Optimal parameters for laser tissue soldering

Karen M. McNally*, Brian S. Sorg, Eric K. Chan, Ashley J. Welch, Judith M. Dawes, Earl R. Owen

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    3 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Variations in laser irradiance, exposure time, solder composition, chromophore type and concentration have led to inconsistencies in published results of laser-solder repair of tissue. To determine optimal parameters for laser tissue soldering, an in vitro study was performed using an 808-nm diode laser in conjunction with an indocyanine green (ICG) - doped albumin protein solder to weld bovine aorta specimens. Liquid and solid protein solders prepared from 25% and 60% bovine serum albumin (BSA), respectively, were compared. The effects of laser irradiance and exposure time on tensile strength of the weld and temperature rise as well as the effect of hydration on bond stability were investigated. Optimum irradiance and exposure times were identified for each solder type. Increasing the BSA concentration from 25 % to 60 % greatly increased the tensile strength of the weld. A reduction in dye concentration from 2.5 mg/ml to 0.25 mg/ml was also found to result in an increase in tensile strength. The strongest welds were produced with an irradiance of 6.4 W/cm2 for 50 s using a solid protein solder composed of 60% BSA and 0.25mg/ml ICG. Steady-state solder surface temperatures were observed to reach 85 ± 5 °C with a temperature gradient across the solid protein solder strips of between 15 and 20 °C. Finally, tensile strength was observed to decrease significantly (20 to 25 %) after the first hour of hydration in phosphate-buffered saline. No appreciable change was observed in the strength of the tissue bonds with further hydration.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)282-293
    Number of pages12
    JournalProceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering
    Volume3245
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Jan 1998

    Keywords

    • hydration
    • indocyanine green dye
    • protein solder
    • temperature
    • tensile strength

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