Fiber Laser For Myringotomy And Middle-Ear Surgery

描述（由申请人提供）：拟议II期项目的目标是设计，制造和演示用于鼓膜切开术和中耳手术的4w， 2712 nm光纤激光器。该波长在水吸收光谱中接近最大值，从而降低了激光功率要求。目前的鼓膜切开术和中耳手术通常需要使用手术刀。一些鼓膜切开术和中耳手术使用二氧化碳或各种固态激光器，但这些激光器体积大，价格昂贵，而且很少使用。脉冲激光产生声波，吓唬孩子，并阻止进一步使用。第一阶段成功演示了1 W，连续波，2712 nm光纤激光器，能够在各种鸡肉和牛肉组织中燃烧直径亚毫米的圆形孔。第二阶段的目标是扩大目前氟化物光纤激光器的尺寸，设计和应用用于反射率控制和光纤材料钝化的光纤末端涂层，并制造和演示该激光器用于鼓膜切开术和中耳手术的操作。将测试光纤激光在各种类型的组织中钻出干净孔的功效。第二年将使用动物模型来确定激光对生物体的功效。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The objective of the Proposed Phase II program is to design, fabricate, and demonstrate a 4 W, 2712 nm fiber laser for use in myringotomy and middle ear surgery. This wavelength is near a maximum in the water absorption spectrum, thereby reducing the laser power requirement. Current myringotomy and middle-ear surgery generally involves the use of a scalpel. Some myringotomy and middle-ear procedures utilize CO2, or various solid-state lasers, but these lasers are large, expensive, and sparsely used. Pulsed lasers result in acoustic pops, frightening children and precluding further usage. Phase I successfully demonstrated a 1 W, continuous wave, 2712 nm fiber laser, capable of burning circular sub-mm diameter holes in a variety of chicken and beef tissue. The Phase II aims will be to scale up the current fluoride fiber laser dimensions, design and apply fiber optical end-coatings for reflectivity control and fiber material passivation, and to fabricate and demonstrate operation of this laser for myringotomy and middle ear surgery applications. Fiber laser efficacy in drilling clean holes into various types of tissue will be tested. Animal models will be used in the second year to determine laser efficacy on living organisms.