Robotic surgical system and method for automated therapy delivery

• US 8,528,565 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2006
• Issued: 09/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: St. Jude Medical (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: St. Jude Medical (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Inventors: Hauck, John A., Schweitzer, Jeffrey A., Belhe, Kedar Ravindra
• Primary Examiner(s): FARAH, AHMED M
• Application Number:
  US11/647,297
• Publication Number:
  US 20070198008A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,447 Days
• Field of Search: 700/245, 700/247, 700/250, 700/253, 700/257, 606/1, 606/41, 606/42, 128/898
• US Class Current: 128/898
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00026 Conductivity or impedance, e.g. of tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/105 Modelling of the patient, e.g. for ligaments or bones
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/107 Visualisation of planned trajectories or target regions
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2051 Electromagnetic tracking systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/301 for introducing or steering flexible instruments inserted into the body, e.g. catheters or endoscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/742 Joysticks
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/064 for measuring force, pressure or mechanical tension
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3784 both receiver and transmitter being in the instrument or receiver being also transmitter
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/20 Surgical navigation systems; Devices for tracking or guiding surgical instruments, e.g. for frameless stereotaxis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/30 Surgical robots
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/71 Manipulators operated by drive cable mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6885 Monitoring or controlling sensor contact pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0105 Steering means as part of the catheter or advancing means; Markers for positioning systems for detection of markers A61B

Abstract

A method of navigating a medical device through a body of a patient includes providing a topography of at least a portion of the body, accepting user input defining a navigation path, robotically navigating the medical device to a starting point on the path, and robotically navigating the medical device along the navigation path to an endpoint. Waypoints defining the navigation path may be input on a graphical representation of the topography using a user interface such as a pointing device or touchscreen. The navigation path may also be defined by tracing a substantially continuous path on the graphical representation. A therapy may be administered while robotically navigating the medical device along the navigation path, either forward or in reverse, or while navigating the medical device along a return path defined by a plurality of virtual breadcrumbs generated as the medical device traverses the navigation path.

Claims

1. A method of navigating a medical device through a body of a patient, the method comprising:

providing a topography of at least a portion of the body;

accepting user input defining a navigation path comprising a plurality of waypoints on the topography, the plurality of waypoints including a first waypoint and a final waypoint;

robotically navigating the medical device to the first waypoint; and

robotically navigating the medical device along the navigation path from the first waypoint to the final waypoint.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising administering a therapy with the medical device while robotically navigating the medical device along the navigation path.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

robotically navigating the medical device along a return path from the final waypoint to the first waypoint; and

administering a therapy with the medical device while robotically navigating the medical device along the return path.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the return path comprises a plurality of reference points, and wherein the plurality of reference points is generated by periodically measuring a position of the medical device while navigating the medical device along the navigation path from the first waypoint to the final waypoint.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein a sampling rate for periodically measuring a position of the medical device is adjustable.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the sampling rate is user-adjustable.

7. The method according to claim 4, wherein a resolution of the return path is user-adjustable.

8. The method according to claim 3, wherein administering a therapy with the medical device while robotically navigating the medical device along the return path comprises ablating tissue with the medical device.

9. The method according to claim 3, wherein administering a therapy with the medical device while robotically navigating the medical device along the return path comprises utilizing the medical device to deliver a therapeutic agent to a tissue surface at one or more target points along the return path.

10. The method according to claim 2, wherein the medical device comprises an ablation device, and wherein administering a therapy with the medical device comprises ablating tissue with the ablation device.

11. The method according to claim 2, wherein administering a therapy with the medical device comprises utilizing the medical device to deliver a therapeutic agent to a tissue surface at one or more target points along the navigation path.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of providing a topography of at least a portion of the body comprises providing a graphical representation of the topography through a user interface, and wherein the step of accepting user input defining a navigation path comprising a plurality of waypoints on the topography comprises accepting user input defining the plurality of waypoints on the graphical representation through the user interface.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein accepting user input defining the plurality of waypoints on the graphical representation through the user interface comprises accepting user input through a pointing device.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein accepting user input defining the plurality of waypoints on the graphical representation through the user interface comprises accepting user input through a touchscreen.

15. The method according to claim 1, further comprising robotically navigating the medical device in reverse along the navigation path.

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising using the medical device to administer a therapy while the medical device is being robotically navigated in reverse along the navigation path.

17. The method according to claim 15, further comprising:

recording in a memory device a plurality of robotic settings, the plurality of robotic settings corresponding to robotic settings that were used to robotically place the medical device at each of the plurality of waypoints that define the navigation path;

wherein the step of robotically navigating the medical device in reverse along the navigation path utilizes the plurality of recorded robotic settings to improve accuracy of travel of the medical device along the navigation path in reverse.

18. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of robotically navigating the medical device along the navigation path from the first waypoint to the final waypoint comprises robotically navigating the medical device along the navigation path from the first waypoint to the final waypoint while maintaining contact between the medical device and a tissue surface.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the step of robotically navigating the medical device along the navigation path from the first waypoint to the final waypoint while maintaining contact between the medical device and a tissue surface comprises:

measuring a contact force between the medical device and the tissue surface; and

robotically actuating the medical device to maintain the contact force between the medical device and the tissue surface at a substantially constant level.