Experimental and computational laser tissue welding using a protein patch.

An in vitro study of laser tissue welding mediated with a dye-enhanced protein patch was conducted. Fresh sections of porcine aorta were used for the experiments. Arteriotomies were treated using an indocyanine green dye-enhanced collagen patch activated by an 805-nm continuous-wave fiber-delivered diode laser. Temperature histories of the surface of the weld site were obtained using a hollow glass optical fiber-based two-color infrared thermometer. The experimental effort was complemented by simulations with the LATIS (LAser-TISsue) computer code, which uses coupled Monte Carlo, thermal transport, and mass transport models. Comparison of simulated and experimental thermal data indicated that evaporative cooling clamped the surface temperature of the weld site below 100 °C. For fluences of approximately 200 J/cm2, peak surface temperatures averaged 74°C and acute burst strengths consistently exceeded 0.14×106 dyn/cm (hoop tension). The combination of experimental and simulation results showed that the inclusion of water transport and evaporative losses in the computer code has a significant impact on the thermal distributions and hydration levels throughout the tissue volume. The solid-matrix protein patch provided a means of controllable energy delivery and yielded consistently strong welds. © 1998 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers.

Investigation of laser tissue welding dynamics via experiment and modeling.

An in vitro study of laser tissue welding mediated with a dye-enhanced protein solder was performed. Freshly harvested sections of porcine aorta were used for the experiments. Arteriotomies approximately 4 mm in length were treated using an 805 nm continuous-wave diode laser coupled to a 1-mm diameter fiber. Temperature histories of the surface of the weld site were obtained using a fiberoptic-based infrared thermometer. The experimental effort was complemented by the LATIS (LAser-TISsue) computer code, which numerically simulates the exposure of tissue to near-infrared radiation using coupled Monte Carlo, thermal transport, and mass transport models. Comparison of the experimental and simulated thermal results shows that the inclusion of water transport and evaporative losses in the model is necessary to determine the thermal distributions and hydration state in the tissue. The hydration state of the weld site was correlated with the acute weld strength.

Dye-enhanced protein solders and patches in laser-assisted tissue welding.

OBJECTIVE: This study examines the use of dye-enhanced protein bonding agents in 805 nm diode laser-assisted tissue welding. A comparison of an albumin liquid solder and collagen solid-matrix patches used to repair arteriotomies in an in vitro porcine model is presented. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: Extrinsic bonding media in the form of solders and patches have been used to enhance the practice of laser tissue welding. Preferential absorption of the laser wavelength has been achieved by the incorporation of chromophores. METHODS: Both the solder and the patch included indocyanine green dye (ICG) to absorb the 805 nm continuous-wave diode laser light used to perform the welds. Solder-mediated welds were divided into two groups (high power/short exposure and low power/long exposure), and the patches were divided into three thickness groups ranging from 0.1 to 1.3 mm. The power used to activate the patches was constant, but the exposure time was increased with patch thickness. RESULTS: Burst pressure results indicated that solder-mediated and patched welds yielded similar average burst strengths in most cases, but the patches provided a higher success rate (i.e., more often exceeded 150 mmHg) and were more consistent (i.e., smaller standard deviation) than the solder. The strongest welds were obtained using 1.0-1.3 mm thick patches, while the high power/short exposure solder group was the weakest. CONCLUSIONS: Though the solder and patches yielded similar acute weld strengths, the solid-matrix patches facilitated the welding process and provided consistently strong welds. The material properties of the extrinsic agents influenced their performance.