Patent ID: 11957622
Assignee: THE TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A | IPC A

Claim 3:
4. A system for treating cartilage, the system comprising:
an infrared laser configured to output pulses of infrared light having an average power output from 10 mW to 100 mW, a pulse energy from 0.1 nJ to 10 nJ and a pulse width from 50 to 150 femtoseconds; and
focusing optics configured to focus the pulses of infrared light output by the infrared laser, wherein the infrared laser and the focusing optics are configured to generate pulses of focused infrared light that (a) cause ionization of water without causing optical breakdown of molecules of the cartilage, and (b) excite water molecules without directly forming covalent bonds in collagen contained in the cartilage.