Safety Feature for use with Robotically Manipulated Endoscopes and other Tools in Otolaryngology and Neurosurgery

Unmet Need
As the medical world begins to embrace the implementation of robotics into their clinical applications, there is a just as important growing market towards their safety in their use, as patient safety is the number one priority. In the field of otology, there has been a significant increase in the use of operative endoscopes. The problem with the current use of endoscopes is that the surgeon must hold the endoscope with one hand and perform the surgery with the other. One handed surgeries are wrought with inefficiency and increased difficulty of placing implants and grafts. Although some solutions have been developed, a holder for the endoscope for example, no solutions have actually brought viable change to the field. The previous example has a shortcoming in that it is rigid and stationary, in which if the patient’s head moves there would be catastrophic consequences. Therefore there is a need for a safe and effective technology to permit the use of endoscopes in such a way that surgeons are able to use both hands.
 
Technology Overview
The inventors have proposed a technology to solve the shortcomings of current solutions. They have come up with an endoscope held by a tool holder that is held by a robot manipulated device. There is a sensor, called an accelerometer, on the patient’s head that is able to detect and provide feedback to a controller about the movement of the head. If it detects sudden head motion, the controller releases the latch, causing the endoscope to retract out of the head. This would allow for the surgeon to not have to recognize patient motion and permits more focus on the surgery itself. In addition, this allows for more efficient surgery as the surgeon has one less task to focus on while also being able to use two hands more often. The tool improves the efficiency and accuracy of the surgery while having patient safety as the number one priority. Furthermore, this system can applied to a variety of surgeries with similar requirements and restraints.
 
Stage of Development
The inventors have developed a system with a safety feature for the use with robotically manipulated endoscopes and other tools. They have received various funding, including NIH, and will continue to do their research in improving surgical safety while also delving into other fields beyond otology to apply their system towards.
 
Publications
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