title: Evaluation of cover effects on bare stent mechanical response.
abstract: Covered tracheobronchial stents are used to prevent tumour growth from reoccluding the airways. In the present work a combination of experimental and computational methods are used to present the mechanical effects that adhered covers can have on stent performance. A prototype tracheobronchial stent is characterised in bare and covered configurations using radial force, flat plate and a novel non-uniform radial force test, while computational modelling is performed in parallel to extensively inform the physical testing. Results of the study show that cover configuration can have a significant structural effect on stent performance, and that stent response (bare or covered) is especially loading specific, highlighting that the loading configuration that a stent is about to be subjected to should be considered before stent implantation.
authors.affiliation: Biomechanics Research Centre (BMEC), Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering and Informatics, NUI Galway, Ireland. Electronic address: d.mcgrath4@nuigalway.ie.
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: McGrath
authors.affiliation: Biomechanics Research Centre (BMEC), Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering and Informatics, NUI Galway, Ireland.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: O'Brien
authors.affiliation: Biomechanics Research Centre (BMEC), Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering and Informatics, NUI Galway, Ireland.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bruzzi
authors.affiliation: Biomechanics Research Centre (BMEC), Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering and Informatics, NUI Galway, Ireland.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kelly
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Engineering, Institute of Applied Medical Engineering, Helmholtz Institute, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Clauser
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Engineering, Institute of Applied Medical Engineering, Helmholtz Institute, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Steinseifer
authors.affiliation: Biomechanics Research Centre (BMEC), Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering and Informatics, NUI Galway, Ireland. Electronic address: peter.mchugh@nuigalway.ie.
authors.forename: P E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: McHugh
mesh_terms: D000497:Alloys; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D006801:Humans; D055595:Mechanical Phenomena; D015607:Stents
chemical_list: D000497:Alloys; D001672:Biocompatible Materials
keywords: Cover; Finite element method; Nitinol; Stent; Stent testing; Tracheobronchial