MitraNav: Design and Modeling of a Robotic System for Transseptal Mitral Valve Replacement with Dock Catheter...

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Surgery
• Robotics in Medicine
• Medical Device Engineering

Background:

• Transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR) is an emerging therapy for mitral regurgitation.
• Precise catheter control is crucial for successful TMVR procedures.
• Current methods may lack the dexterity for complex manipulations.

Purpose of the Study:

• Introduce MitraNav, the first robotic system for dock-based TMVR.
• Focus on the system's design and task-space control of the dock catheter.
• Enable simplified and stable positioning of multi-segment catheters.

Main Methods:

• Upgraded a validated guide-sheath robot to support concentric multi-catheter manipulation.
• Employed a two-segment bending model and a two-stage control strategy (joint-space and task-space).
• Incorporated Jacobian normalization, null-space optimization, and a PD controller for accuracy and joint limit management.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated feasibility of direct tip control through trajectory-following experiments.
• Achieved maximum positional errors within acceptable limits (2.38-2.46 mm) for cardiac interventions.
• Validated the system's accuracy for precise catheter positioning.

Conclusions:

• MitraNav provides a foundation for intuitive robotic catheter manipulation.
• The system has the potential to enable semi-autonomous dock-based TMVR.
• MitraNav advances the field of robotic-assisted cardiac interventions.