Optical Integrity, Inc.

Other

Daniel Malphurs

Joe Denton Brown

Howard S Klymas

A side-firing laser system with a standoff catheter includes an optical fiber configured to emit therapeutic laser radiation in a direction generally transverse to an axis of the fiber; and a catheter through which the optical fiber is inserted during a surgical procedure. The catheter includes a transparent end section through which the therapeutic laser radiation passes to vaporize tissue outside the catheter, an open distal end to permit exit of irrigation fluid from the catheter, and an opening in a side of the end section, the opening having dimensions that are approximately equal to or less than cross-sectional dimensions of the therapeutic laser radiation. When the fiber is moved to a position at which the therapeutic laser radiation passes through the opening, the laser radiation causes coagulation or vaporization of tissues.

Side-fire laser system with stand-off catheter, standoff catheter, and method of using surgical laser to achieve both tissue vaporization and rapid coagulation to prevent or halt bleeding

A system and method for detecting relative location of a surgical laser fiber tip relative to a surgical laser target during a surgical laser procedure utilizes a spectrophotometer to detect radiation indicative of the relative location. For example, the detected radiation may indicate contact between the fiber tip and a stone being subjected to laser lithotripsy, so as to prompt the surgeon to withdraw the fiber tip from the stone and/or take other action to limit contact-induced erosion of the fiber tip, and to avoid saturation of the endoscope camera resulting from the flash that occurs following contact. In addition, the absence of any detected radiation by the spectrophotometer may be used to indicate that the stone is no longer present, or that the fiber tip is no longer aimed at the stone, prompting the operator to reposition the fiber and/or temporarily cease firing of the laser. The main surgical laser may be a pulsed Holmium laser, which is delivered to the target through the optical fiber together with a pulsed 532 nm aiming beam.

Stone sense with fiber erosion protection and camera saturation prevention, and/or absence-detection safety interlock

A protective structure for the distal treatment end of a surgical laser fiber inserted into a patient through a scope includes uniformly-spaced ruler or scale markings that are visible through the scope and that enable the size of an object within the field of view of the scope to be precisely determined.

Fiber tip protective structure with scale indicator

A method of reducing retro-repulsion of a stone during a laser lithotripsy procedure involves the use of a spacer tip or standoff sleeve to create a passage between the tip of a fiber and a stone, and to prevent collapse of a bubble formed by vaporization of and/or gas pressure on liquid present in the passage. The laser radiation may consist of continuous or quasi-continuous wave radiation that is relatively low in power compared to the therapeutic pulses, or may consist of the therapeutic pulses if the pulse frequency is high enough to prevent collapse of the bubble between pulses. The spacer tip or standoff sleeve further prevents collapse of the bubble and ingress of liquid into the laser path. The spacer tip or standoff sleeve may be a generally-cylindrical protective cap that is fitted to an end of the optical fiber and that extends beyond the fiber tip to provide a predetermined spacing or standoff between the fiber tip and the stone when the protective cap is in contact with the stone. Alternatively, the spacer tip or standoff sleeve may be a catheter sleeve that permits axial adjustment of fiber position within the sleeve.

Method of reducing retro-repulsion during laser lithotripsy

A distal end of an optical fiber may be protected by a variety of alternative protective caps, tips, and/or sleeves. In one example, a generally cylindrical soft tip is arranged to fit over the end of the fiber, and to compress in an axial direction when pressed against a stone to allow a recessed tip of the fiber to contact the stone or to be maintain a minimum spacing between the fiber tip and the stone and thereby limit erosion of the fiber tip.

Protective caps of tips for surgical laser fibers

An arrangement that prevents carbonization of cladding, coating, or buffer layers of a surgical laser fiber due to thermal radiation reflected back into the fiber from, or emitted by, a target of the laser, includes a thermal radiation blocking, absorbing or diverting structure. The thermal radiation blocking, absorbing or diverting structure surrounds an end portion of the fiber that has been stripped of one or more coating and/or buffer layers, and may be made of a heat resistant material such as PTFE or polyimide to block heat from reaching the coating or buffer layers, an optical ferrule such as fused silica to guide the heat away from the fiber coating or buffer layers, or a high refraction index material such as UV adhesive.

Arrangement for filtering out damaging heat created from laser energy contacting a kidney stone

A first structure made of a first polymer is joined to a second structure made of an incompatible second polymer by the steps of welding small bands of compatible tubing or material to the first structure to create raised structures or ribs, and mechanically linking the second structure with the ribs or raised structures at the desired attachment point. The mechanical linkage may be accomplished by using heat shrinking or mechanical compression (such as crimping) to force the incompatible second polymer around the ribs or raised structures or, in the case of raised structures formed as threads or nubs, by inter-engagement between the threads or nubs on the first structure and corresponding structures, such as internal threading, nub-receiving slots, or internal surfaces, of the second structure. The option of using the welded raised structures as threads or nubs for a threaded, bayonet, pin-and-slot, snap-fit, or similar connection enables the second structure to be removed from the first structure and replaced whenever the second structure becomes worn during use. The first structure may be an surgical laser fiber with an ETFE buffer layer, and the second structure is a protective structure may be made of PTFE, PET, FEP or PFA.

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Panama City Beach, FL, United States of America

Daniel Malphurs