LASERS ARE BEING APPLIED TO A GROWING NUMBER OF SURGICAL PROCEDURES BECAUSE THEY CAN REDUCE TRAUMA, PROMOTE MORE RAPID HEALING, REDUCE OPERATING TIME, CONSERVE ANESTHESIA, AND REDUCE HOSPITALIZATION TIME AND COST.

LASERS ARE BEING APPLIED TO A GROWING NUMBER OF SURGICAL PROCEDURES BECAUSE THEY CAN REDUCE TRAUMA, PROMOTE MORE RAPID HEALING, REDUCE OPERATING TIME, CONSERVE ANESTHESIA, AND REDUCE HOSPITALIZATION TIME AND COST. SURGEONS CURRENTLY MUST UTILIZE MULTIPLE LASER SYSTEMS, EACH OF WHICHHAS LIMITED CAPABILITIES. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PHASE I PROPOSAL IS TO DEVELOP A SURGICAL LASER SYSTEM THAT MAY MEETMORE OF THE NEEDS OF THE SURGEON. THIS LASER WOULD HAVE APPLICATIONS IN A WIDE VARIETY OF ESTABLISHED MEDICAL AND SURGICAL PROCEDURES, AS WELL AS EMERGING PROCEDURES SUCH AS PHOTORADIATION THERAPY, ARTHROSCOPIC SURGERY, TISSUE WELDING, AND LASER ANGIOPLASTY. THE SOLID-STATE LASER SYSTEM WOULD COVER THE 3 UM TO 250 NM SPECTRAL RANGE AND BE CAPABLE OF HIGH AVERAGE POWER. THE SYSTEM WILL BE BASED ON THE TI:AL2O3 VIBRONIC LASER PUMPED BY THE FREQUENCY-DOUBLED ND:YAG LASER. AFTER CRITICAL TESTS, A COMPLETE LASER SYSTEMDESIGN WILL BE COMPLETED. THUS, A PROTOTYPE LASER SYSTEM COULD BE DEVELOPED DURING A PHASE II EFFORT.