Laser Tissue Welding of Esophageal Tissue Assisted by Chitosan-Based Precoating: Process Optimization and Thermal-Mechanical Performance

Abstract

This paper investigates the effect of process parameters and chitosan-based precoating on mechanical properties and thermal damage during laser repair of esophageal tissue. The effects of laser power, defocusing amount, and concentrations of indocyanine green (ICG) and carbon nanotubes (CNT) on burst pressure strength, thermal denaturation degree, and microstructure characteristic parameters were investigated. To maximize burst pressure strength and minimize thermal damage, response surface models were constructed to correlate process parameters with burst pressure strength and thermal denaturation degree. The parameters were optimized using a genetic algorithm, and the predicted optimum was validated experimentally. Results show significant linear effects of laser power and defocusing amount on burst pressure, with notable interactions between defocusing amount-ICG and ICG-CNT. Laser power and CNT concentration also exhibit significant linear effects on thermal denaturation. The optimal process parameters were a laser power of 6.90 W, defocusing amount −0.10 mm, ICG 0.03 wt%, CNT 0.01 wt%.