CathROB: A Highly Compact and Versatile Remote Catheter Navigation System

Several remote catheter navigation systems have been developed and are now commercially available. However, these systems typically require specialized catheters or equipment, as well as time-consuming operations for the system set-up. In this paper, we present CathROB, a highly compact and versatil...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Laura Cercenelli, Barbara Bortolani, Emanuela Marcelli
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2017-01-01
Series:Applied Bionics and Biomechanics
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2017/2712453
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Several remote catheter navigation systems have been developed and are now commercially available. However, these systems typically require specialized catheters or equipment, as well as time-consuming operations for the system set-up. In this paper, we present CathROB, a highly compact and versatile robotic system for remote navigation of standard tip-steerable electrophysiology (EP) catheters. Key features of CathROB include an extremely compact design that minimizes encumbrance and time for system set-up in a standard cath lab, a force-sensing mechanism, an intuitive command interface, and functions for automatic catheter navigation and repositioning. We report in vitro and in vivo animal evaluation of CathROB. In vitro results showed good accuracy in remote catheter navigation and automatic repositioning (1.5 ± 0.6 mm for the left-side targets, 1.7 ± 0.4 mm for the right-side targets). Adequate tissue contact was achieved with remote navigation in vivo. There were no adverse events, including absence of cardiac perforation or cardiac damage, indicative of the safety profile of CathROB. Although further preclinical and clinical studies are required, the presented CathROB system seems to be a promising solution for an affordable and easy-to-use remote catheter navigation.
ISSN:1176-2322
1754-2103