Autonomous Robotic Catheter for Minimally Invasive Interventions
The new system is based on a wall-following algorithm that relies on a novel “haptic vision” sensing mechanism
Background
Minimally invasive surgery offers shorter recovery times, lower risk of hemorrhaging, less pain, a reduced need for pain medications as well as general anesthesia, and a reduction in hospital stays and cost. In cardiac procedures, minimally invasive surgery can significantly reduce trauma compared with open-heart surgery. Also, in cardiac surgery it is highly desirable to perform the operation without stopping the heart and placing the patient on cardiopulmonary bypass. Catheters have played an important function in realizing this capability in cardiac surgery, however navigating the catheter to the surgical site and performing the intervention is challenging due to the constant motion of the cardiac tissue and opaqueness of the blood. In current practice, surgeons use touch to determine and control force and they use either fluoroscopy or ultrasound for visualization. However, these all have important shortcomings. For example, fluoroscopy involves ionizing radiation and cannot resolve soft tissue, whereas ultrasound suffers from low resolution and strong noise.
Technology Overview
This invention is an autonomous navigation system for directing a catheter to the surgical site inside the heart. The new system is based on a wall-following algorithm that relies on a novel sensing mechanism which the inventors call “haptic vision.” Haptic vision synergistically combines 1) visual information provided by intracardiac endoscopy and 2) contact force quantification provided by haptic sensors. The data provided by these sensors are processed with image processing and machine learning algorithms to guide the catheter to reach the surgical site.
Further Details:
Fagogenis, G., Mencattelli, M., Machaidze, Z., Rosa, B., Price, K., Wu, F., Weixler, V., Saeed, M., Mayer, J.E. and Dupont, P.E., 2019. Autonomous robotic intracardiac catheter navigation using haptic vision. Science robotics, 4(29), p.eaaw1977.
Stage of Development
The inventors have built a prototype of the device that uses intracardiac endoscopy, machine learning, and image processing for sensing and navigation. They evaluated the prototype through in vivo animal experiments. The native aortic valve of a pig was replaced with a prosthetic valve that had three leakage sites. Autonomous navigation using the new device was compared with manual navigation by a clinician as well as with teleoperated (joystick) robotic intervention. In one set of experiments, autonomous navigation with the new device was successful in 99% of the trials.
Benefits
- Fast and non-invasive
- High success rate
- Superior visualization of the surgical site compared to existing methods based on fluoroscopy or ultrasound
- Allows for better control of the force applied by the catheter tip to the tissue
Applications
This invention can be used for various purposes in cardiac surgery including mitral annuloplasty, neochord placement, and for delivering mitral clips. It can also be used for heart valve repair/replacement.
Patents
IP Status
- Patent application submitted
