A Vascular Intervention Assist Device Using Bi-Motional Roller Cartridge Structure and Clinical Evaluation

Area of Science:

• Medical Robotics
• Vascular Surgery
• Interventional Cardiology

Background:

• Conventional vascular interventions face challenges like X-ray exposure and variable success rates.
• Physician experience significantly impacts clinical outcomes in current procedures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel robotic system for vascular interventions, specifically percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs).
• To address limitations of conventional methods by enhancing safety, precision, and control.

Main Methods:

• Development of a robotic system featuring modular bi-motional roller cartridge assemblies for instrument manipulation.
• Implementation of an active clamping mechanism for accommodating various instrument sizes with simultaneous translation and rotation.
• Integration of a physician-side system with force feedback for enhanced monitoring and control of the patient-side robot.

Main Results:

• The robotic system demonstrated satisfactory positioning accuracy and precision in phantom-based testing.
• Animal experiments and a pilot clinical trial confirmed the system's feasibility for clinical application.
• The system successfully manipulated instruments like guiding catheters, guidewires, and balloon/stent catheters.

Conclusions:

• The novel robotic system offers a promising alternative to conventional vascular interventions.
• The technology has the potential to improve safety by reducing X-ray exposure and enhancing procedural outcomes.
• Further clinical adoption of this robotic system is supported by initial feasibility studies.