Tailored laser pulses for surgical applications

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11896300-B2
Application number	US-202017121815-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 15, 2020
Priority date	Oct 4, 2016
Publication date	Feb 13, 2024
Grant date	Feb 13, 2024

Abstract

A laser system may include a controller configured to direct a plurality of temporally spaced-apart electrical pulses to a device that optically pumps a lasing medium, and a lasing medium configured to output a quasi-continuous laser pulse in response to the optical pumping. The plurality of temporally spaced-apart electrical pulses may include (a) a first electrical pulse configured to excite the lasing medium to an energy level below a lasing threshold of the lasing medium, and (b) multiple second electrical pulses following the first electrical pulse. The quasi-continuous laser pulse is output in response to the multiple second electrical pulses.

First claim

We claim:

1. A laser system, comprising:
a controller configured to direct a plurality of temporally spaced-apart electrical pulses to a device that optically pumps a lasing medium; and
a lasing medium configured to output a quasi-continuous laser pulse in response to the optical pumping, wherein the plurality of temporally spaced-apart electrical pulses include (a) one electrical pulse configured to excite the lasing medium to an energy level below a lasing threshold of the lasing medium, and (b) a plurality of electrical pulses following the one electrical pulse, wherein the quasi-continuous laser pulse is output in response to the plurality of electrical pulses, and
wherein the one electrical pulse is configured to excite the lasing medium to an energy level above 80% of the lasing threshold and below the lasing threshold.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the lasing medium includes one of Ho:YAG, Tm:YAG, Tm:Ho:YAG, Er:YAG, Er:YLF, Nd:YAG, Tm-fiber laser, or CTH:YAG.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein each electrical pulse of the plurality of electrical pulses has an electrical pulse duration between 10-1000 ps.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein a spacing between adjacent electrical pulses of the plurality of electrical pulses is between 10-300 ps.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein a laser pulse duration of the quasi-continuous laser pulse is between 250 ps to 10 ms.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein a power of the quasi-continuous laser pulse is between 100 W to 1 KW.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of (i) duration, (ii) pulse-pulse spacing, or (iii) magnitude of a first set of pulses of the plurality of electric pulses is different from a second set of pulses of the plurality of electric pulses.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the quasi-continuous laser pulse incudes a plurality of temporally spaced apart laser pulses having a frequency greater than or equal to 1 kHz.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the quasi-continuous laser pulse includes a single laser pulse having a continuous waveform.

10. A method of using a laser system having a lasing medium, comprising:
directing a plurality of temporally spaced-apart electrical pulses to a device that optically pumps a lasing medium, wherein the plurality of temporally spaced-apart electrical pulses include (a) one electrical pulse configured to excite the lasing medium to an energy level below a lasing threshold of the lasing medium, and (b) multiple electrical pulses following the one electrical pulse; and
outputting a quasi-continuous laser pulse from the lasing medium in response to the multiple electrical pulses.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein each electrical pulse of the multiple electrical pulses has an electrical pulse duration between 10-1000 ps, and a spacing between adjacent electrical pulses of the multiple electrical pulses is between 10-300 ps.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein a laser pulse duration of the quasi-continuous laser pulse is between 250 ps to 10 ms, and a power of the quasi-continuous laser pulse is between 100 W to 1 KW.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the quasi-continuous laser pulse is one of (a) a single laser pulse having a continuous waveform, or (b) a plurality of temporally spaced apart laser pulses having a frequency greater than or equal to 1 kHz.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the lasing medium includes one of Ho:YAG, Tm:YAG, Tm:Ho:YAG, Er:YAG, Er:YLF, Nd:YAG, Tm-fiber laser, or CTH:YAG, and wherein the one electrical pulse is configured to excite the lasing medium to an energy level above 80% of the lasing threshold and below the lasing threshold.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein at least one of (i) duration, (ii) pulse-pulse spacing, or (iii) magnitude of a first set of pulses of the plurality of temporally spaced-apart electrical pulses is different from a second set of pulses of the plurality of temporally spaced-apart electrical pulses.

16. A method of using a laser system having a lasing medium, comprising:
directing a plurality of temporally spaced-apart electrical pulses to a device that optically pumps a lasing medium, wherein the plurality of temporally spaced-apart electrical pulses include (a) a first electrical pulse configured to excite the lasing medium to an energy level below a lasing threshold of the lasing medium, and (b) multiple second electrical pulses following the first electrical pulse, wherein a first pulse of the multiple second electrical pulses increases the energy level of the lasing medium above the lasing threshold; and
outputting a quasi-continuous laser pulse from the lasing medium in response to the multiple second electrical pulses, wherein the quasi-continuous laser pulse is one of (a) a single laser pulse having a continuous waveform, or (b) a plurality of temporally spaced apart laser pulses having a frequency greater than or equal to 1 kHz.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein each electrical pulse of the multiple first electrical pulses or the multiple second electrical pulses has an electrical pulse duration between 10-1000 ps, and a spacing between adjacent electrical pulses of the multiple first electrical pulses or the multiple second electrical pulses is between 10-300 ps.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein the quasi-continuous laser pulse is a single laser pulse having a single continuous waveform and having a laser pulse duration between 250 ps to 10 ms and a power between 100 W to 1 KW.

19. The method of claim 16 , wherein the lasing medium includes one of Ho:YAG, Tm:YAG, Tm:Ho:YAG, Er:YAG, Er:YLF, Nd:YAG, Tm-fiber laser, or CTH:YAG, and wherein the first electrical pulse is configured to excite the lasing medium to an energy level above 80% of the lasing threshold and below the lasing threshold.

20. The method of claim 16 , wherein at least one of (i) duration, (ii) pulse-pulse spacing, or (iii) magnitude of a first set of pulses of the multiple first electric pulses or the multiple second electrical pulses is different from a second set of pulses of the multiple first electric pulses or the multiple second electrical pulses.

Assignees

• Boston Scient Scimed Inc

Inventors

• Falkenstein Werner
• Schubert Michael
• Dittmar Stephan
• Butsch Anna
• Kremser Thomas

Classifications

• A61B18/20 Primary

  using laser · CPC title

• A61B18/26

  for producing a shock wave, e.g. laser lithotripsy · CPC title

• H01S3/1024

  for pulse generation · CPC title

• H01S3/10038

  Amplitude control · CPC title

• A61B18/245

  for removing obstructions in blood vessels or calculi · CPC title