An Intrinsically Conductive Elastomer for Thromboembolism Diagnosis

Abstract As a minimally invasive procedure, balloon dilation is one crucial means to assist the delivery of stent and anti‐hyperplasia drugs to the embolism sites in the typical endovascular interventional treatments. However, it is rarely noted that the degree of balloon dilation is blurry, though it is extremely important to the efficiency of stent implantation, drug delivery, and even the postoperative recurrence rate of embolism. Herein, an innovative strategy of applying the balloon itself as an electrical sensor to monitor the dilation process is conceived. An intrinsically conductive elastomer formulated with polyurethane and potassium chloride is exploited as the biocompatible balloon, which integrates sufficient mechanical endurance, conductivity, biocompatibility, and pressure sensitivity against balloon expansion comprehensively. As a practical demonstration, the balloon sensor has been successfully applied to detect thrombus in tubular channels via real‐time pressure and temperature monitoring, which is anticipated to open an avenue to examine and treat cardiovascular diseases with a more controllable and reliable procedure.