A new hybrid catheter-tip tactile sensor with relative hardness measuring capability for use in catheter-based heart surgery

Abstract

Mitral valve regurgitation (MR) is one of the common heart valve diseases. It can be fixed by surgical mitral valve repair. Currently, this type of surgery is performed using open heart bypass methods. If it would be performed using catheterbased techniques (CBT), it would offer both patients and surgeons many advantages. To perform it via CBT, it is necessary to include, on the tip of a catheter, tactile sensors that measure the relative hardness of contact tissues. The present paper discusses the design, modelling, and fabrication of a novel hybrid (Piezoresistive-Optical Fiber) catheter-tip tactile sensor that differentiates between the hardness of different kinds of elastomeric materials. In addition, finite element models of elastomeric materials, contacted at the tip of the catheter, were developed to verify the output of the sensor. Similarly, the experimental results confirm the relative hardness measurement of contact elastomeric materials.

Implementation of Tactile Sensing for Palpation in Robot-Assisted Minimally Invasive Surgery: A Review

“…As practice shows, the most successful devices can be developed employing combined sensing and mechanical principles. For example, in [78] as shown on Fig. 8, a hybrid sensor developed for catheterization procedures uses both the piezoresistive effect and optical fiber sensing.…”

“…8. Catheter tip, which is measuring relative stiffness of contact tissue [78]. [82], the choice of soft material is directly influencing the characteristics of tactile device, as the elastic part of the device is in direct contact with measured material.…”

Plantar Pressure Detection with Fiber Bragg Gratings Sensing System

“…In recent years, fiber-optic sensors have already been commonly utilized for numerous physical measurements [20,21,22,23,24,25,26]. The fiber-optic sensor has its intrinsic advantages of light weight, low loss, high bandwidth, and immunity to electromagnetic interference.…”

Polymer‐Waveguide‐Based Flexible Tactile Sensor Array for Dynamic Response

“…Recently, touch sensors have evolved that are flexible or even stretchable so that they can be compatible with flexible displays . The combination of flexibility and a function that detects the magnitude of the contact force enables touch sensors to be used for various fields such as robots and medical systems, as well as conventional touchpads . Nowadays, a flexible tactile sensor is considered a key component for an artificial skin, but its thin‐film design remains a future challenge …”

“…For detection of pressure distribution, the sensors should be able to recognize multipoint contacts . Sometimes, components impervious to an electromagnetic field are required for compatibility with magnetic resonance imaging in neuromedical applications …”