Navigation platform for endovascular procedures

Abstract

To correct cardiac arrhythmias, a long catheter is inserted into an arm or leg artery or vein and navigated to the heart during a cardiac ablation procedure. Heat or cold energy is then used to create small scars in the heart tissue to block irregular electrical signals and restore a typical heartbeat. Medical robotics combined with image-guided navigation can overcome many of the challenges faced throughout classic procedures especially for patients with complex vascular disease by adding control, stability, precision to reach the target reduce learning curve and improving safety. The disadvantages of the existing robotic systems are the high equipment and procedure cost and necessity of customized instruments. The scope of this project is to develop a novel robotic catheter system to help doctors navigate with increased precision and accuracy to treat arrythmia especially for patient with complicated pathologies, increase success rate and decrease patient radiation exposure necessary for position confirmation. The working prototype in two versions, developed by our group and named SAR-E (smart assisting robotic catheter for endovascular procedures) was successfully tested for feasibility in a 3D vasculature model.