Apparatus for emitting laser pulses
AssigneeBoston Scientific Scimed, Inc.
InventorsHyun Wook Kang, Raymond Adam Nemeyer, Michael Ray Hodel
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A laser resonator includes a gain medium that produces light from pump energy and a variable light attenuator, which receives light and emits either (i) a first light including a continuous series of micropulses, or (ii) a second light including a series of macropulses at spaced time intervals, where each macropulse includes a series of micropulses. Each micropulse has a duration of 0.1 to 10 microseconds, and a duration of each macropulse is less than the time interval between each macropulse, and the micropulses have a frequency of 5 kHz to 40 kHz.
Claims15
A laser resonator, comprising:
- a gain medium that produces light from pump energy;
- and
- a variable light attenuator configured to receive light and emit either (i) a first light including a continuous series of micropulses, or (ii) a second light including a series of macropulses at spaced time intervals,
- wherein a duration of the macropulses and a duration of the spaced time intervals between macropulses are configured such that the first light and the second light heats tissue to a temperature that causes coagulation.
A laser apparatus, comprising:
- a pump module configured to generate pump energy;
- a laser resonator comprising a gain medium, the laser resonator configured to receive the pump energy and irradiate the gain medium with the pump energy, the gain medium configured to produce laser light responsive to irradiation by the pump energy;
- a variable light attenuator configured to receive the laser light and attenuate the laser light;
- and
- a controller configured to adjust an amount of the laser light attenuated by the variable light attenuator such that the variable light attenuator emits either (i) a first attenuated laser light including a continuous series of micropulses, or (ii) a second attenuated laser light including a series of macropulses at spaced time intervals,
- wherein a duration of the macropulses and a duration of the spaced time intervals between macropulses are configured such that the first attenuated laser light and the second attenuated laser light heats tissue to a temperature that causes coagulation.
A laser apparatus, comprising:
- a pump module configured to generate pump energy;
- a laser resonator comprising a gain medium, the laser resonator configured to receive the pump energy and irradiate the gain medium with the pump energy, the gain medium configured to produce laser light responsive to irradiation by the pump energy;
- and
- a variable light attenuator configured to receive the laser light and attenuate the laser light to emit either (i) a first attenuated laser light including a continuous series of micropulses, or (ii) a second attenuated laser light including a series of macropulses at spaced time intervals,
- wherein a duration of the macropulses and a duration of the spaced time intervals between macropulses are configured such that the first attenuated laser light and the second attenuated laser light heats tissue to a temperature that causes coagulation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.