Lead Inventors: Jennifer Hui; Jaimie Lee; Chirag Patel; Pawel Wojcik

Problem or Unmet Need:
Trocars are surgical devices used to create ports into the abdomen during laparoscopic surgery. Unfortunately, they are also prone to over-insertion, causing bowel and vessel injury. In fact, trocars are cited as the most common cause of malpractice injury claims associated with laparoscopic procedures. There is an unmet need for a trocar that will reduce injury to the patient caused by over-insertion while maintaining control and stability of the device.

Details of the Invention:
The team has developed ProcarTM, an advanced trocar with two distinct features: a quantitative force-feedback system providing tissue layer differentiation and an instantaneous notification of intraperitoneal access. ProcarTM is built on current trocar features and surgical techniques to facilitate clinical acceptance, ease of handling while maintaining full control, a minimal learning curve, and improved outcomes for patients.

Applications:
• Tool for laparoscopic surgery
• Other surgical tools which could benefit from instant feedback due to changes in penetrated tissue

Advantages:
• Minimizes bowel and vessel injury
• Provides instant feedback to surgeon

Patent Status: Patent Pending

Licensing Status: Available for Licensing and Sponsored Research Support

Publications: ProcarTM website

Further Information
Donna See
Email: TechTransfer@columbia.edu

File Number: 2775