Abstract
Cerebral strokes occur on account of a thrombus formed in blood vessels, which blocks the blood flow to the brain and induces brain cell necrosis. We require the ability to quickly treat this by dissolving the thrombus with a low risk of brain hemorrhage. In this study, we concentrate on the design of a high-performance microstirrer to dissolve the thrombus. The piezoactuator is selected and discussed because it has both sensing and actuation functions, and has a high power in relation with its size. Further, a new type of microstirrer is designed to generate high-amplitude vibration, and its motion can be easily controlled by adjusting the input signals to the actuators. Several types of microstirrers were manufactured on the basis of the finite-element method (FEM) simulation results, and the effect on the dissolution was experimentally validated.
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