A new hybrid catheter-tip tactile sensor with relative hardness measuring capability for use in catheter-based heart surgery

Mitral valve regurgitation (MR) is one of the common heart valve diseases. It can be fixed by surgical mitral valve repair. Currently, this type of surgery is performed using open heart bypass methods. If it would be performed using catheter based techniques (CBT), it would offer both patients and surgeons many advantages. To perform it via CBT, it is necessary to include, on the tip of a catheter, tactile sensors that measure the relative hardness of contact tissues. The present paper discusses the design, modelling, and fabrication of a novel hybrid (Piezoresistive-Optical Fiber) catheter-tip tactile sensor that differentiates between the hardness of different kinds of elastomeric materials. In addition, finite element models of elastomeric materials, contacted at the tip of the catheter, were developed to verify the output of the sensor. Similarly, the experimental results confirm the relative hardness measurement of contact elastomeric materials.