February 16, 2021 06:00 ET
Ocutrx Technologies, Inc., a California-based technology company known for its ORLenz™ surgery augmented reality (AR) headset, and the OR-Bot Surgery Visualization Theatre™, has announced that they are expanding from external visualization augmented reality (AR) and extended reality (XR) techniques to a first-of-class laparoscopic visualization key-hole instrument called “Scopetrx™”, a Wireless Laparoscopic Swivel Camera Tool. The instrument’s mobilization allows the surgeon to have an unobstructed rotating 360° x 270° view with a dramatically increased field-of-view (FoV) of 100 degrees and enhanced 4K resolution. The patent pending wireless real-time video innovation was developed by Ocutrx in conjunction with Dr. David L. Street, M.D., F.A.C.S., a vascular surgeon, and member of the Ocutrx International Surgical Steering Committee. Dr. Street, who is a part of the Oregon Surgical Specialist practice in Medford, Oregon, is board certified for General Surgery and Vascular Surgery. He previously pioneered protocols for minimally invasive surgeries still in use since the 1980’s.
“I expressed what was lacking in my current laparoscopy tools and worked with the Ocutrx engineering team to build in all the features I really needed,” said Dr. Street. “For one thing the Scopetrx instrument is wireless which gets rid of a lot of cords and ‘bulk’ typically in the surgeon’s way. It works off of a battery about the size in a cordless drill battery, which provides the energy to run the device and send wireless 4K video to ORLenz 3D headsets or monitors. With current laparoscopic cameras, you have to switch your scope whenever you want to shift your field-of-vision from straight, to thirty degrees to forty-five degrees and so on. But Scopetrx allows you to see all of the different angles needed during a surgery with one single scope,” said Street. “I believe this will generally improve patient’s outcomes, and reduce their down-time, because you only have to put the scope in once, saving both skin and tissue from being entered and exited multiple times.”
The Scopetrx Laparoscopic Tool sends both data and 4K video using Ocutrx’s WiDtrx™ technology. WiDtrx sends 4K video wirelessly as fast as an HDMI cable can carry the same information. The camera subsystem swivels on the main barrel providing a 360º roll, while the camera extends on a multi-axis pivot support permitting another 270° of yaw and pitch rotation. This disruptive innovation lets the surgeon see around “corners” with much more depth and visibility than other laparoscopic instruments being used inside the body today.
“One of the first innovations was to put the camera on the end of the laparoscope instrument, rather than using a long fiber optic cable that other systems use,” said Jordan Boss, co-inventor, and Ocutrx Chief Product Engineer. “This gives surgeons a huge field-of-view, delivering much more depth-of-field and other critical identification information than before. Then, we bleed-off some of the battery energy to minimally heat the camera subsystem tip up to body temperature, so that there is no ‘fogging’ when the instrument enters the body or waiting for it to ‘de-fog’ thus, eliminating non-productive time from a surgery.”
With the ability to be used for both laparoscopic and thoracoscopic procedures, the camera allows the surgeon, assistant, scrub tech, and anyone else in the room to view what the surgeon is seeing in 3D on a ORLenz™ holographic XR headset with a significant range of motion and perceptibility. The camera works in conjunction with Ocutrx’s state-of-the-art OR-Bot Surgery Visualization Theatre, a cobotic surgery suite. The instrument provides real-time wireless video that the surgeon and other vital staff will need to operate during the procedure.
“Ocutrx is continuously expanding its technological offerings in the realm of surgical procedures and visualization techniques,” Ocutrx CEO/CTO and Scopetrx co-inventor Michael Freeman said. “We are incredibly pleased to have moved from visualization solutions outside the body to minimally invasive technologies solving current limitations. Having the Scopetrx instrument as part of our Operating Room suite provides surgeons with one more visualization innovation to aid with better surgery ergonomics and fewer cumbersome wires in the OR — and we are eager to see the ways in which it will change the future of medicine and improve patient outcomes.”
In addition to new technology, Ocutrx recently changed its company standing from a limited liability company to a C-Corp holding all of its technologies and products including the Oculenz AMD headset, the ORLenz surgery headset, the OR-Bot cobotic visualization suite, and now, the Scopetrx Laparoscopic Swivel Camera Tool.
About Ocutrx
With corporate headquarters in Irvine, California, and research, testing, and development labs in Oklahoma and Colorado, Ocutrx is a new breed of medical manufacturing company focusing on visualization innovations, including augmented reality headsets, robotics and minimally invasive surgical tools. It pioneered the Oculenz/ORLenz AR headsets which are the lightest weight headsets with the largest field-of-vision in the market. At a time when new visualization techniques are beginning to advance into the medical and surgical practices globally, Ocutrx is creating impactful, revolutionary visualization products for medical use by patients and physicians alike.