SENSOR-LESS CATHETER FOR MINIMALLY INVASIVE CARDIAC SURGERY

Features

In cardiovascular interventions, keeping a steady contact between the catheter tip instrument and the cardiac wall is crucial for preserving tissue integrity. High contact force would damage the tissue and less force would lead to misdiagnosis and malpractice during minimally invasive surgery (MIS).

The system includes a catheter capable of controlling and estimating the contact force between the catheter and the cardiac wall. It is a solution that does not rely on the use of any sensor. The force control is done through a unique shape control algorithm and the control implement is done through pulling and releasing of cables attached to the catheter for controlling the position of its tip. Also, the ex-vivo validation demonstrating fair agreement between model estimation and reference sensor measurement.

Advantages

• Highly flexible and steerable
• Neutral to interferences
• Structurally simple
• Affordable clinical solution
• Easy tip manufacturing using regular existing catheter in the market
• Applications in real-time tissue characterization
• Applications in cardiac RFA (radio-frequency ablation) and cryoablation
• Future applications in other MIS

Opportunities

Market opportunities:

• Available catheter controlled by force sensors has limitations

(Expensive, lack of flexibility, interference with electromagnetic devices, functionality affected by blood presence)

• Unmet need for force estimation system adapted to MIS and robot-assisted MIS
• Global market for catheter in CV applications expected to reach USD 16.3 billion by 2023

Patents opportunities: US Provisional patent

Business opportunities: In-licensing for technology development and commercialization