Apparatus and method for cryoablation

Abstract

An apparatus for providing therapy to tissue comprising a flexible shaft with distal and proximal ends, and a planar therapy structure, where the planar therapy structure is coupled with the distal end of the flexible shaft, where the planar therapy structure comprises an inlet to receive a pressurized coolant from a supply line, a plurality of openings to provide the pressurized coolant to an expansion chamber, and an outlet to receive a de-pressurized coolant from the expansion chamber. A system comprising a coolant source, a coolant control, a catheter, and a planar therapy structure. A method for cooling tissue comprising circulating a coolant through a portion of the catheter, inputting the coolant through an inlet, dispensing the coolant from the inlet through a plurality of openings into an expansion chamber, cooling a tissue proximate the distal end portion of the catheter, and outputting the coolant from the expansion chamber.

Description

[0001] Cross References to Related Applications [0002] This application claims the benefit of US Provisional Application No. 62 / 457,666, filed February 10, 2017, which is hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. technical field [0003] The present invention relates to devices and methods for ablating tissue. In particular, the invention relates to the use of flexible catheters to ablate multiple locations. Background technique [0004] The human heart is regularly subjected to electrical impulses across its many surfaces and chambers, including the endocardial chamber. The heart is depolarized and repolarized due to the propagation of electrical currents through the heart and throughout the body. In a healthy heart, the atria and ventricles of the heart will experience a sequential progression of waves of depolarization. In unhealthy hearts, such as those experiencing atrial arrhythmias, including, for example, ectopic atrial tachycardia, atrial ...

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