Apparatus and method for detecting overheating during laser surgery
OwnerJoe Denton Browninventor
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for improving the safety of a surgical procedure involving delivery of laser energy to a tissue, involves enhancing or increasing the detectability of radiation emitted by the tissue or any portion of a surgical instrument or device by providing a sacrificial material that absorbs radiation emitted during the surgical procedure, increasing the temperature of a surface on which the material is disposed and/or causing damage radiation to be emitted in a way that can be detected by monitoring the temperature of the surface and/or radiation, including infrared and/or visible light, emitted by the surface. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the radiation absorbing material is a sheath arranged to surround the fiber.
Claims28
Apparatus for therapeutic application of energy to a tissue, comprising:
- a delivery fiber arranged to deliver optical energy from a laser to a treatment site at a distal end of the delivery fiber;
- a feedback circuit including a detector arranged to detect overheating of, or damage radiation emitted by, at least one of:
- (a) an instrument used in said therapeutic application of energy and (b) said tissue;
- and
- a sacrificial element situated near the distal end of the fiber for amplifying or enhancing detectability of said overheating or radiation by absorbing selected wavelengths of heat energy or said radiation and responsively heating or emitting radiation that can more easily be detected by said detector.
Apparatus for therapeutic application of energy to a tissue, comprising:
- a delivery fiber arranged to deliver optical energy from a laser to a treatment site at a distal end of the delivery fiber, said delivery fiber being inserted into a working channel of an introducer or endoscope, and said fiber including a fiber tip at the distal end;
- and
- a support guide mounted on an exterior of said fiber tip to prevent said fiber tip from contacting a wall of said working channel.
A method of protecting a fiber during a laser treatment procedure, said procedure including the step of applying laser energy at a treatment site and monitoring radiation emission or temperature increases at the treatment site for indications of overheating, the improvement comprising the step of providing a radiation absorbing sacrificial element at the treatment site to amplify or enhance detectability of the radiation or temperature increase.
Apparatus for therapeutic application of energy to a tissue, comprising:
- a delivery fiber arranged to deliver optical energy from a laser to a treatment site at a distal end of the delivery fiber;
- and
- a feedback circuit including a detector arranged to detect overheating of, or damage radiation emitted by, at least one of:
- (a) an instrument used in said therapeutic application of energy and (b) said tissue,
- wherein a surface of said instrument used in said therapeutic application of energy is arranged to enhance detection of said damage radiation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.