Robotic System for Small Blood Vessel Sutures
JHU Ref #: C17579
Value Proposition:
· This technology enables autonomous robotic suture of blood vessels less than 5mm in diameter
· This is the first successful use of robotics to surgically join blood vessels less than 5mm in diameter
Unmet Need
Surgically joining together blood vessels that have a diameter of less than 5mm is a difficult procedure called microvascular anastomosis and can only be performed by extremely skilled surgeons. Surgical robots have been shown to outperform surgeons in suture quality and consistency but are currently unable to perform these functions at the microvasculature scale. Therefore, there is a strong need for systems to be developed that enable the precision of surgical robots to perform their functions on blood vessels less than 5mm in diameter.
Technology Description
Researchers at Johns Hopkins have developed a positioning system that enables the STAR surgical robot to suture blood vessels together that are less than 5mm in diameter. This surgical positioning system loads and orients the blood vessels which enables the STAR robot to perform the suture while decreasing negative surgical outcomes like accidental puncture and thrombosis. Furthermore, the system integrates an optical imaging sensor that enables the surgeon to visualize of the needle’s position.
Stage of Development
Proof of principal has been demonstrated in vitro.
Data Availability
Data available upon request.
Publication
Haworth, Jesse, Justin Opfermann, Michael Kam, Yaning Wang, Robin Yang, Jin U. Kang, and Axel Krieger. "Development and Evaluation of a Robotic Vessel Positioning System for Semi-Automatic Microvascular Anastomosis." In 2023 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), pp. 6901-6908. IEEE, 2023.
