Modified Auditory and Visual EndovasculaR/IntracardiaC Catheter (MAVERICC)

Summary

Cardiac operations often require direct visualization of the heart. This has historically been accomplished through invasive sternotomies. To solve this problem, the MAVERICC is a catheter with a biocompatible gel that allows surgeons to directly visualize target cardiac tissue during a procedure. In addition to the fiber optic camera, the catheter allows for the use of tools without compromising the visual field. Competing technologies have either inferior visual capabilities (3D Ultrasound, Infrared light), require constant washing with saline to maintain view (Voyage Medical Inc.), or cannot utilize tools (Acumen Medical). Immediate applications would be cardiac ablations (109k/year predicted for 2012), tricuspid and mitral valve repair (20k/year in 2008), and complex pacemaker lead implantation as well as other cardiac operations.