Project Focus

Fusion of biological tissues through direct and indirect heating is a growing area of medical research, yet there are still major gaps in understanding this procedure. Several companies have developed devices which fuse blood vessels, but little is known about the tissue’s response to the stimuli. The need for accurate measurements of tissue behavior during tissue fusion is essential for the continued development and improvement of energy delivery devices. In this study we are measuring temperatures experienced during tissue fusion and how applied energy and pressure affect bond strength. This project is in collaboration with Dr. Virginia Ferguson, in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at CU-Boulder, and is sponsored by Conmed Electrosurgery. Project funding and recent peer-reviewed papers are listed below.

Annual Review of Biomedical Engineering (2018): Energy-Based Tissue Fusion for Sutureless Closure: Applications, Mechanisms, and a Potential for Functional Recovery

Abstract: As minimally invasive surgical techniques progress, the demand for efficient, reliable methods for vascular ligation and tissue closure becomes pronounced. The surgical advantages of energy-based vessel sealing exceed those of traditional, compression-based ligatures in procedures sensitive to duration, foreign bodies, and recovery time alike. Although the use of energy-based...

ASME Journal of Biomechanical Engineering (2018): A Small Deformation Thermo-Poromechanics Finite Element Model and its Application to Arterial Tissue Fusion

Abstract: Understanding the impact of thermally and mechanically loading biological tissue to supraphysiological levels is becoming of increasing importance as complex multi-physical tissue-device interactions increase. The ability to conduct accurate, patient specific computer simulations would provide surgeons with valuable insight into the physical processes occurring within the tissue as it...

Annals of Biomedical Engineering (2016): Strength and Persistence of Energy-Based Vessel Seals Rely on Tissue Water and Glycosaminoglycan Content

Abstract: Vessel ligation using energy-based surgical devices is steadily replacing conventional closure methods during minimally invasive and open procedures. In exploring the molecular nature of thermally-induced tissue bonds, novel applications for surgical resection and repair may be revealed. This work presents an analysis of the influence of unbound water and...

Annals of Biomedical Engineering (2016): A Novel Parameter for Predicting Arterial Fusion and Cutting in Finite Element Models

Abstract: Current efforts to evaluate the performance of laparoscopic arterial fusion devices are limited to costly, time consuming, empirical studies. Thus, a finite element (FE) model, with the ability to predict device performance would improve device design and reduce development time and costs. This study introduces a model of the...

ASME Journal of Biomechanical Engineering (2015): Bond Strength of Thermally Fused Vascular Tissue Varies with Apposition Force

Abstract: Surgical tissue fusion devices ligate blood vessels using thermal energy and coaptation pressure, while the molecular mechanisms underlying tissue fusion remain unclear. This study characterizes the influence of apposition force during fusion on bond strength, tissue temperature, and seal morphology. Porcine splenic arteries were thermally fused at varying apposition...

Surgical Endoscopy (2015): Tissue Storage Ex Vivo Significantly Increases Vascular Fusion Bursting Pressure

Abstract: Harvested biological tissue is a common medium for surgical device assessment in a laboratory setting; this study aims to differentiate between surgical device performance in the clinical and laboratory environments prior to and following tissue storage. Vascular tissue fusion devices are sensitive to tissue-device temperature gradients, tissue pre-stretch in...

Journal of Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials (2014): Evaluating Temperature and Duration in Arterial Tissue Fusion to Maximize Bond Strength

Abstract: Tissue fusion is a growing area of medical research that enables mechanical closure of tissues without the need of foreign bodies such as sutures or staples. Utilizing heat and pressure applied for a specified time, a bond can be formed between adjacent tissues. The success or failure of tissue...

IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering (2013): Temperature Measurement Methods during Direct Heat Arterial Tissue Fusion

Abstract: Fusion of biological tissues through direct and indirect heating is a growing area of medical research, yet there are still major gaps in understanding this procedure. Several companies have developed devices which fuse blood vessels, but little is known about the tissue's response to the stimuli. The need for...