Robotic Blood Vessel Cannulation via Fluoroscopic Wall Sampling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current endovascular intervention techniques for cannulating blood vessels are inefficient and time-consuming, particularly for novice interventionalists, due to the need for precise coordination of guidewires and guide catheters within complex vascular anatomy, often requiring extensive trial-and-error and skilled hand-eye coordination.
Innovation Solution
A robotic blood vessel cannulation system utilizing fluoroscopic image-guided feedback for systematic positional wall sampling, which involves translating and/or rotating the endovascular instrument within the transitory blood vessel to sample positions, and synchronizing this motion with servo control to precisely navigate the guidewire across the vessel wall and into the target branch ostium.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional manual coordination of guidewire and guide catheter is used, then operator skill and experience can achieve cannulation, but the process is time-consuming and requires extensive trial-and-error especially for novice operators
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical coordination with an automated robotic system that controls the guidewire and guide catheter. The robotic system uses image guidance to automatically navigate the guidewire into the target vessel and advance the catheter, eliminating the need for manual hand-eye coordination and trial-and-error maneuvers.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates real-time image feedback from fluoroscopy or other imaging modalities to guide the robotic manipulation of the guidewire and catheter. The feedback loop allows the system to detect the guidewire's position relative to the vessel wall and adjust its trajectory accordingly, ensuring accurate cannulation without time-consuming trial-and-error attempts.
2Ease of operation
If expert operators perform manual cannulation, then successful cannulation can be achieved, but novice operators require extensive training and still struggle with difficult anatomy
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic system performs the complex coordination tasks autonomously without requiring extensive operator skill. The system self-navigates the guidewire into the target vessel using image guidance and automated control algorithms, freeing the operator from the need for years of manual coordination training while maintaining high success rates even in difficult anatomies.
3Productivity
If random trial-and-error wall traversal is used to cannulate branching vessels, then eventual success may be achieved, but the process wastes significant time and may require expert takeover
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary image acquisition and 3D reconstruction of the vascular anatomy before attempting cannulation. This pre-planning allows the robotic system to identify the optimal trajectory to the target vessel branch and execute it directly, avoiding time-wasting random trial-and-error wall traversal attempts.
Solution Approach 2:
The automated robotic system replaces the random helicopter maneuver with precise, computer-controlled guidewire traversal. The system calculates the optimal path through the vessel wall to reach the target branch and executes it with high precision, dramatically improving efficiency over manual trial-and-error methods.
Data Source
AI summary
Various embodiments of a vessel cannulation system employs an interventional robot (110) and a vessel cannulation controller (80) for a blood vessel cannulation of a target blood vessel by an endovascular instrument (10) navigational within a transitory blood vessel having the target blood vessel branching therefrom. In operation, the vessel cannulation controller (80) (i) defines, within an image space, a virtual wall of the transitory blood vessel having a virtual entryway into the target blood vessel. (ii) commands the interventional robot (110) to execute a positional wall sampling of the transitory blood vessel by the distal section of the endovascular instrument (10), and (iii) detects the blood vessel cannulation of the target blood vessel by the distal section of the endovascular instrument (10) through the virtual entryway of the virtual wall during the positional wall sampling of the transitory blood vessel by the distal section of the endovascular instrument (10).