Electrifying catheters with light

Abstract

Smart minimally invasive devices face a connectivity challenge. An example is found in intracardiac echocardiography where the signal transmission and supply of power at the distal end require many thin and fragile wires in order to keep the catheter slim and flexible. We have built a fully functional bench-top prototype to demonstrate that electrical wires may be replaced by optical fibers. The prototype is immediately scalable to catheter dimensions. The absence of conductors will provide intrinsic galvanic isolation as well as radio frequency (RF) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) compatibility. Using optical fibers, we show signal transfer of synthetic aperture ultrasound images as well as photo-voltaic conversion to supply all electronics. The simple design utilizes only off the shelf components and holds a promise of cost effectiveness which may be pivotal for translation of these advanced devices into the clinic.

Optical communication for next generation chip on tip surgical endoscopes

“…Medical technology is increasingly shifting towards minimally invasive approaches in an effort to lower trauma, reduce expenses, shorten hospital stay and improve diagnosis accuracy [1][2][3] . For instance, Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is often diagnosed and treated using a minimally invasive procedure called the Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) 3 .…”

“…As a result, there is a shift towards optical fiber based power delivery and communication links for smart guidewires. Optical powering and communication links were previously proposed for ultrasound imaging capable catheters 1,3,4 and active position tracking systems 5 . These communication schemes used either a pair of vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) and a photodiode 1 or a combination of VCSEL and electrical wires 3 to enable two-way communication.…”