Several remote catheter navigation systems have been developed and are now commercially available. However, these systems\ntypically require specialized catheters or equipment, as well as time-consuming operations for the system set-up. In this paper,\nwe present CathROB, a highly compact and versatile robotic system for remote navigation of standard tip-steerable\nelectrophysiology (EP) catheters. Key features of CathROB include an extremely compact design that minimizes encumbrance\nand time for system set-up in a standard cath lab, a force-sensing mechanism, an intuitive command interface, and functions for\nautomatic catheter navigation and repositioning. We report in vitro and in vivo animal evaluation of CathROB. In vitro results\nshowed good accuracy in remote catheter navigation and automatic repositioning (1.5 �± 0.6mm for the left-side targets, 1.7\n�± 0.4mm for the right-side targets). Adequate tissue contact was achieved with remote navigation in vivo. There were no\nadverse events, including absence of cardiac perforation or cardiac damage, indicative of the safety profile of CathROB.\nAlthough further preclinical and clinical studies are required, the presented CathROB system seems to be a promising solution\nfor an affordable and easy-to-use remote catheter navigation.
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