Infrared laser catheter system
DCFirst Claim
1. A system for the removal of biological tissue within a body:
- a laser energy source including means for operating said laser energy source in a pulsed mode with an output wavelength in a range of 1.4-2.2 micrometers and for operating said laser energy source at an energy level sufficient to remove biological tissue;
an optical fiber for conducting laser energy from said laser energy source from a proximal end of said fiber to a surgical site at a distal end of said optical fiber; and
means for directing an output of said laser source to the proximal end of said optical fiber.
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Accused Products
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.
227 Citations
26 Claims
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1. A system for the removal of biological tissue within a body:
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a laser energy source including means for operating said laser energy source in a pulsed mode with an output wavelength in a range of 1.4-2.2 micrometers and for operating said laser energy source at an energy level sufficient to remove biological tissue; an optical fiber for conducting laser energy from said laser energy source from a proximal end of said fiber to a surgical site at a distal end of said optical fiber; and means for directing an output of said laser source to the proximal end of said optical fiber. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A system for the removal of biological tissue within a body comprising:
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a laser energy source including means for operating said laser energy source in a pulsed mode with an output wavelength in a range of 1.4-2.2 micrometers and for operating said laser energy source at an energy level sufficient to remove biological tissue; a catheter having at least one lumen passing therethrough; at least one optical fiber comprised of silica passing through said catheter lumen, said silica fiber being purified to reduce the hydroxyl ion content as low as possible, said optical fiber conducting laser energy from said laser energy source from a proximal end of said fiber to a surgical site at a distal end of said optical fiber; and means for directing an output of said laser source to the proximal end of said optical fiber.
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12. A system for the removal of biological tissue within a body comprising:
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a Holmium-doped laser energy source including means for operating said laser energy source in a pulsed mode with an output wavelength in a range of about 2.06-2.1 micrometers and for operating said laser energy source at an energy level sufficient to remove biological tissue; an optical fiber for conducting laser energy from said laser energy source from a proximal end of said fiber to a surgical site at a distal end of said optical fiber; and means for directing an output of said laser source to the proximal end of said optical fiber.
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13. A system for the removal of biological tissue within a body comprising:
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a laser energy source including means for operating said laser energy source in a pulsed mode with an output wavelength in a range of about 1.4-2.2 micrometers and for operating said laser energy source at an energy level sufficient to deliver energy to a surgical site of at least about 0.57 joules per square millimeter per pulse to remove biological tissue within the body; an optical fiber for conducting laser energy from said laser energy source from a proximal end of said fiber to a surgical site at a distal end of said optical fiber; and means for directing the output of said laser energy source to the proximal end of said optical fiber. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A method for the removal of biological tissue within a body comprising the steps of:
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inserting a catheter containing an optical fiber into the body; guiding a distal end of the optical fiber to a surgical site within the body; operating a laser energy source in a pulsed mode with an output beam having a wavelength in a range of from about 1.4 to about 2.2 micrometers and at an energy level sufficient to remove biological tissue; directing the output of the laser energy source to a proximal end of the optical fiber; and directing laser energy propagating down the optical fiber to the surgical site at the distal end of the optical fiber. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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Specification