Futuristic medical implants using bioresorbable materials and devices.

Implantable medical devices have been used for real-time monitoring of physical parameters (temperature, pressure and biopotentials), sustained drug release, cardiovascular and pulmonary stents and other clinical applications. Several biocompatible materials (titanium and its alloys, aluminium, cobalt-alloys, stainless steel, poly-ethylene, polyurethanes, polyglycolide and polylactides) have been commercially used for fabricating implantable devices. However, these devices require retrieval operations after a certain period. Bioresorbable materials disintegrate gradually in vivo and their derivatives get absorbed completely in the body fluid with no residue and with minimal toxic effects, thus, eliminating the need for retrieval operations. In this article, state-of-the-art advances in materials, fabrication techniques and clinical applications of bioresorbable implantable devices are reviewed. We first discuss the bioresorbable materials (e.g., magnesium, molybdenum, tungsten, silicon, germanium, silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, silk and synthetic polymers) used in the fabrication of implantable devices. Later, an overview of processes to fabricate pressure, temperature, electrical and chemical sensors are discussed, followed by their applications as implantable devices in biomedical engineering.