Microprocessor-based robotic system for control of fluid connections in the cardiac catheterization laboratory

The authors have developed a microprocessor-based robotic system which fully automates routine catheter flushing, and allows the system user, from a remote location, to flush the catheters intermittently, to calibrate the pressure transducers, to inhibit routine during pressure transducers, to inhibit routine functions during pressure waveform recording, and to set valve positions so the user may flush the transducer dome. The time required to execute four tasks ((1) routine catheter flushing, (2) intermittent catheter flushing, (3) pressure measurement, and (4) flushing the transducer dome) with and without the use of the control system was compared by two subjects with similar results. For the first subject, significant time was saved (p<0.005) for each routine flush (15.1+or-0.14 s), intermittent flush (8.9+or-0.19 s), and pressure recording (15.5+or-0.24 s).