Autonomous Robotic Catheter Navigation in Opaque Beating Heart Tissue
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current minimally invasive surgical procedures, particularly in cardiac surgeries, face challenges in navigating catheters through the heart due to blood opacity and cardiac tissue motion, making precise device deployment difficult and reliant on clinician judgment, with existing imaging methods like fluoroscopy and ultrasound being inadequate for precise catheter positioning.
Innovation Solution
An autonomous robotic catheter system equipped with a motorized drive system, imaging device, and controller that processes images to identify anatomical features, estimate location, and adjust steering direction for precise navigation, using haptic vision and wall-following techniques inspired by thigmotactic animals to maintain contact with tissue while avoiding unsafe forces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If fluoroscopy is used for catheter localization, then catheter position can be visualized, but soft tissue cannot be seen and patient/clinician are exposed to radiation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary imaging modality (ultrasound or alternative imaging) that indirectly visualizes catheter position through soft tissue interfaces and acoustic impedance changes, avoiding direct ionizing radiation while maintaining localization capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the fluoroscopy-based mechanical/optical imaging system with an ultrasound-based acoustic imaging system that uses sound waves instead of ionizing radiation to achieve catheter visualization and localization
2Object-affected harmful factors
If ultrasound is used for catheter visualization, then soft tissue can be seen, but images are noisy and of limited resolution making precise positioning difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple imaging modalities (ultrasound, fluoroscopy, and alternative imaging techniques) to combine the soft tissue visualization capability of ultrasound with the higher resolution and catheter visibility of other modalities, achieving both soft tissue penetration and precise catheter positioning
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from 2D ultrasound imaging to 3D/4D imaging capabilities, adding temporal and spatial dimensions to improve catheter positioning precision by visualizing catheter trajectory and position changes over time within the three-dimensional cardiac anatomy
3Reliability
If clinician manually controls catheter navigation, then judgment and expertise can be applied, but procedural time increases and variability is high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary actions by pre-planning the catheter navigation path using imaging data and anatomical modeling before the actual procedure, allowing the catheter to be guided along a pre-determined optimal trajectory, reducing procedural time and variability while maintaining deployment accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements real-time feedback systems that continuously monitor catheter position relative to the planned trajectory and provide automated adjustments, allowing clinicians to focus on critical decision-making while the system handles routine navigation, reducing procedural time and human variability
4Ease of operation
If catheter is advanced through beating heart, then minimally invasive approach is maintained, but navigation becomes challenging due to tissue motion and blood opacity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs dynamic imaging and navigation techniques that adapt to the beating heart's motion in real-time, using gating synchronized with the cardiac cycle and dynamic trajectory adjustment to maintain accurate catheter positioning despite continuous tissue movement
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes contrast agents or imaging techniques that create visual differentiation (analogous to color changes) between blood, cardiac tissue, and catheter materials, enhancing catheter visibility against the opaque blood background through differential acoustic or optical properties
Data Source
AI summary
A robotic system comprising a robotic catheter steerable by a motorized drive system, an imaging device positioned on a distal end of the robotic catheter, and a controller configured to: process one or more images captured by the imaging device to identify an anatomical feature, implanted device, or medical instrument; estimate a location of the imaging device in the body based on the identified anatomical feature, implanted device, or medical instrument; determine, based on the estimated location of the imaging device, a direction in which to steer the robotic catheter for advancement towards an interventional site; and monitor at least one of (i) a stream of images captured by the imaging device and (ii) a force or distance measurement captured by the imaging device or a sensor proximate the imaging device, to adjust the direction in which to steer the robotic catheter during advancement towards the interventional site.