Metal MEMS Tools for Beating-heart Tissue Removal.

Area of Science:

• Robotics
• Medical Devices
• Minimally Invasive Surgery

Background:

• Surgical interventions within the beating heart present significant challenges due to motion.
• Existing tools may lack the precision or capability for effective tissue removal in situ.
• Advancements in miniaturization and robotic control are crucial for next-generation cardiac procedures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel robotic tool for surgical tissue removal from a beating heart.
• To detail the design and integration of a micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) based tool with a steerable robotic system.
• To demonstrate the feasibility of teleoperated tissue extraction using the developed system.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a millimeter-scale tool with micron-scale features using a metal MEMS process.
• Integration of the tool with a steerable curved concentric tube robot for cardiac access via vasculature.
• Implementation of a tissue removal system with irrigation and aspiration capabilities for morselization and extraction.
• Teleoperated control for precise manipulation and tissue debris removal.

Main Results:

• Successful ex vivo experimental validation of the robotic tissue removal system.
• Demonstration of the tool's ability to access the heart through the vasculature.
• Evidence of effective tissue morselization and extraction under teleoperated control.
• Confirmation of the system's capability to handle substantial tissue amounts.

Conclusions:

• The novel robotic tool and integrated system offer a promising solution for beating heart tissue removal.
• The MEMS fabrication process enables complex, miniaturized devices for intricate surgical tasks.
• This technology has the potential to advance minimally invasive cardiac surgery by enabling precise, in situ tissue extraction.