Neuromodulation/Neurostimulation

The Neurodevice market owes its rapid growth to the advanced technology of bioconductor wires. Fort Wayne Metals has long been a leader in providing biocompatible wires for devices such as defibrillators and pacemakers. With a combination of mechanical strength and electrical conductivity, these wires are easily adapted for a wide range of applications.

Fort Wayne Metals provides high quality, dependable bioconductor wire products for a growing number of neurostimulation devices that utilize advanced microelectronics. Our experienced design team routinely collaborates in designing solutions and specifications for a wide range of demanding neurodevice applications. Our production group also supports highly customized R&D quantities for new product development.

Products

The majority of wire sold by Fort Wayne Metals is in the form of spooled monofilament wire. It may be packaged in the method most suitable for the requirements of the application.

Any combination of wires may be concentrically stranded, cabled or bunched into a variety of strand and cable configurations. This provides for enhanced fatigue life, strength and flexibility in neurostimulation applications.

Neurostimulation devices are currently approved for:

• Vagus nerve stimulation for the treatment of epilepsy
• Spinal cord stimulation for the treatment of chronic pain
• Deep brain stimulation for the treatment of Parkinson’s Disease
• Peripheral nerve stimulation for the treatment of incontinence

Fort Wayne Metals wire products are on the leading edge in supporting treatments for a growing number of clinical indications, including obesity, migraine headaches and severe depression.

Alloys

Fort Wayne Metals DFT^® wire is a trademarked metal-to-metal composite product that offers a wide variety of material choices, sizes and configurations. The composite typically utilizes an outer sheath for strength and/or resiliency, while the core material is designed to provide conductivity, radiopacity or resiliency — or to enhance other imaging modalities.

Example materials include:

• 35N LT^®-DFT^®-28%Ag — with a high level of strength and fatigue resistance in the 35N LT sheath and a conductive, high-purity silver core
• NiTi-DFT-30%Ta — combining the resilience of Nitinol with a radiopaqe and conductive tantalum core

Alloys and precious metals for consideration include:

• DFT^® (Composites)
• 35N LT^®
• MP35N^®
• FWM 1058™
• Nitinol
• DBS^®
• Titanium
• Platinum
• Silver
• Tantalum

Coatings

FWM has the ability to provide a variety of coated wire and cable configurations comprising a biocompatible sheath, lubricious barrier, or other medical grade material of your choice. It is common for FWM to work with applications that require conduction of an isolated electrical signal. In these instances, selection of the appropriate dielectric material is critical. Our engineering team can assist with the selection and design of any coating configuration.

Insulation is just one of many reasons why coatings are applied for wire based medical applications. Other considerations may include: Chemical isolation, lubricity, or surface preparation. FWM is always open to exploring new coatings for a variety of medical applications. Here is a list of some medical grade coatings that could be used over a broad range of substrates:

• PTFE
• ETFE
• PFA
• FEP
• PVDF
• Parylene
• Silicone
• Nylon 11