Characterization of a soft magnetic catheter controlled by a permanent magnet

Inhalt:
Endovascular catheterization, an increasingly popular procedure, remains an arduous task due to the difficulty in controlling the bending of the catheter tips used in the procedure. One way to overcome this challenge is to use magnetic fields and gradients to manipulate a magnetic catheter tip remotely. In this paper, the response of a custom built magnetic soft catheter tip is investigated in terms of its bending when actuated with an external permanent magnet. The bandwidth of the catheter tip and its response with respect to the speed of external permanent magnet movement is reported. An ideal working area on the bending angle vs magnet distance hysteresis curve is also proposed.