The Barron Artificial Anterior Chamber® is a disposable instrument set that is provided sterile in a PETG tray hermetically sealed with a Tyvek lid. The unit is then EtO sterilized, and ready for use when received by the physician. It was originally developed through cooperation with Dr. J. James Rowsey at St. Luke’s Cataract and Laser Institute. The chamber is a specialized device that allows a donor corneoscleral cap of tissue to be anatomically positioned epithelial side up. The chamber is used to support the donor tissue and maintain adequate pressure while lamellar dissection or full-thickness trephination is being performed on the donor tissue. The Artificial Anterior Chamber is fabricated using a bright blue color to provide a high-contrast background for visualizing the cornea and aiding in the lamellar dissection of the cornea.
The Barron Artificial Anterior Chamber® is comprised of 3 pieces:
- A base with a donor tissue pedestal containing dual ports with female Luer-lok connectors and pinch clamps. Either port may be used to inject or aspirate viscoelastic, balanced salt solution (BSS) or air
- A tissue retainer for securing the donor cornea tissue.
- A positive-action locking ring that holds the tissue retainer securely against the base.
The anterior chamber is designed to hold donor cornea tissue having a scleral rim diameter of 14 mm – 18 mm. A 16 mm trephine blade is separately available to cut the donor tissue so that it optimally fits the base. The tissue retainer allows access to the cornea using an opening of 12.5 mm, large enough to accommodate most tissue resections.
The top sides of the tissue retainer are sloped at a 45 degree angle to allow surgeons easy access to the perimeter of the cornea so that knives and spatulas can be used effectively .
The anterior chamber is designed to hold donor cornea tissue having a scleral rim diameter of 14 mm – 18 mm. A 16 mm trephine blade is separately available to cut the donor tissue so that it optimally fits the base. The tissue retainer allows access to the cornea using an opening of 12.5 mm, large enough to accommodate most tissue resections.
The Barron Artificial Anterior Chamber® can be used to prepare donor tissue for most keratoplasty procedures – Deep Lamellar Endothelial Keratoplasty (DLEK), Descemet’s Membrane (Stripping) Endothelial Keratoplasty (DMEK/DSEK), and Penetrating Keratoplasty (PK).
All of these techniques benefit by supporting the donor cornea so that the epithelium is up, which in the case of PK allows the surgeon to use a vacuum trephine to harvest a donor cornea button. Cutting the donor cornea from the epithelial side produces a more perfect donor-to-host match, thereby reducing surgically-induced astigmatism.
Sizes
The Barron Artificial Anterior Chamber® comes in one size that can be used for donor corneal procedures that require donor tissue with a diameter of up to 12.5 mm. There is a specially modified version described below that has a 16mm opening that was created for use by veterinarians. It is described below. The anterior chamber is available only from Katena Products as their product number K20-2125. Contact Katena Products to order the Barron Artificial Anterior Chamber.
Accessory Steel Base
BPI designed a stainless-steel base as a companion product for the Barron Artificial Anterior Chamber. The base weighs approximately 0.45 kg, and provides an anchor to stabilize the chamber during procedures on the donor cornea.
The steel base is available only from Katena Products as their product number K20-2126. Contact Katena Products for price and delivery of the steel base.
B00-K9 Artificial Anterior Chamber
A modified version of the Barron Artificial Anterior Chamber® was created in conjunction with Dr. Gladys Boo, Veterinary Ophthalmologist (DACVO). It was developed for canine eyes, which have a larger cornea than those in humans. A stainless steel adapter sleeve was designed for the base, and a modified stainless steel tissue retainer was designed for the top that provides a 16mm opening. Its use is similar to that of the standard artificial anterior chamber having a 12.5mm opening as described above. It is compatible with the steel base shown above that is available from Katena. For information about purchasing one of these canine AAC’s please send an email to inquiry@bpic.com.
