A novel telerobotic system to remotely navigate standard electrophysiology catheters

Remote manipulation of electrophysiology (EP) catheters by means of magnetically-guided or robotically controlled navigation systems has been recently proposed; however, these systems usually require dedicated catheters and devices. This study aims at evaluating the feasibility of using a novel Telerobotic System (TS) to remotely manipulate standard steerable EP catheters. In order to prevent cardiac tissue damage the TS was equipped with a force sensor to measure the resistance encountered by the catheter while advancing. The use of this novel TS was evaluated in three sheep, by performing remote navigation of a standard EP catheter to selected catheter-endocardium contact targeted sites in the right atrium. Remote catheter navigation by means of the TS was achieved for all targets and the force sensor showed to provide reliable information about catheter advancing and indication about catheter-endocardium contact.