Micro active guide wire catheter system-characteristic evaluation, electrical model and operability evaluation of micro active catheter

In this paper, we propose a new prototype model of micro active guide wire catheter that has two bending degrees of freedom. The fabrication methods of this micro active catheters (MAC) are described. Prototype models are 3Fr, 4Fr, 6Fr (1Fr=1/3 mm) in diameter and consist of catheter tube and active guide wire with ICPF (ionic conducting polymer film) on its front end as the servo actuator. The bending characteristics of the MAC have been measured by application of electricity in physiological saline solution. By using simulators (whose conditions are similar to those of a body cavity), we also carried out simulation experiments "in vitro" and the contrast experiments of operability between the proposed catheter and conventional guide wire catheter. The experimental results indicate that the proposed MAC is applicable to intracavity operations.