ROBOTIC MEDICAL INSTRUMENT SYSTEM
A robotic medical system and method of performing a medical procedure on a patient are provided. Control signals are conveyed from a remote controller to a drive unit, and a drive unit is operated in accordance with the control signals to advance a first medical instrument within an anatomical vessel (e.g., a blood vessel) of the patient, to advance a second medical instrument outside of the anatomical vessel, and to respectively actuate first and second tools located on the first and second medical instruments, in unison, to perform at least one of a suturing procedure and a sewing procedure on the anatomical vessel. The control signals may be conveyed from the remote controller to the drive unit in response to user commands. The user commands may be movements made at a user interface that correspond to movements of the first and second medical instruments.
1 . A robotic medical system, comprising:
an intraluminal medical instrument having a first tool adapted to be disposed at a first region within an anatomical vessel;
an extraluminal medical instrument having a second tool adapted to be disposed at a second region outside of the anatomical vessel opposite the first region;
at least one electromechanical driver coupled to the intraluminal medical instrument and extraluminal medical instrument; and
a remote controller configured for respectively directing the at least one electromechanical driver to independently control movements of the intraluminal and extraluminal medical instruments, and to respectively control the first and second tools, in unison, to perform at least one of a suturing procedure and a sewing procedure on the anatomical vessel.
2 . The robotic medical system of claim 1 , wherein the remote controller has a user interface for receiving commands from a user.
3 . The robotic medical system of claim 2 , wherein movements made at the user interface correspond to movements of the intraluminal and extraluminal instruments.
4 . The robotic medical system of claim 1 , wherein the remote controller is coupled to the at least one electromechanical driver via external cabling.
5 . The robotic medical system of claim 1 , wherein the each of the at least one electromechanical driver has a motor array.
6 . The robotic medical system of claim 1 , wherein the intraluminal medical instrument is flexible, and the extraluminal medical instrument is rigid.
7 . The robotic medical system of claim 1 , wherein both the intraluminal medical instrument and extraluminal medical instrument are flexible.
8 . The robotic medical system of claim 1 , wherein the intraluminal medical instrument is flexible and is configured for being introduced at the first region through a natural body orifice or percutaneously, while the extraluminal medical instrument is rigid and is configured for being introduced at the second region through a surgical opening or laparoscopically.
9 . The robotic medical system of claim 1 , wherein the first and second tools are suturing tools, and the at least one of the suturing procedure and the sewing procedure is a suturing procedure.
10 . The robotic medical system of claim 9 , wherein one of the first suturing tool and the second suturing tool has a needle, and another of the first suturing tool and the second suturing tool has a tissue grasper.
11 . The robotic medical system of claim 10 , wherein the tissue grasper is configured for grasping a fold of a wall of the anatomical vessel, and the needle is configured for passing a suture through the wall fold.
12 . The robotic medical system of claim 1 , wherein the first and second tools are sewing tools, and the at least one of the suturing procedure and the sewing procedure is a sewing procedure.
13 . The robotic medical system of claim 12 , wherein one of the first sewing tool and the second sewing tool has a needle, and another of the first sewing tool and the second sewing tool has a hook end effector that cooperates with the needle to perform the sewing procedure.
14 . The robotic medical system of claim 13 , wherein the one of the first sewing tool and the second sewing tool has a presser foot, and the needle is configured for reciprocating relative to the presser foot.
15 . The robotic medical system of claim 13 , wherein the needle is configured for pulling a loop of suture material through a wall of the anatomical vessel, and the hook end effector is configured for grabbing the loop of material before the needle pulls the loop of suture material through the anatomical vessel wall.
16 . A method of performing a medical procedure on a patient, comprising:
conveying control signals from a remote controller to a drive unit; and
operating the drive unit in accordance with the control signals to advance a first medical instrument within an anatomical vessel of the patient, to advance a second medical instrument outside of the anatomical vessel, and to respectively actuate first and second tools located on the first and second medical instruments, in unison, to perform at least one of a suturing procedure and a sewing procedure on the anatomical vessel.
17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the control signals are conveyed from the remote controller to the drive unit in response to user commands.
18 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the user commands are movements made at a user interface that correspond to movements of the first and second medical instruments.
19 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the first medical instrument is introduced within the patient through a natural body orifice or percutaneously, and the second medical instrument is introduced within the patient through a surgical opening or laparoscopically.
20 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the anatomical vessel is a blood vessel.
21 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the first and second tools are suturing tools, and the at least one of the suturing procedure and the sewing procedure is a suturing procedure.
22 . The method of claim 21 , wherein one of the first suturing tool and the second suturing tool has a needle, another of the first suturing tool and the second suturing tool has a tissue grasper, and the suturing procedure is performed by grasping a fold of the anatomical vessel using the grasper, and passing a suture through the fold using the needle.
23 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the first and second tools are sewing tools, and the at least one of the suturing procedure and the sewing procedure is a sewing procedure.
24 . The method of claim 23 , wherein one of the first sewing tool and the second sewing tool has a needle, another of the first sewing tool and the second sewing tool has a hook end effector, and the sewing procedure is performed by pulling a loop of suture material through a wall of the anatomical vessel using the needle, and grabbing the loop of suture material with the hook end effector before the needle pulls the loop of suture material through the anatomical vessel wall.
25 . The method of claim 24 , wherein the one of the first sewing tool and the second sewing tool has a presser foot, and the sewing procedure is further performed by reciprocating the needle relative to the presser foot.
26 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the at least one of a suturing procedure and a sewing procedure comprises securing the ends of two segments of the anatomical vessel together.
27 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the at least one of a suturing procedure and a sewing procedure comprises securing a stent to the anatomical vessel.
28 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the at least one of a suturing procedure and a sewing procedure comprises transversely securing another anatomical vessel to a side wall of the anatomical vessel.
29 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the at least one of a suturing procedure and a sewing procedure comprises constricting a sphincter located in the anatomical vessel.
30 . The method of claim 29 , wherein the anatomical vessel is a ureter, and the sphincter is located at the base of the ureter.
31 . The method of claim 29 , wherein the anatomical vessel is an esophagus, and the sphincter is located at a gastro-esophageol juncture.