Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Pekař, Martin
• van Rens, Jeannet
• van der Mark, Martin B

Titel

Electrifying catheters with light

Ist Teil von

• Optics express, 2017-04, Vol.25 (8), p.8534-8549

Ort / Verlag

United States

Erscheinungsjahr

2017

Quelle

Free E-Journal (出版社公開部分のみ）

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Smart minimally invasive devices face a connectivity challenge. An example is found in intracardiac echocardiography where the signal transmission and supply of power at the distal end require many thin and fragile wires in order to keep the catheter slim and flexible. We have built a fully functional bench-top prototype to demonstrate that electrical wires may be replaced by optical fibers. The prototype is immediately scalable to catheter dimensions. The absence of conductors will provide intrinsic galvanic isolation as well as radio frequency (RF) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) compatibility. Using optical fibers, we show signal transfer of synthetic aperture ultrasound images as well as photo-voltaic conversion to supply all electronics. The simple design utilizes only off the shelf components and holds a promise of cost effectiveness which may be pivotal for translation of these advanced devices into the clinic.