Patent Application
20250170384
The present disclosure relates generally to devices and methods for medical applications and, more particularly, to a hub attachment collar applicable for safe disconnect of guide tools and devices used in medical procedures, including in robotic medical procedures, with such guide tools and devices including catheters, cameras, and endoscopes.
Flexible medical instruments such as endoscopic surgical devices and catheters are broadly used in surgical and probative settings. Such flexible medical instruments continue to gain acceptance in the medical field. The medical devices generally include a flexible tube commonly referred to as a sleeve or sheath, with one or more tool channels extending along or inside the sheath to allow access to end effectors located at a distal end of the sheath.
Conventional systems include U.S. Pub. 2021/0259794 to Kato et al., entitled Medical apparatus having dual manipulation means and methods for use thereof; U.S. Pat. 11,559,190 to Okumura et al., entitled Steerable medical device and method; and U.S. Pub. 2021/0369085 to Kato et al., entitled Medical apparatus with reflow trapped anchors and method of use thereof, the content of each of which is incorporated herein by reference.
EP 2589407B1 discusses a catheter system with an attachable catheter hub via rotation around the hub for attachment. U.S. Pat. 11,553,917 to Sgroi discusses a loading unit locking collar with rotational actuated release. JP6857283B2 discusses a handheld surface cleaning unit in which components are mated together via tab flexes into a slot to lock components, with push tab release. JP2023103865A and U.S. Pub. 2021/0121051 discuss a medical device and bendable unit. JP 2022-115015 discusses a medical apparatus having a main body that includes a plurality of drive sources, and an operation unit movable between a fixed position and a detached position when a bendable unit is attached to a base station.
However, conventional systems fail to provide a system with an attachment collar that connects a catheter to a medical apparatus actuator, including an inaction zone, a wire disengagement zone, and a hub release zone to provide safety and avoid accidental turning. To overcome various shortcomings of conventional systems, the present disclosure provides a hub attachment collar, also referred to as collar herein, configured to connect a catheter to a medical apparatus actuator, for example a robotic catheter system for peripheral lung biopsy.
An aspect of the present disclosure provides an attachment collar that detachably connects a medical apparatus actuator to a catheter hub, with the attachment collar including an inaction zone, a wire disengagement zone, and a hub release zone.
Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a method for securing a catheter to an actuator of a medical apparatus, with the catheter including a catheter hub, and with the actuator including a handle and an attachment collar operable through an inaction zone, a wire disengagement zone, and a hub release zone, and with the method including attaching, with the attachment collar in the hub release zone, the handle to the catheter hub; rotating the attachment collar through the hub release zone into the wire disengagement zone; and rotating the attachment collar through the wire disengagement zone into the inaction zone, with the rotating through the wire disengagement zone securing attachment pins extending from the catheter hub to respective clamping mechanisms of the actuator.
A further aspect of the present disclosure provides a method for releasing a catheter from an actuator of a medical apparatus, the catheter including a catheter hub; the actuator including a handle and an attachment collar operable through an inaction zone, a wire disengagement zone, and a hub release zone; and with the method including exerting a rotational force on the attachment collar to rotate the attachment collar through the inaction zone to a detent provided at a transition between the inaction zone and the wire disengagement zone; receiving feedback from the detent; in response to the feedback, exerting one of a pressing force and an increased rotational force to transition from the inaction zone to the wire disengagement zone; rotating the attachment collar through the wire disengagement zone to a hard stop provided at a transition between the wire disengagement zone and the hub release zone; rotating past the hard stop by activating a release mechanism; rotating the attachment collar through the hub release zone, with the rotating of the attachment collar through the hub release zone releasing attachment pins extending from the catheter hub from respective clamping mechanisms of the actuator; and detaching the handle from the catheter hub.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and form part of the specification, illustrate various embodiments, objects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure.
Aspects of the present disclosure can be understood by reading the following detailed description in light of the accompanying figures. It is noted that, in accordance with standard practice, the various features of the drawings are not drawn to scale and do not represent actual components. Several details such as dimensions of the various features may be arbitrarily increased or reduced for ease of illustration. In addition, reference numerals, labels and/or letters are repeated in the various examples to depict similar components and/or functionality. This repetition is for the purpose of simplicity and clarity and does not in itself limit the various embodiments and/or configurations the same components discussed.
Before the various embodiments are described in further detail, it shall be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to any particular embodiment. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing exemplary embodiments only, and is not intended to be limiting. Embodiments of the present disclosure may have many applications within the field of medical treatment or minimally invasive surgery (MIS).
Throughout the figures, the same reference numerals and characters, unless otherwise stated, are used to denote like features, elements, components or portions of the illustrated embodiments. In addition, while the subject disclosure is described in detail with reference to the enclosed figures, it is done so in connection with illustrative exemplary embodiments. It is intended that changes and modifications can be made to the described exemplary embodiments without departing from the true scope of the subject disclosure as defined by the appended claims. Although the drawings represent some possible configurations and approaches, the drawings are not necessarily to scale and certain features may be exaggerated, removed, or partially sectioned to better illustrate and explain certain aspects of the present disclosure. The descriptions set forth herein are not intended to be exhaustive or otherwise limit or restrict the claims to the precise forms and configurations shown in the drawings and disclosed in the following detailed description.
Those skilled in the art will recognize that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to claims containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations.
In addition, even if a specific number of introduced claim recitation(s) is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, and C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, and C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). In those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, or C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, or C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that typically a disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms unless context dictates otherwise. For example, the phrase “A or B” will be typically understood to include the possibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B.”
When a feature or element is herein referred to as being “on” another feature or element, it can be directly on the other feature or element or intervening features and/or elements may also be present. In contrast, when a feature or element is referred to as being “directly on” another feature or element, there are no intervening features or elements present. It will also be understood that, when a feature or element is referred to as being “connected”, “attached”, “coupled” or the like to another feature or element, it can be directly connected, attached or coupled to the other feature or element or intervening features or elements may be present. In contrast, when a feature or element is referred to as being “directly connected”, “directly attached” or “directly coupled” to another feature or element, there are no intervening features or elements present. Although described or shown with respect to one embodiment, the features and elements so described or shown in one embodiment can apply to other embodiments. It will also be appreciated by those of skill in the art that references to a structure or feature that is disposed “adjacent” to another feature may have portions that overlap or underlie the adjacent feature.
The terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, parts and/or sections. It should be understood that these elements, components, regions, parts and/or sections are not limited by these terms of designation. These terms of designation have been used only to distinguish one element, component, region, part, or section from another region, part, or section. Thus, a first element, component, region, part, or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, part, or section merely for purposes of distinction but without limitation and without departing from structural or functional meaning.
As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should be further understood that the terms “includes” and/or “including”, “comprises” and/or “comprising”, “consists” and/or “consisting” when used in the present specification and claims, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof not explicitly stated. Further, in the present disclosure, the transitional phrase “consisting of” excludes any element, step, or component not specified in the claim. It is further noted that some claims or some features of a claim may be drafted to exclude any optional element; such claims may use exclusive terminology as “solely,” “only” and the like in connection with the recitation of claim elements, or it may use of a “negative” limitation.
The term “about” or “approximately” as used herein means, for example, within 10%, within 5%, or less. In some embodiments, the term “about” may mean within measurement error. In this regard, where described or claimed, all numbers may be read as if prefaced by the word “about” or “approximately,” even if the term does not expressly appear. The phrase “about” or “approximately” may be used when describing magnitude and/or position to indicate that the value and/or position described is within a reasonable expected range of values and/or positions. For example, a numeric value may have a value that is +/−0.1% of the stated value (or range of values), +/−1% of the stated value (or range of values), +/−2% of the stated value (or range of values), +/−5% of the stated value (or range of values), +/−10% of the stated value (or range of values), etc. Any numerical range, if recited herein, is intended to be inclusive of end values and includes all sub-ranges subsumed therein, unless specifically stated otherwise. As used herein, the term “substantially” is meant to allow for deviations from the descriptor that do not negatively affect the intended purpose. For example, deviations that are from limitations in measurements, differences within manufacture tolerance, or variations of less than 5% can be considered within the scope of substantially the same. The specified descriptor can be an absolute value (e.g. substantially spherical, substantially perpendicular, substantially concentric, etc.) or a relative term (e.g. substantially similar, substantially the same, etc.).
Unless specifically stated otherwise, as apparent from the following disclosure, it is understood that, throughout the disclosure, discussions using terms such as “processing,” “computing,” “calculating,” “determining,” “displaying,” or the like, refer to the action and processes of a computer system, or similar electronic computing device, or data processing device that manipulates and transforms data represented as physical (electronic) quantities within the computer system's registers and memories into other data similarly represented as physical quantities within the computer system memories or registers or other such information storage, transmission or display devices. Computer or electronic operations described in the specification or recited in the appended claims may generally be performed in any order, unless context dictates otherwise. Also, although various operational flow diagrams are presented in a sequence(s), it should be understood that the various operations may be performed in other orders than those which are illustrated or claimed, or operations may be performed concurrently. Examples of such alternate orderings may include overlapping, interleaved, interrupted, reordered, incremental, preparatory, supplemental, simultaneous, reverse, or other variant orderings, unless context dictates otherwise. Furthermore, terms like “responsive to,” “in response to”, “related to,” “based on”, or other like past-tense adjectives are generally not intended to exclude such variants, unless context dictates otherwise.
As used herein, the term “real-time” is meant to describe processes or events communicated, shown, presented, etc. substantially at the same time as those processes or events actually occur. Real time refers to a level of computer responsiveness that a user senses as sufficiently immediate or that enables the computer to keep up with some external process. For example, in computer technology, the term real-time refers to the actual time during which something takes place and the computer may at least partly process the data in real time (as it comes in). As another example, in signal processing, “real-time” processing relates to a system in which input data is processed within milliseconds so that it is available virtually immediately as feedback, e.g., in a missile guidance, an airline booking system, or the stock market real-time quotes (RTQs).
The present disclosure generally relates to medical devices, and it exemplifies embodiments of an endoscope or catheter, and more particular to a steerable catheter controlled by a medical continuum robot (MCR). The embodiments of the endoscope or catheter and portions thereof are described in terms of their state in a three-dimensional space. As used herein, the term “position” refers to the location of an object or a portion of an object in a three-dimensional space (e.g., three degrees of translational freedom along Cartesian X, Y, Z coordinates); the term “orientation” refers to the rotational placement of an object or a portion of an object (three degrees of rotational freedom—e.g., roll, pitch, and yaw); the term “posture” refers to the position of an object or a portion of an object in at least one degree of translational freedom and to the orientation of that object or portion of object in at least one degree of rotational freedom (up to six total degrees of freedom); the term “shape” refers to a set of posture, positions, and/or orientations measured along the elongated body of the object.
As known in the field of medical devices, the terms “proximal” and “distal” are used with reference to the manipulation of an end of an instrument extending from the user to a surgical or diagnostic site. In this regard, the term “proximal” refers to the portion of the instrument that is closer to the user, and the term “distal” refers to the portion (tip) of the instrument further away from the user and closer to a surgical or diagnostic site. It will be further appreciated that, for convenience and clarity, spatial terms such as “vertical”, “horizontal”, “up”, and “down” may be used herein with respect to the drawings. However, surgical instruments are used in many orientations and positions, and these terms are not intended to be limiting and/or absolute. In that regard, all directional references (e.g., upper, lower, upward, downward, left, tight, leftward, rightward, top, bottom, above, below, vertical, horizontal, clockwise, and counterclockwise) are only used for identification purposes to aid the reader's understanding of the present disclosure, and do not create limitations, particularly as to the position, orientation, or use of the disclosure.
As used herein the term “catheter” generally refers to a flexible and thin tubular instrument made of medical grade material designed to be inserted through a narrow opening into an anatomical bodily lumen (e.g., an airway or a vessel) to perform a broad range of medical functions. The more specific term “steerable catheter” refers to a medical instrument comprising an elongated flexible shaft having at least one tool channel spanning through a plurality of bendable segments that are actuated by an actuator that applies an actuation force via drive wires arranged along a wall of the shaft.
As used herein the term “endoscope” refers to a rigid or flexible medical instrument which uses light guided by an optical probe to look inside a body cavity or organ. A medical procedure, in which an endoscope is inserted through a natural opening, is called an endoscopy. Specialized endoscopes are generally named for how or where the endoscope is intended to be used, such as the bronchoscope (mouth), sigmoidoscope (rectum), cystoscope (bladder), nephroscope (kidney), bronchoscope (bronchi), laryngoscope (larynx), otoscope (ear), arthroscope (joint), laparoscope (abdomen), and gastrointestinal endoscopes.
In the present disclosure, the terms “optical fiber”, “fiber optic”, or simply “fiber” refers to an elongated, flexible, light conducting waveguide capable of conducting light from one end to another end due to the effect known as total internal reflection. The terms “light guiding component” or “waveguide” may also refer to, or may have the functionality of, an optical fiber. The term “fiber” may refer to one or more light conducting fibers.
An exemplary configuration of a robotic catheter system 1000 is described with reference to
The robotic catheter 110 includes an actuation handle 150 and a steerable catheter 100. The steerable catheter 100 is removably attached to the actuation handle 150 via a connector assembly 50 (connector hub). The steerable catheter 100 may also be referred to as a continuum robot catheter or a snake robot catheter configured to form continuous curves based on actuation principles known in the art. A well-known approach to form continuous curves with a continuum robot catheter is the follow-the-leader (FTL) technique. The actuation handle 150 connects to an actuator system 300 which receives electronic commands from the computer 400 to mechanically actuate the steerable catheter 100. The actuation handle 150 is configured to be detachably mounted on the robotic platform 90 for robotically guiding the steerable catheter 100 through a bodily lumen 81 towards a target 181 within the subject or patient 80. When the actuation handle 150 is not mounted on the robotic platform 90, the actuation handle 150 can be operated manually by the user 10 one or more knobs to control the steerable catheter 100. For treating or examining a patient 80, the robotic catheter 110 may include one or more access ports 250 arranged in or around the actuation handle 150. Access ports 250 are used to introduce end effector tools, or to pass fluids to/from the patient 80. A tracking system (including, e.g., an electromagnetic (EM) field generator 60 and one or more EM sensors 190 arranged on the steerable catheter 100) is used for tracking the position, shape, pose, and/or orientation of the steerable catheter 100 while being inserted through the bodily lumen 81 towards the target 181. The target 181 is a region of interest (e.g., center of a tumor or a lesion) located in or around the lumen 81 of the patient 80. Alternatively or in addition to EM components, the tracking system may include magnetic and/or radiopaque markers.
During an intraluminal procedure, the system's processor or CPU 410 is configured to perform operations based on the user's input by executing (processing) computer-executable code pre-stored in the system's memory 411. The display screen 420 may include a graphical user interface (GUI) configured to display a graphical representation 421 of catheter navigation parameters and patient information, an endoscope image 422 (live view image), an intra-operative guiding image 423, and a pre-operative image 424 (e.g., a 3D or 2D slice image) of a region of interest of the patient 80. Intra-operative guiding image 423 may include conventional fluoroscopy images, or acoustic or ultrasound images. Pre-operative image 424 may include 2D or 3D computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images.
As shown in
The steerable catheter 100 is controlled by an actuation system comprised of the actuation handle 150, the actuator system 300, the robotic platform 90 and/or a handheld controller 205 (e.g., a gamepad controller or joystick), which are in electronic communication with the computer 400 via a cable or network connection 425. The actuator system 300 includes a micro-controller 320 and an actuator 310 which are operatively connected to the computer 400 via the network connection 425. The micro-controller 320 may include a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller or other similar digital signal processor (DSP) circuit. The actuator 310 includes a plurality of actuating servo motors (or piezoelectric actuators) M1 through Mn, where “n” can be equal to a number of drive wires 210 necessary for steering the steerable catheter 100.
The robotic control system 300 also includes one or more sensors, including strain, position, and/or locked state sensors. The strain sensor can be implemented by, for example, a strain gauge or a piezo resistor. A strain sensor serves to detect and/or measure compressive or tensile forces exerted on each drive wire 210. In this case, the strain sensor outputs a signal corresponding to the amount of compressive or tensile force (an amount of strain) being applied to each drive wire 210 during actuation of the steerable catheter 100. The sensors may output a signal corresponding to an amount of movement (distance of displacement) for each actuated drive wire 210. A sensor may measure the amount of displacement of the drive wire may also be implemented by a Hall-effect sensor. A sensor may be part of a tracking system implemented by an electromagnetic (EM) sensor configured to measure and/or detected the position and orientation (pose) of the catheter tip 120. Signals from the sensors (strain sensor, displacement sensor, and/or pose or position sensor) for one or more drive wires 210 are sent to the controller 320 and/or computer 400 to provide real-time feedback and create closed-loop control for each motor or actuator. In this manner, each drive wire 210 can be actively controlled to implement appropriate shaft guidance for safely navigating the steerable catheter 100 through the lumen 81.
The computer 400 includes suitable software, firmware, and peripheral hardware operated by one or more processor of CPU 410. The computer 400, the actuator system 300, and the actuation handle 150 are operably connected to each other by the network connection 425 (e.g., a cable bundle or wireless link). In addition, the computer 400, the actuator system 300 and the actuation handle 150 are operatively connected to each other by the robot platform 90. In some embodiments, the actuator system 300 may include or be connected to a handheld controller, such as a gamepad controller or a portable computing device like a smart phone or a tablet. Among other functions, the computer 400 and actuator system 300 can provide a surgeon or other operator with a GUI and navigation information through the display screen 420 to operate the steerable catheter 100.
Detail A in
An imaging device 180 that can be inserted through the tool channel includes an endoscope camera (videoscope) along with illumination optics (e.g., optical fibers or LEDs). The illumination optics provides illumination light to irradiate a lesion target 181 which is a region of interest within the patient. End effector tools refer endoscopic surgical tools including clamps, graspers, scissors, staplers, ablation or biopsy needles, and other similar tools, which serve to manipulate body parts (organs or tumorous tissue) during examination or surgery.
Next, an example of robotic navigation of the steerable catheter 100 is explained. In general, either during insertion or retraction of the steerable catheter 100 through a bodily lumen 81, the center line of the lumen (e.g., the center line of a lung's airway) is considered the desired trajectory to be followed during active control of the bendable segments of the steerable section 130 (refer to
In a robotic catheter system as described herein, catheter collision with the patient's anatomy may occur when the catheter trajectory is not maintained within the constraints of the lumen. In general, when navigating along a straight section of a lumen, it is desirable to maintain the catheter along the center line of the lumen. If making a turn, the trajectory should be offset away from the center line to navigate “around the corner” of a tight curve, in particular when the catheter has a rigid catheter tip. Therefore, when navigating through tortuous anatomies, the approach path that was followed by the catheter tip can deviate from the intended trajectory for various reasons (e.g., patient movement, user intervention, or the like). User-guided deviation from an ideal path (insertion trajectory) can propagate from the distal most section to the subsequent bendable segments based on the control algorithm used. In addition, the position of the robotically controlled bendable segments can deviate from the user-guided path for numerous reasons, including different section designs, different tolerances for different bendable segments, different positions of the base of that section, etc.
Challenges may arise during navigation due to a number of reasons, as described in the documents disclosed by the related art, including delays that may result from retracting the catheter 100 and re-start of a surgical procedure, which adds unwanted time to the surgical procedure.
As illustrated in
The collar 160 may be rotated relative to at least one of the actuation handle 150 and the catheter hub 170. In an embodiment, rotational movement of the actuation handle 150 controls attachment/release of the attachment pins 164a, 164b to/from the respective clamping mechanisms 165a, 165b.
A user may rotate the collar 160 in a release direction from the inaction zone 510, through the wire disengagement zone 540, and into the hub release zone 560 (
Rotation of the collar 160 through the wire disengagement zone 540 facilitates attachment/detachment of a medical apparatus actuator 310 to/from the catheter hub 170. The wire disengagement zone 540 may occupy ranges of one or more of approximately 90 degrees of rotation, approximately eighty to one hundred degrees of rotation, and approximately sixty to one hundred and twenty degrees of rotation, which may vary depending on factors that include a number of total drive wires and respective clamping mechanisms 165a, 165b.
The inaction zone 510 includes a first end 512 and a second end 516 that is opposite the first end 512. The first end 512 of the inaction zone 510 may include a first hard stop to preclude rotation past the first end 512 of the inaction zone 510. Rotation of the attachment collar 160 between the first end 512 and the second end 516 of the inaction zone 510 does not result in a change of state or action being triggered by the attachment collar 160. Prior to rotation, the attachment collar 160 is maintained in a stationary state by a detent that is located at the first end 512 of the inaction zone 510.
When in the inaction zone 510, attachment pins 164a, 164b (
The wire disengagement zone 540 may include a first end 542 and a second end 546, with the first end 542 of the wire disengagement zone 540 being substantially adjacent to the second end 516 of the inaction zone 510 with the second detent therebetween.
The second end 546 of the wire disengagement zone 540 may include a second hard stop that impedes rotation in the release direction of the attachment collar 160 past the second end 546 of the wire disengagement zone 540 until the user activates a release mechanism 550. The second hard stop that is provided at the second end 546 of the wire disengagement zone 540 may prevent accidental, continued rotation into the hub release zone 560. A first end 562 of the hub release zone 560 may be substantially adjacent to the second end 546 of the wire disengagement zone 540 with the second hard stop therebetween.
The release mechanism 550 may be a push button or engagement latch and an example of the release mechanism 550 is provided in
At the end of such rotation, the attachment collar 160 is maintained in the stationary state by a detent that is located at a second end 564 of the hub release zone 560.
As illustrated in
In
In
The shelf mechanisms of
In
In
Operation of, i.e., depressing, the release mechanism 550 may provide linear motion for controlled travel from/to the inaction zone 510 into/from the wire disengagement zone 540 and/or from/to wire disengagement zone into/from the hub release zone 560. For linear control, travel of approximately one quarter to a half inch may facilitate travel through the inaction zone 510, travel of approximately a half inch to two inches may facilitate travel through the wire disengagement zone 540, and travel of approximately one inch may facilitate travel through the hub release zone 560, with travel through the hub release zone 560 may only be accessible after pressing an interlock button that allows final separation between the actuation handle 150 and the catheter hub 170.
A locked state sensor 305 (
In step S1301 of
In Step S1401 of
In Step S1407, the attachment collar 160 is rotated through the wire disengagement zone 540 to a hard stop provided at a transition between the wire disengagement zone 540 and the hub release zone 560. In Step S1409, rotation continues past the hard stop by activating a release mechanism. In Step S1411, the attachment collar 160 is rotated through the hub release zone 560 to release attachment pins 164a, 164b extending from the catheter hub 170 from respective clamping mechanisms 165a, 165b of the actuator. In Step S1413 the handle 150 is detached from the catheter hub 170.
The attachment collar and method of use provide advantages that include one or more of: providing a zone of rotation that precludes initiation of any action while absorbing accidental rotation; control of wire disengagement and attachment of the catheter hub to the actuation handle, while providing various feedback indicating initiation/completion of predetermined actions; providing a final safety control permitted removal of the catheter, providing additional disengagement safety to avoid procedural delay; and receiving input from the rotation detection sensor for pause of the robotic system to avoid potential restart of an ongoing procedure.
In referring to the above description, specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the examples disclosed. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, components and circuits have not been described in detail as not to unnecessarily lengthen the present disclosure.
It should be understood that if an element or part is referred herein as being “on”, “against”, “connected to”, or “coupled to” another element or part, then it can be directly on, against, connected or coupled to the other element or part, or intervening elements or parts may be present. In contrast, if an element is referred to as being “directly on”, “directly connected to”, or “directly coupled to” another element or part, then there are no intervening elements or parts present. When used, term “and/or”, includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items, if so provided.
Spatially relative terms, such as “under” “beneath”, “below”, “lower”, “above”, “upper”, “proximal”, “distal”, and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the various figures. It should be understood, however, that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features. Thus, a relative spatial term such as “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein are to be interpreted accordingly. Similarly, the relative spatial terms “proximal” and “distal” may also be interchangeable, where applicable.
The term “about,” as used herein means, for example, within 10%, within 5%, or less. In some embodiments, the term “about” may mean within measurement error.
The terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, parts and/or sections. It should be understood that these elements, components, regions, parts and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms have been used only to distinguish one element, component, region, part, or section from another region, part, or section. Thus, a first element, component, region, part, or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, part, or section without departing from the teachings herein.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in the context of describing the disclosure (especially in the context of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. The terms “comprising,” “having,” “includes”, “including,” and “containing” are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning “including, but not limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. Specifically, these terms, when used in the present specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof not explicitly stated. Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. For example, if the range 10-15 is disclosed, then 11, 12, 13, and 14 are also disclosed. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate the disclosure and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the disclosure unless otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the disclosure.
It will be appreciated that the methods and compositions of the instant disclosure can be incorporated in the form of a variety of embodiments, only a few of which are disclosed herein. Variations of those embodiments may become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. The inventors expect skilled artisans to employ such variations as appropriate, and the inventors intend for the disclosure to be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein. Accordingly, this disclosure includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the disclosure unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.
The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/603,365, which was filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Nov. 28, 2023, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63603365 | Nov 2023 | US |
