Jet injectors are medical injecting devices that use a high-pressure jet of liquid to replace hypodermic needles. The current approach of the jet generation by gas cartridge, loaded spring or piezo actuator are relatively bulky and are meant to be used for the superficial part of the body. In this study, we present jet generation employing the laser-induced liquid breakdown realized through optical fibres inserted into the round capillary with 0.3 mm inner diameter, and 1,2 mm outer diameter. Using the ultra-fast camera we can observe jet velocity depending on the laser fluence. We further examine the ability to inject liquid into the hydrogel models mimicking mechanical properties of soft tissues. This technology allows shrinkage of the jet injector device into the scale it could be used as a minimally invasive device in an endoscopic probe.
Fast liquid jets (<150 m/s) are used as a needle-free fluid injection into elastomeric tissue such as skin. Because the fluid droplets are smaller than a typical needle diameter, there is less collateral damage caused by the jets in the intervened body. In this study, we aim to investigate the potential of the method to deliver liquids into biological tissues with higher stiffness than skin. To address this challenge we have implemented an optofluidic jetting system capable of generating supersonic liquid microjets driven by laser cavitation. Considering microfluidic properties of the system, we have exceeded a method to produce jets in a repetitive regime with rates of up to 6 Hz, diameters of 10, 15 and 30 µm and velocities exceeding 550 m/s. We have characterized the injection depth with respect to jet speed, jet diameter and elastic modulus of the sample material. Experiments were performed on hydrogels with Young’s modulus from 8 kPa to 1 MPa, which covers the wide spectrum of biological elastomers like inner body organ tissues, blood vessels, skin or cartilage.
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