内是安全的。然后将该装置植入麻醉大鼠并进行测试，基于 SMA 的装置成功实现了超过 8% 的排尿量，无需任何手术干预或药物注射来放松外括约肌。