Demand for gluteal fat grafting has more than doubled in the past five years despite highly publicized media reports of serious injuries and deaths. This procedure involves re-injection of the patient’s own fat, in which the cannula is passed blindly through tissue, risking internal injuries, punctured blood vessels, and formation of deadly blood clots. Gluteal fat grafting complications killed an estimated 1 in 3,000 patients in 2017; in comparison, cosmetic procedures in general result in an estimated 1 in 50,000 deaths. Dr. Rubin’s lab has previously developed impedance-based sensing cannulas to alert the surgeon when the cannula contacts muscle or blood so that it can be immediately repositioned. This is an evolution of that technology that may offer simpler implementation and more accurate guidance.
Description
This proprietary tissue-sensing technology distinguishes fat from muscle or blood by detecting a change in physical tissue properties. This novel design provides an audible alert or visual indicator (e.g. red light or blinking strobe) to notify the surgeon of the cannula location and tissue type. In this iteration of the smart cannula, the cannula uses itself as one electrode and a remote reference electrode to measure tissue impedance. This configuration will make manufacturing sensing cannulas much simpler and less expensive and may also allow for the ability to detect proximity to muscle and fascia before passing into them, leading to increased safety.
Applications
· Cosmetic gluteal fat grafting
· Other fat harvesting applications
· Other fat grafting applications
Advantages
· Simpler design allows for easy manufacture at a lower cost
· Increased accuracy
· May enable surgeons to detect tissue type prior to insertion
· Prevents damage to internal organs or major blood vessels
· Increased safety profile for a high-demand cosmetic surgery
Invention Readiness
Prototype
IP Status
https://patents.google.com/patent/US20220273188A1
