Multiplexed Catheter-Integrated Pressure Sensing System for Endoluminal Interventions

TL;DR

This paper introduces a scalable, multiplexed pressure sensing system integrated into flexible catheters for precise, multi-directional monitoring during minimally invasive endoluminal procedures, addressing challenges of anatomical variability and motion.

Contribution

It presents a novel, miniaturized piezoelectric pressure sensor integrated into catheters fabricated with fiber drawing technology, enabling scalable, conformable, and multi-directional tissue interaction monitoring.

Findings

Enhanced pressure detection sensitivity compared to existing sensors

Successful in-vitro multi-directional sensing in clinical scenarios

Cost-effective and scalable catheter fabrication process

Abstract

Advances in flexible catheters pave the way for minimally invasive diagnosis and treatment of luminal organs and tubular structures through endoluminal interventions. A key challenge is in establishing non-constraining pressure monitoring at the interfaces between medical catheters and intraluminal anatomy exhibiting curvilinear contours, structural variability, and time-dependent physiological motion. This work presents a scalable and multi-purpose pressure sensing system for multidirectional monitoring of tissue interactions, establishing a robust solution for deploying diagnostic and therapeutic instruments in various types of endoluminal interventions. This approach provides an integrated system encompassing pressure sensors, catheters, and signal acquisition devices. A poly (vinylidene fluoride-co-trifluoroethylene) (P(VDF-TrFE)) film is miniaturized and configured into a multiplexed piezoelectric-based pressure sensor, providing flexibility and scalability in conforming to medical catheters with curved surfaces. The catheter is fabricated with a cost-effective and highly scalable fiber drawing technology, establishing a means of fast prototyping catheters with bespoke structures for sensor integration and medical instrument integration. The system achieves enhanced pressure detection sensitivity and a comparable sensing range, compared with state-of-the-art catheter-integrated sensors. Through in-vitro phantom studies, the system performs precise multi-directional sensing within various clinical endoluminal scenarios, showing its potential in digitalizing tissue interactions during endoluminal interventions.