Intra-operative Ischemia Sensing Surgical Instruments

Surgical techniques rely heavily on adequate visualization of target anatomy. Particularly in laparoscopic and robotic laparoscopic surgery, the operative anatomy and the general view of the operative field is removed from the surgeon’s direct vision. Manipulation of peripheral anatomy (i.e. retraction) may lead to ischemia, infarction, and mechanical disruption. The primary goal of our research is to minimize unnecessary damage to manipulated tissue through the incorporation of biofeedback sensors into surgical instruments. We have created "Ischemia Sensing Surgical Instruments" by adapting and incorporating real-time pulse oximetry-like techniques into the working surfaces of operative instruments using custom software and hardware interfaces. The instruments provide real-time tissue oxygenation data directly at the surgical site. In experiments, we monitored porcine hepatic and bowel oxygen saturation during retraction while manipulating the blood supply to the tissue. Results demonstrated a correlation between our measurements and manipulation of the tissue’s blood supply.