SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR HARVESTING, STORING, AND IMPLANTING HAIR GRAFTS

• US 20090088720A1
• Filed: 08/19/2008
• Published: 04/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Venus Concept, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Restoration Robotics, Inc. (Venus Concept, Inc.)
• Inventors: Oostman, Clifford A. JR.
• Granted Patent: US 8,211,134 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/403
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/00 Surgical instruments, devices or methods, e.g. tourniquets A61B18/00 takes precedence; contraceptive devices, pessaries, or applicators therefor A61F6/00; eye surgery A61F9/007; ear surgery A61F11/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/3468 for implanting or removing devices, e.g. prostheses, implants, seeds, wires devices for implanting seeds A61M37/0069
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2010/0225 for taking multiple samples
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00752 Hair removal or transplantation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/305 Details of wrist mechanisms at distal ends of robotic arms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/30 Surgical robots
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/37 Master-slave robots A61B34/35 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/10 Hair or skin implants

Abstract

A system and method for harvesting, storing, and implanting biological units, in particular hair follicular units (FUs). The system is particularly useful to facilitate hair transplant procedures. FUs are harvested from a body surface, either attached to a patient or in a strip of removed tissue, and shuttled into a cartridge having a plurality of receptacles. The receptacles are open in a distal direction toward a removal tool, but a cover over the proximal ends of the receptacles prevents the FUs from continuing out of the cartridge. The cover is made of a permissible medium, which may be fluid permeable and/or puncturable. One way to shuttle the FUs is to provide a pressure differential, such as by applying suction to the proximal end of a receptacle. The shuttle subsystem may be incorporated within an overall automated or robotic system, or the shuttle subsystem may form part of a semi-automated or even manual apparatus.

Claims

1. A storage device for holding a plurality of biological units, comprising:

a body having a first face and a second face and defining a plurality of receptacles therein for holding biological units, the receptacles each passing through the body from the first face to the second face and including a first opening at the first face of the body and at least one second opening at the second face of the body; and

a permissive medium covering the second openings of the plurality of receptacles.

2. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the body is substantially cylindrical or disk-shaped having a thickness dimension along the direction of the cylindrical axis, and the receptacles are arrayed in a pattern and through the thickness dimension of the body.

3. The storage device of claim 2, wherein the pattern comprises at least one circular array of receptacles along a circumference of the storage device.

4. The storage device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of receptacles comprises a pressure relief structure that limits the maximum suction created within the receptacle from a source of suction.

5. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the body is substantially rectilinear having a thickness dimension and the receptacles are arrayed in a pattern through the thickness dimension of the body.

6. The storage device of claim 5, wherein the receptacles are arrayed in a close-packed matrix.

7. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the permissive medium comprises one or more of a mesh, an air or fluid permeable material, and puncturable material.

8. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the permissive medium comprises a self-sealing elastomer.

9. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the permissive medium comprises a cover attached to the body that extends at least partly over the second face and over the second openings.

10. The storage device of claim 1, wherein each portion of the permissive medium that covers the second openings of the receptacles is rendered unusable once punctured such that the storage device is a single-use device.

11. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the storage device is disposable.

12. The storage device of claim 1, wherein each portion of the permissive medium that covers the second openings of the receptacles is resealable once punctured such that the storage device may be reused more than once.

13. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the biological unit is a hair graft, and the receptacles are sized to closely receive the hair graft.

14. The storage device of claim 13, wherein the storage device is configured to be removably received in a robotic hair transplantation system.

15. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the storage device is configured to be removably received in one or more of a hand-held, partially automated, and fully automated device or system.

16. The storage device of claim 1, wherein at least one receptacle of the plurality of receptacles contains a biological unit preservation solution.

17. The storage device of claim 1, configured to allow for cooling of the biological unit once it is held in a receptacle of the plurality of receptacles.

18. A device for transplanting follicular units (FUs) into tissue, comprising;

a robotic system having a robotic arm and a control mechanism;

an implanting tool having a lumen therethrough and being connected to and manipulated by the robotic arm; and

a cartridge having a plurality of receptacles each adapted to retain an FU,

wherein the control mechanism is adapted to automatically align the selected cartridge receptacle with the lumen of the implanting tool and urge the FU from the selected receptacle through the lumen of the implanting tool into the tissue.

19. The device of claim 18, further comprising an obturator positioned to pass through the selected cartridge receptacle, and wherein the control mechanism directs passage of the obturator through the selected cartridge receptacle to urge the FU from the selected receptacle.

20. The device of claim 18, further comprising a pressure differential through the selected cartridge receptacle, and wherein the control mechanism initiates pressure differential through the selected cartridge receptacle to urge the FU from the selected receptacle.

21. The device of claim 18, further comprising a follicular unit removal tool having a lumen therethrough, the removal tool is connected to and manipulated by the robotic arm to position the removal tool over an FU located on a body surface;

and wherein the control mechanism is adapted to align the lumen of the removal tool with a selected cartridge receptacle and urge the FU through the removal tool into the selected cartridge receptacle.

22. An automated process for shuttling a biological unit into and from a storage device having a plurality of receptacles, comprising:

acquiring a biological unit into a first tool using a substantially automated process;

urging the biological unit from the first tool into a selected receptacle of the storage device using a substantially automated process;

capturing the biological unit in the selected receptacle; and

displacing the biological unit from the selected storage device receptacle into the said first tool or a different tool using a substantially automated process.

23. The process of claim 22, wherein the first tool defines a lumen therethrough and the step of urging the biological unit through the first tool comprises applying a pressure differential to the first tool lumen.

24. The process of claim 23, further comprising providing structure along a path in which the biological unit travels from the first tool to the storage device receptacle to reduce the pressure differential along a portion thereof and thereby reduce the speed of the biological unit along the path.

25. The process of claim 24, wherein the structure comprises a parallel flow path outside of the path which terminates just before the path reaches the storage device.

26. The process of claim 22, wherein the process includes applying a source of suction to a proximal side of the selected receptacle, and providing a pressure relief channel on the proximal side of each receptacle for limiting the maximum suction created within the receptacle to less than a suction magnitude of the source of suction.

27. The process of claim 22, wherein the first tool defines a lumen therethrough and the step of urging the biological unit through the first tool comprises pushing the biological unit through the lumen of the first tool using mechanical means.

28. The process of claim 22, further comprising cooling the biological unit while it is stored in the receptacle of the storage device.

29. The process of claim 22, further comprising preserving the biological unit while it is stored in the receptacle of the storage device with a preservation solution.

30. The process of claim 22, wherein at least some steps of the method are computer-controlled.

31. The process of claim 22, wherein at least some steps of the method are performed by a robot.

32. The process of claim 22, wherein the storage device has a body with a thickness, the receptacles passing through the body between a first opening and a second opening on corresponding first and second ends of the receptacles, the storage device comprising a permissive medium covering the second ends of the receptacles.

35. The process of claim 22, wherein the biological unit is a hair follicular unit.

33. The process of claim 33, wherein displacing the biological unit from the storage device receptacle comprises pushing the biological unit from the receptacle using an obturator that enters the receptacle through the permissive medium.

34. The process of claim 33, wherein the step of urging the biological unit through the removal tool comprises applying a pressure differential to the removal tool lumen by reducing the pressure at the second end of the receptacle relative to the first end by applying a low pressure source to the second end through the permissive medium.