Ablation electrodes with capacitive sensors for resolving magnitude and direction of forces imparted to a distal portion of a cardiac catheter

Abstract

A catheter assembly for assessing contact between the catheter assembly and tissue is disclosed. In an exemplary embodiment the assembly includes a catheter shaft and a trio of pressure sensitive capacitive members each of whose electrical resistance varies with a pressure vector applied to the catheter assembly. The assembly also includes at least one measurement terminal to permit the measurement of changes in the electrical characteristics of the pressure sensitive capacitive members. The assembly may optionally include a measurement device to measure resistance, impedance and / or other electrical characteristics. The assembly may utilize a reference electrode secured to the patient's tissue, which permits the measurement device to measure changes between the reference electrode and the at least one measurement terminal. Optionally, the assembly may include a conductive outer layer. Also disclosed are sensor assemblies, contact sensor, methods of contact sensing, and methods of manufacturing relating to the use of pressure sensitive capacitors.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 11 / 647,279, filed 29 Dec. 2006 (the '279 application). This application is also related to U.S. application Ser. No. 11 / 647,314, filed 29 Dec. 2006 (the '314 application); U.S. application Ser. No. 11 / 647,316, filed 29 Dec. 2006, (the '316 application); U.S. application Ser. No. 11 / 647,294, filed 29 Dec. 2006 (the '294 application); and U.S. application Ser. No. 11 / 553,965, filed 27 Oct. 2006 (the '965 application), the '279, the '314, the '316, the '294, and the '965 applications are each hereby incorporated by reference as though fully set forth herein.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]a. Field of the Invention[0003]The present invention pertains generally to an electrophysiological device and method for providing energy to biological tissue and, more particularly, to a capacitive contact sensor that is capable of being using with an ablation apparatus to provide greater con...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0012]An object of the present invention is to provide a contact sensor assembly that can assess contact with tissue based on the degree of pressure that is exerted on the sensor.

[0026]An advantage of using a PSCC in a contact sensor is that the design may be significantly less complicated, which permits reduced manufacturing costs and increased reliability.

Problems solved by technology

This gives rise to functional and theoretical challenges associated with conventional devices, and thus, the ability to accurately assess tissue contact is increasingly important.

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