Brett Zubiate

A transoral highly flexible robot: Novel technology and application.

Organ preservation surgery is a major focus in head and neck oncology. Current approaches are aimed toward improving quality of life and decreasing treatment‐related morbidity. Transoral robotic surgery was developed to overcome the limitations of traditional surgical approaches. The most widely used robotic system is the da Vinci Surgical System. Although the da Vinci offers clear surgical advantages over traditional approaches, its rigid operative arms prevent complex maneuverability in three‐dimensional space. The ideal surgical robot would configure to the anatomy of the patient and maneuver in narrow spaces. We present the first cadaveric trials of the use of a highly flexible robot able to traverse the nonlinear upper aerodigestive tract and gain physical and visual access to important anatomical landmarks without laryngeal suspension.

In vivo dynamic deformation of the mitral valve annulus.

Though mitral valve (MV) repair surgical procedures have increased in the United States [Gammie, J. S., et al. Ann. Thorac. Surg. 87(5):1431–1437, 2009; Nowicki, E. R., et al. Am. Heart J. 145(6):1058–1062, 2003], studies suggest that altering MV stress states may have an effect on tissue homeostasis, which could impact the long-term outcome [Accola, K. D., et al. Ann. Thorac. Surg. 79(4):1276–1283, 2005; Fasol, R., et al. Ann. Thorac. Surg. 77(6):1985–1988, 2004; Flameng, W., P. Herijgers, and K. Bogaerts. Circulation 107(12):1609–1613, 2003; Gillinov, A. M., et al. Ann. Thorac. Surg. 69(3):717–721, 2000]. Improved computational modeling that incorporates structural and geometrical data as well as cellular components has the potential to predict such changes; however, the absence of important boundary condition information limits current efforts. In this study, novel high definition in vivo annular kinematic data collected from surgically implanted sonocrystals in sheep was fit to a contiguous 3D spline based on quintic-order hermite shape functions with C2 continuity. From the interpolated displacements, the annular axial strain and strain rate, bending, and twist along the entire annulus were calculated over the cardiac cycle. Axial strain was shown to be regionally and temporally variant with minimum and maximum values of −10 and 4%, respectively, observed. Similarly, regionally and temporally variant strain rate values, up to 100%/s contraction and 120%/s elongation, were observed. Both annular bend and twist data showed little deviation from unity with limited regional variations, indicating that most of the energy for deformation was associated with annular axial strain. The regionally and temporally variant strain/strain rate behavior of the annulus are related to the varied fibrous-muscle structure and contractile behavior of the annulus and surrounding ventricular structures, although specific details are still unavailable. With the high resolution shape and displacement information described in this work, high fidelity boundary conditions can be prescribed in future MV finite element models, leading to new insights into MV function and strategies for repair.

Highly articulated robotic probe for minimally invasive surgery

We have developed a novel highly articulated robotic probe (HARP) that can thread through tightly packed volumes without disturbing the surrounding tissues and organs. We use cardiac surgery as the focal application of this work. As such, we have designed the HARP to enter the pericardial cavity through a subxiphoid port. The surgeon can effectively reach remote intrapericardial locations on the epicardium and deliver therapeutic interventions under direct control. Our device differs from others in that we use conventional actuation and still have great maneuverability. We have performed proof-of-concept clinical experiments to give us preliminary validation of the ideas presented here.

EFFECTS OF CYCLIC FLEXURAL FATIGUE ON PORCINE BIOPROSTHETIC HEART VALVE HETEROGRAFT BIOMATERIALS

Although bioprosthetic heart valves (BHV) remain the primary treatment modality for adult heart valve replacement, continued problems with durability remain. Several studies have implicated flexure as a major damage mode in porcine-derived heterograft biomaterials used in BHV fabrication. Although conventional accelerated wear testing can provide valuable insights into BHV damage phenomena, the constituent tissues are subjected to complex, time-varying deformation modes (i.e., tension and flexure) that do not allow for the control of the amount, direction, and location of flexure. Thus, in this study, customized fatigue testing devices were developed to subject circumferentially oriented porcine BHV tissue strips to controlled cyclic flexural loading. By using this approach, we were able to study layer-specific structural damage induced by cyclic flexural tensile and compressive stresses alone. Cycle levels of 10 x 10(6), 25 x 10(6), and 50 x 10(6) were used, with resulting changes in flexural stiffness and collagen structure assessed. Results indicated that flexural rigidity was markedly reduced after only 10 x 10(6) cycles, and progressively decayed at a lower rate with cycle number thereafter. Moreover, the against-curvature fatigue direction induced the most damage, suggesting that the ventricularis and fibrosa layers have low resistance to cyclic flexural compressive and tensile loads, respectively. The histological analyses indicated progressive collagen fiber delamination as early as 10 x 10(6) cycles but otherwise no change in gross collagen orientation. Our results underscore that porcine-derived heterograft biomaterials are very sensitive to flexural fatigue, with delamination of the tissue layers the primary underlying mechanism. This appears to be in contrast to pericardial BHV, wherein high tensile stresses are considered to be the major cause of structural failure. These findings point toward the need for the development of chemical fixation technologies that minimize flexure-induced damage to extend porcine heterograft biomaterial durability. (c) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res, 2010.

A novel highly articulated robotic surgical system for epicardial ablation

We have developed a novel, highly articulated robotic surgical system to enable minimally invasive intrapericardial interventions through a subxiphoid approach and have performed preliminary tests of epicardial left atrial ablation in porcine (N = 3) and human cadaver (N = 2) preparations. In this study, the novel highly articulated robotic surgical system successfully provided safe epicardial ablations to the left atrium in porcine beating heart models via a subxiphoid approach. We have also performed complex guidance of the robot and subsequent ablation in a cadaveric preparation for successful pulmonary vein isolation.

Enabling Medical Robotics for the Next Generation of Minimally Invasive Procedures: Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery with Single Port Access

Minimally invasive cardiac surgery (MICS) is an evolving strategy aimed at delivering the desired form of cardiovascular therapy with the least change in homeostasis, ideally matching the same degree of invasiveness of percutaneous cardiac interventions. Cardiac surgery is different from other surgical procedures because the large sternotomy incision required to access the heart requires general endotracheal anesthesia (GETA) and the heart–lung machine that is required for open-heart surgery (e.g. valve repair) adds further morbidity. We have developed a novel, highly articulated robotic surgical system (CardioARM) to enable minimally invasive intrapericardial therapeutic delivery through a subxiphoid approach. The CardioARM is a robotic surgical system consisting of serially connected rigid cylindrical links housing flexible working ports through which catheter-based tools for therapy and imaging can be advanced. The CardioARM is controlled via a computer-driven user interface which is operated outside of the operative field. We believe single port access to be key to the success of the CardioARM. We have performed preliminary proof of concept studies in a porcine preparation by performing epicardial ablation.

Over-tube apparatus for increasing the capabilities of an articulated robotic probe

This video elaborates on a new active and controllable over-tube addition to the highly articulated robotic probe; the HARP. This over-tube allows the current HARP mechanism to double its overall length and allows it to perform more complex tasks. We explain the design concept of the current HARP and the novel over-tube mechanism and show two proof-of-concept experiments demonstrating the use of the active over-tube.

In Vivo Dynamic Strains of the Mitral Valve Annulus

The mitral valve apparatus is a complex structure with multiple components that require seamless, integrated operation for normal valve function. One of these components is the annulus, a fibrous ring of tissue that defines the boundary between the mitral valve leaflets and the surrounding superstructure of the heart. During the cardiac cycle the annulus undergoes large deformations and dramatic shape changes. Moreover, the annulus motion represents a key boundary condition for mitral valve leaflet deformation. Yet, to date our knowledge of the subtle deformations this structure undergoes during the cardiac cycle remains very limited. In the present study, an array of 1 mm diameter piezoelectric sonocrystals was implanted in 5 sheep to quantify annular deformation over the complete cardiac cycle. These crystals act as fiducial markers for the mitral annulus with a temporal resolution of ∼1ms and a special resolution of .01mm in a calibrated three dimensional space. A quintic order generalized 3D spline was developed to reconstruct the annular geometry.Copyright