Occlusion Break Surge Performance Of A Novel Phacoemulsification System
Published 2025 - 43rd Congress of the ESCRS
Reference: FP28.15 | Type: Free paper | DOI: 10.82333/j0fe-zp71
Authors: Razita Aulia Azkia* 1 , Yasmin Adzra Nabila 1 , Aulia Zinedinita Rahmasari 1 , Aulia Kezia Mulyazhara 1 , Susy Fatmariyanti 2
1Airlangga University,Surabaya,Indonesia, 2Ophthalmology,JEC Eye Hospitals and Clinics,Surabaya,Indonesia;Ophthalmology, Dr. Soetomo General Academic Hospital,Surabaya,Indonesia
Purpose
Occlusion break surge testing is one of the best ways to stress test the fluidics capabilities of a phacoemulsification system. This study set out to compare occlusion break surge (OBS) volumes of UNITY VCS (UVCS) to those of Centurion with Active Sentry (CAS).
Setting
Bench-top experimental study
Methods
A mechanical spring eye model that represents average human eye compliance was used to determine average surge volumes following occlusion break. UVCS was tested at target intraocular pressures (IOPs) of 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, and 80 mmHg; vacuum limits of 300, 400, 500, 600, and 650 mmHg; and aspiration flow rates of 20 and 40 cc/min. CAS was tested at target IOPs of 30, 40, 50, 60, and 80 mmHg, and same set vacuum limits and aspiration flow rates as UVCS. Testing was repeated with six fluidic management systems (FMS) for each device to ensure repeatability and reliability. A second order polynomial was fit to the entire data set at an aspiration flow rate of 40 cc/min to compare performance between systems at an IOP setpoint of 20 mmHg.
Results
Maximum OBS volumes measured across all tested surgical settings were 48 µL for UVCS and 75 µL for CAS, which corresponds to 19% and 30% of the average total phakic anterior chamber volume, respectively. For all common setpoint combinations (i.e. excluding 20 mmHg IOP), mean OBS volumes were 44% (nearly two times) lower for UVCS than CAS. Generally, as target IOP decreased and vacuum limit increased, OBS volume also increased for each system. At IOP 20 mmHg setpoint and 40 cc/min flow rate, the UVCS had a 46% average decrease in OBS volume across all vacuum limits compared to CAS.
Conclusions
The UNITY VCS demonstrated smaller average surge volumes following occlusion break than CAS, which may reduce the risk of posterior capsule rupture, especially in complex cases. In addition, improved occlusion break surge response may contribute to reduced anterior chamber depth change and increased surgeon confidence to operate more efficiently and at lower IOP.