Endoscopic vessel harvesting with thermal management and augmented reality display
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.
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:
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,
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.