I-Corps: Translation potential of a mechanical tool to perform endoscopic vein harvesting

The broader impact of this I-Corps project is the development of a tool to reduce damage when harvesting veins used for coronary artery bypass grafting surgery. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S., with approximately 700,000 deaths annually from various heart conditions. Patients with coronary artery disease can suffer from unexpected heart attacks unless the blockages are removed or bypassed. Heart surgery carries significant costs for materials and tools that are currently used to harvest veins in the leg for coronary artery bypass surgery. Physician assistants and cardiothoracic surgeons have identified several issues using the current electrocautery devices on the market due to device failure during operation, added costs for the tool, added surgical time if bleeding occurs, and potential damage to the vein graft that can lead to poor outcomes after surgery. This solution has the potential to introduce a technology to reduce costs, surgical time, and damage to veins during harvesting. This I-Corps project utilizes experiential learning coupled with a first-hand investigation of the industry ecosystem to assess the translation potential of the technology. This solution is based on the development of a method to mechanically cut and clip veins during endovascular vein harvesting. To treat coronary artery disease patients, physicians perform a surgical procedure to replace a patient's damaged blood vessel with a suitable graft that is harvested from elsewhere in the body. The most common blood vessel used is the great saphenous vein in the leg. Harvesting is currently performed with electrocauterization tools that can cause unnecessary harm to the patient and result in poor patient outcomes. Electrocautery has been observed to fail to effectively seal the larger blood vessels while harvesting, damage tissue, and fail to cut through side vein branches. This technology is a purely mechanical tool that can cut through a blood vessel while clamping the side branches of veins shut. The tool is designed to provide physicians with a simpler, safer tool for harvesting procedures, which ultimately benefits the patients undergoing these procedures. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.