Process and system for reducing laser damage to surgical instruments
AssigneeCyclone Biosciences, LLC
InventorsStephen E. Griffin, Jason Guth
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Optical fibers for delivering laser energy inside the body are often tasked with traversing tortuous routes in accessing the target tissue or pathology, e.g. ureteroscopic laser lithotripsy. A common failure in such applications, known in the field as ‘fiber burn through’, has been known to injure patients and is a major cause of damage to ureteroscopes. Where irregular output that is produced at the start of a lasing interval passes through a fiber that is at or near the optical minimum bend limit, fail safe polymer claddings are damaged and can no longer contain even regular laser output in tight deflection. The invention disclosed provides a solution to premature fiber failure and collateral damage.
Claims13
A process for preventing a damage of a bent optical fiber configured for transmission of a laser output therethrough, the process comprising:
- switching on a laser source to generate the laser output of a chosen duration directed towards and aligned with said optical fiber;
- attenuating said laser output starting at a moment of the switching for a period of time to prevent an errant portion of the laser output from being coupled into said optical fiber;
- and
- reducing a degree of said attenuating after said period of time to couple an un-attenuated laser output into said optical fiber.
A process for preventing a damage of a bent optical fiber configured for transmission of a laser output therethrough, the process comprising:
- switching on a laser source to generate the laser output of a chosen duration directed towards said bent optical fiber;
- attenuating said laser output with an optical chopper, which is positioned in an optical path of said laser output at 10° to 80° to said optical path, starting at a moment of the switching for a period of time to prevent an errant portion of the laser output from being coupled into said optical fiber;
- and
- reducing a degree of said attenuating after said period of time to couple an un-attenuated laser output into said optical fiber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.