Endoscopic vessel harvesting with thermal management and augmented reality display

Inventors: Joseph Mark Geric (Livonia, MI); Takeshi Tsubouchi (Dexter, MI); Randal James Kadykowski (South Lyon, MI); Tatsunori Fujii (Bear, DE)

Assignee: Terumo Cardiovascular Systems Corporation

A61B1/0005 A61B1/000095 A61B1/044 A61B5/0035 A61B5/015 A61B1/00048 A61B2017/00119 A61B2017/00969 A61B2018/00428 A61B2018/00595 A61B2018/00601 A61B2018/00904 A61B2018/00982 A61B18/1445 A61B2090/365

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Quick Facts

Patent No.: US 12667239
App. No.: 18/602,372
Granted: Jun 30, 2026
Kind: B2

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Abstract

A vessel harvesting system removes a target vessel from a patient for use as a bypass. An elongated harvesting instrument inserts into a body along a path of a target vessel which includes at least one side branch. The harvesting instrument includes a cutter for applying thermal energy to sever and cauterize the side branch. An endoscopic camera captures visible-light images from a distal tip of the instrument within a dissected tunnel around the target vessel. A thermal camera captures thermograms coinciding with the visible-light images to characterize a temperature present at respective surfaces in the tunnel. An image processor (e.g., an electronic controller) renders a video stream including the visible-light images and an overlay depicting the temperatures present on at least some of the respective surfaces when applying the thermal energy. A display presenting the video stream and overlay to a user can be an augmented-reality display.

Claims (35)

1 . A vessel harvesting system, the system comprising:

an elongated harvesting instrument configured for insertion into a body along a path of a target vessel, wherein the target vessel connects to at least one side branch, and wherein the harvesting instrument includes a cutter for applying thermal energy to sever and cauterize the side branch;

an endoscopic camera mounted to the harvesting instrument and configured for capturing visible-light images from a distal tip of the harvesting instrument within a dissected tunnel around the target vessel;

a thermal camera mounted to the harvesting instrument and configured for capturing thermograms coinciding with the visible-light images to characterize a temperature present at respective surfaces in the dissected tunnel;

an image processor configured for rendering a video stream including the visible-light images and an overlay configured for depicting the temperatures present on at least some of the respective surfaces when applying the thermal energy; and

a display configured for presenting the video stream and overlay to a user,

wherein the image processor is configured to identify the target vessel and the side branch, and

wherein the image processor is configured to determine a target energy for severing the side branch according to an estimated diameter of the side branch.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the overlay comprises a color tint including a plurality of colors corresponding to respective temperature magnitudes.

3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the overlay is configured to depict the temperatures present for at least a portion of the target vessel and of the side branch.

4 . The system of claim 3 , wherein the image processor is configured to identify the target vessel and the side branch using image analysis.

5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the image processor is configured to render a cutting indicator to guide the cutter to an optimal location for severing the identified side branch to limit a heat load applied to the target vessel.

6 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the cutting indicator comprises a marker pointing to a spatial location on the side branch.

7 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the cutting indicator comprises a highlight region superimposed on a position of the optimal location within the visible-light images.

8 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the cutting indicator comprises a guidance instruction corresponding to a direction of movement of the cutter to achieve the optimal location.

9 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the cutting indicator comprises a flag having a no-go state when the cutter is not located at the optimal location and having a go state when the cutter is located at the optimal location.

10 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the image processor is configured to identify the optimal location for severing the identified side branch such that a distance from the optimal location to the target vessel keeps a heating of the target vessel below a heat threshold.

11 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the image processor is configured to accumulate a heat exposure to which the target vessel is subjected, and wherein the image processor is configured to render a parametric display indicator corresponding to the accumulated heat exposure.

12 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the image processor is configured to render a warning indicator if the accumulated heat exposure is greater than a damage threshold.

13 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the image processor is configured to render a diameter indicator according to the estimated diameter of the side branch.

14 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the image processor is configured to render an energy indicator according to the target energy.

15 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the display comprises an augmented-reality display worn by the user.

16 . A vessel harvesting system, the system comprising:

a display configured for presenting the video stream and overlay to a user,

wherein the image processor is configured to identify the target vessel and the side branch,

wherein the image processor is configured to render a cutting indicator to guide the cutter to an optimal location for severing the identified side branch to limit a heat load applied to the target vessel, and

wherein the cutting indicator comprises a flag having a no-go state when the cutter is not located at the optimal location and having a go state when the cutter is located at the optimal location.

17 . The system of claim 16 , wherein the cutting indicator comprises a marker pointing to a spatial location on the side branch.

18 . The system of claim 16 , wherein the cutting indicator comprises a highlight region superimposed on a position of the optimal location within the visible-light images.

19 . The system of claim 16 , wherein the cutting indicator comprises a guidance instruction corresponding to a direction of movement of the cutter to achieve the optimal location.

20 . The system of claim 16 , wherein the image processor is configured to identify the optimal location for severing the identified side branch such that a distance from the optimal location to the target vessel keeps a heating of the target vessel below a heat threshold.