Neutral argon plasma in minimally invasive medical devices for therapy

Abstract

This paper presents a solution to implement neutral argon plasma (NAP) in minimally invasive medical devices (MIMD) for therapy in endoscopy. The NAP system is composed by compressed inert gas (argon), two electrodes and a high-voltage source to ionize the argon. The miniaturization of an argon reservoir is required. The finite element method simulation of a small reservoir of 304 L stainless steel with 0.2 mm thick at 7 atm of pressure was performed. The results show maximum total deformation of 40 μm and maximum equivalent stress of 160 MPa, with no permanent deformation of argon reservoir.