About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2027 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Biomedical Materials and Devices: From Laboratory to Market
|
| Presentation Title |
Mechanical Evolution of Degrading PCL and Growing Airway Tissue: A Growth-Coupled Elastic–Plastic–Damage Framework for Predicting Pediatric Resorbable Device Performance using In Vivo Data |
| Author(s) |
Scott Hollister, Jeong Hun Park, Harsha Ramaraju, Adam Verga |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Scott Hollister |
| Abstract Scope |
Resorbable polymeric devices have long been proposed for pediatric tissue reconstruction, but their long-term performance depends on complex interactions of biomaterial degradation, tissue adaptation, and growth. Using airway support devices (ASDs) implanted in a Yucatan miniswine model and followed for two years, we quantified degradation-induced changes in poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) mechanical behavior (Ramaraju et al., Biomaterials, 2025). Degraded PCL exhibited increased elastic stiffness and yield strength but reduced plastic deformation capacity, indicating progressive embrittlement. Concurrently, tracheal tissue demonstrated nonlinear elastic behavior, with localized stiffness reductions beneath the implant, likely resulting from tracheal growth, contact with the ASD, and tissue damage. To integrate these evolving material and tissue properties, we implemented a finite-element kinematic growth framework in FEBio that incorporates degradation-dependent elastic–plastic–damage constitutive behavior for PCL. This computational platform predicts bidirectional interactions between airway growth and device mechanics, supporting in silico optimization of next-generation pediatric ASD and other devices. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Biomaterials, Polymers, Modeling and Simulation |