Infrared laser catheter system
US6547780B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 30, 1998 |
| Grant date | Apr 15, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 30, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG02B6/3878
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
Laser energy produced by a laser operating In the mid-infrared region (approximately 2 micrometers) Is delivered by an optical fiber in a catheter to a surgical site for biological tissue removal and repair. Disclosed laser sources which have an output wavelength in this region include: Holmium-doped Yttrium Aluminum Garnet (Ho:YAG), Holmium-doped Yttrium Lithium Fluoride (Ho:YLF), Erbium-doped YAG, Erbium-doped YLF and Thulium-doped YAG. For tissue removal, the lasers are operated with relatively long pulses at energy levels of approximately 1 joule per pulse. For tissue repair, the lasers are operated in a continuous wave mode at low power. Laser output energy is applied to a silica-based optical fiber which has been specially purified to reduce the hydroxyl-ion concentration to a low level. The catheter may be comprised of a single optical fiber or a plurality of optical fibers arranged to give overlapping output patterns for large area coverage.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.