FIELD

The present disclosure is directed to systems and methods for delivering and supporting an elongate device (such as a flexible interventional instrument and/or a steerable interventional instrument) into a patient anatomy.

BACKGROUND

Minimally invasive medical techniques are intended to reduce the amount of tissue that is damaged during interventional procedures, thereby reducing patient recovery time, discomfort, and harmful side effects. Such minimally invasive techniques may be performed through natural orifices in a patient anatomy or through one or more surgical incisions. Through these natural orifices or incisions clinicians may insert interventional instruments (including surgical, diagnostic, therapeutic, or biopsy instruments) to reach a target tissue location. Physicians may insert minimally invasive medical instruments (including surgical, diagnostic, therapeutic, or biopsy instruments) through these natural orifices or incisions to reach a target tissue location. One such minimally invasive technique is to use a flexible and/or steerable elongate device, such as a flexible catheter, that can be inserted into anatomic passageways and navigated toward a region of interest within the patient anatomy. To reach the target tissue location, a minimally invasive interventional instrument may navigate natural or surgically created passageways in anatomical systems such as the lungs, the colon, the intestines, the kidneys, the heart, the circulatory system, or the like. Control of such an elongate device by medical personnel involves the management of several degrees of freedom including at least the management of insertion and retraction of the elongate device as well as steering of the device. In addition, different modes of operation may also be supported.

Teleoperational interventional systems may be used to insert the flexible interventional instruments into the patient anatomy. Several interventional instruments are made of flexible material that allows for maneuverability through a patient's body. In existing systems, at least a portion of the interventional instrument extending between the patient and a manipulator is unsupported, and the flexible nature of the instrument can cause it to bend, twist, or buckle in an undesirable manner at a point external to the patient's body when force is exerted to insert the instrument into the patient's anatomy. Deformation of the instrument may damage internal components such as optical fiber shape sensors or endoscopic equipment. While current systems may provide adequate support for these types of instruments, additional improvements may be had for guiding and supporting interventional instruments as they are inserted into a patient anatomy to prevent instrument deformation.

SUMMARY

The implementations of the invention are summarized by the claims that follow the description. In some aspects, the present disclosure is directed to a catheter anti-buckling device used to provide lateral support to a catheter. As the catheter advances and retracts, the anti-buckling device longitudinally compresses and expands. In some aspects, the antibuckling device is a single-sheet origami device that axially compresses and expands. The catheter may be disposed in a lumen of the origami device, and the supporting lateral sides of the origami device may inhibit or prevent catheter buckling. In some aspects, an anti-buckling origami bellows has rigid layers that provide a fixed inner diameter even as the tube compresses and expands. The origami device described may be used in the implementation where a substantially fixed inner diameter is desired.

Consistent with some implementations, the present disclosure is directed to a deployable bellows apparatus for laterally supporting a flexible elongate device introducible using a manipulator assembly. The apparatus may include an origami bellows having a distal end, a proximal end, and a lumen extending from the distal end to the proximal end. The origami bellows may be axially compressible from an expanded condition to a compressed condition. A first connector may be disposed at and coupled to the distal end. The first connector may be configured to connect the distal end to the manipulator assembly. A second connector may be disposed at and coupled to the proximal end. The second connector may be configured to connect the proximal end to the manipulator assembly. In some aspects, the lumen may be sized to provide lateral support to the flexible elongate device as the flexible elongate device extends therethrough.

In another exemplary implementation, the present disclosure is directed to a method that may include introducing a flexible elongated instrument into a lumen of an origami bellows, the lumen having walls forming an inner diameter; and advancing the flexible elongated instrument while simultaneously compressing the origami bellows so that walls of the lumen laterally support the flexible elongated instrument and reduce a likelihood of buckling. In some aspects, the method may include introducing the flexible elongated instrument into a passage of a first connector aligned with the lumen of the origami bellows so that the flexible elongated instrument extends through the passage and into the lumen.

In another exemplary implementation, the present disclosure is directed to deployable origami bellows apparatus that includes a distal end, a proximal end, and a lumen extending from the distal end to the proximal end. The origami bellows may be axially actuatable between an expanded condition to a compressed condition, and may include a plurality of layers including at least one monostable layer that may be stable in one of a compressed or extended condition, and including at least one bistable layer adjacent the monostable layer that may be stable in the compressed condition and in the expanded condition.

In another exemplary implementation, the present disclosure is directed to an apparatus that includes an origami bellows formed of a single monolithic material and axially compressible from an extended condition to a compressed condition. The origami bellows may include a distal end, a proximal end, and a lumen extending from the distal end to the proximal end. The origami bellows may include a plurality of first layers having a first inner diameter forming a part of the lumen, wherein the first inner diameter changes when the origami bellows moves between an expanded condition and a compressed condition. The origami bellows also may include a plurality of wall portions having a second inner diameter forming a part of the lumen. The second inner diameter may be unchanged when the origami bellows moves between an extended condition and a compressed condition. In some aspects, each wall portion of the plurality of wall portions is formed of a second layer of the origami bellows, with each second layer having the unchanging second diameter.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory in nature and are intended to provide an understanding of the present disclosure without limiting the scope of the present disclosure. In that regard, additional aspects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will be apparent to one skilled in the art from the following detailed description.

