34results about How to "Improve ablation" patented technology

A device positionable in a cavity of a bodily organ (e.g., a heart) may discriminate between fluid (e.g., blood) and non-fluid tissue (e.g., wall of heart) to provide information or a mapping indicative of a position and / or orientation of the device in the cavity. Discrimination may be based on flow, or some other characteristic, for example electrical permittivity or force. The device may selectively ablate portions of the non-fluid tissue based on the information or mapping. The device may detect characteristics (e.g., electrical potentials) indicative of whether ablation was successful. The device may include a plurality of transducers, intravascularly guided in an unexpanded configuration and positioned proximate the non-fluid tissue in an expanded configuration. Expansion mechanism may include helical member(s) or inflatable member(s).

A catheter for mapping and / or ablating continuous linear or circumferential lesions at the intersection of a generally flat structure, such as the left atrium, and the ostium of generally cavernous regions of the heart, including pulmonary vein and the pulmonary venous antrum, comprises a catheter body with an intermediate section that is connected to a tip assembly by a highly flexible section. The intermediate section has at its distal end a preformed section, e.g., a curve, the intermediate section being deflectable in a direction opposite to the curve. The highly flexible section presets the tip assembly at an off-axis and / or off-plane angles from the preformed section. Accordingly, the preformed section is adapted to sit in the region and the preset angles of the ablation assembly enable contact with surrounding tissue. A high bending modulus enables the flexible section absorb displacement force applied to the ablation assembly, such as when the tip assembly encounters uneven tissue surface, without displacing the curve from the region. The tip assembly can be irrigated as enabled by a plurality of irrigation ports, a coil electrode, and a porous covering to disperse fluid over the outer surface of the tip assembly.

Systems, methods, and devices allow intravascular or percutaneous mapping, orientation or ablation, or combinations thereof in bodily cavities or lumens. A device includes a plurality of elongate members which are moveable between an unexpanded configuration, a bent or coiled stack configuration and an expanded or fanned configuration. The elongate members form a stack arrangement in the unexpanded configuration to fit through a catheter sheath. The elongate members follow respective arcuate or curvilinear paths as advanced from the sheath into the bent or coiled stack configuration, adopting volute, scroll or rho shapes, and may be nested. The elongated members are fanned or radially spaced circumferentially with respect to one another into the expanded or fanned configuration. Transducers carried by elongate members may sense various physiological characteristics of or proximate tissue, for instance temperature, and / or may apply energy to or proximate tissue, for example to perform ablation. The device is retractable.

Systems, methods, and devices allow intravascular or percutaneous mapping, orientation and / or ablation, in bodily cavities or lumens. A device includes elongate members, moveable between an unexpanded configuration and an expanded or fanned configuration. The elongate members form a stack in the unexpanded configuration to fit through a catheter sheath. The elongate members follow respective arcuate or curvilinear paths as advanced from the sheath into the bent or coiled stack configuration, adopting volute, scroll or rho shapes, and may be nested. The elongated members are fanned or radially spaced circumferentially with respect to one another into the expanded or fanned configuration. Transducer elements carried by elongate members sense various physiological characteristics of or proximate tissue, and / or may apply energy to or proximate tissue. The elongate members are rotatable in groups or as a group in the expanded configuration. The device is retractable.

Systems, methods, and devices allow intravascular or percutaneous mapping, orientation or ablation, or combinations thereof in bodily cavities or lumens. A device includes a plurality of elongate members which are moveable between an unexpanded configuration, a bent or coiled stack configuration and an expanded or fanned configuration. The elongate members form a stack arrangement in the unexpanded configuration to fit through a catheter sheath, The elongate members follow respective arcuate or curvilinear paths as advanced from the sheath into the bent or coiled stack configuration, adopting volute, scroll or rho shapes, and may be nested. The elongated members are fanned or radially spaced circumferentially with respect to one another into the expanded or fanned configuration. Transducers carried by elongate members may sense various physiological characteristics of or proximate tissue, for instance temperature, and / or may apply energy to or proximate tissue, for example to perform ablation. The device is retractable.

Systems, methods, and devices allow percutaneous mapping, orientation and / or ablation in bodily cavities or lumens. Such may include a structure that is percutaneously positionable in a cavity, such as an intra-cardiac cavity of a heart. Transducers carried by the structure are responsive to blood flow. For example, the transducers may sense temperature, temperature being related to convective cooling caused by blood flow. A controller discerns positional information or location, based on signals from the transducers. For example, blood flow may be greater and / or faster proximate a port in cardiac tissue than proximate tissue spaced from the port. Position information may allow precise ablation of selected tissue, for example tissue surround a port in the intra-cardiac cavity.

The present invention relates to a method, device, and system for improved mapping and / or ablation of a tissue. The device may generally include an elongate body and a distal assembly affixed to the elongate body that includes a treatment electrode having a conductive mapping region and a selectively conductive ablation region that is conductive of high-frequency current and substantially non-conductive of low-frequency current. Alternatively, the device may generally include a treatment electrode having a conductive mapping or ablation region and a region that is coated with an electrically insulated but thermally conductive layer.

This document provides devices and methods for the treatment of heart conditions, hypertension, and other medical disorders. For example, this document provides devices and methods for treating atrial fibrillation by performing thoracic vein ablation procedures, including pulmonary vein myocardium ablation. In some embodiments, the ablation is performed in coordination with the delivery a pharmacological agent that can abate the formation of tissue stenosis or neointimal hyperplasia caused by the ablation.

Flexographic printing precursors are prepared using laser-engraveable compositions containing a laser-engraveable resin and chemically-crosslinked organic porous particles. The presence of these porous particles, which can include an infrared radiation absorber, improves various imaging and performance properties in the preparation of flexographic printing members such as flexographic printing plates and printing sleeves.

Devices and methods for the treatment of heart conditions, hypertension, and other medical disorders are described. For example, this document describes devices and methods for treating atrial fibrillation by performing thoracic vein ablation procedures, including pulmonary vein myocardium ablation. In some embodiments, the ablation is performed in coordination with the delivery a pharmacological agent that can abate the formation of tissue stenosis or neointimal hyperplasia caused by the ablation. Additionally, in some embodiments, particulate matter, such as thrombus or crystalline drug compounds, created during the ablation is captured and removed from the patient using devices and methods provided herein. Further, devices and methods for non-thermal methods of causing cell death, such as tissue suction and tissue stretching, are also described.

A laser-engraveable composition comprises a laser-engraveable resin having dispersed therein non-crosslinked organic porous particles. These non-crosslinked organic porous particles have a non-crosslinked organic solid phase including an external particle surface and at least one set of discrete pores that are dispersed within the non-crosslinked organic solid phase. The laser-engraveable composition further comprises an infrared radiation absorber within at least some of the non-crosslinked organic porous particles.

A system for engraving a flexographic relief member includes a laser scanning apparatus providing a focused radiation beam. The flexographic relief member includes a laser engraveable flexographic member; a thin engraveable control layer on top of the flexographic member; and wherein the engraveable control layer has an engraving sensitivity lower than the flexographic member.

This document provides devices and methods for the treatment of heart conditions, hypertension, and other medical disorders. For example, this document provides devices and methods for treating atrial fibrillation by performing thoracic vein ablation procedures, including pulmonary vein myocardium ablation. In some embodiments, the ablation is performed in coordination with the delivery a pharmacological agent that can abate the formation of tissue stenosis or neointimal hyperplasia caused by the ablation.