Ablation Energy Control System With Impedance Monitoring

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current energy delivery systems for tissue ablation, such as cardiac ablation, lack effective control mechanisms for optimizing energy distribution and monitoring impedance changes during procedures, leading to inefficient tissue ablation and potential tissue damage.

Innovation Solution

A system with a user interface and computer-executable method that displays graphical elements representing electrodes, allowing users to toggle between active source, active sink, and inactive states, and monitors impedance changes to adjust energy delivery, ensuring balanced energy distribution and preventing tissue damage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If multiple electrodes are activated simultaneously for tissue ablation, then the ablation efficiency is improved, but the energy distribution becomes unbalanced causing tissue damage

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveablation efficiencyVSAvoidenergy distribution uniformity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments the multiple electrodes into distinct functional groups: active source electrodes (first pole), active sink electrodes (second pole), and inactive electrodes. This segmentation allows independent control and optimization of energy delivery to each group, ensuring balanced energy distribution across all active electrodes while maintaining high ablation efficiency through simultaneous multi-electrode operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Manufacturing precision

If the system provides detailed control over each electrode's energy delivery, then the energy distribution precision is improved, but the system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveenergy distribution precisionVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The control system implements a universal bipolar control architecture where multiple source electrodes and multiple sink electrodes are managed through a single coordinated system. The system provides detailed individual electrode control through the bipolar configuration (separating source and sink functions) while maintaining overall system simplicity through unified management of all electrodes as part of an integrated ablation catheter system.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Reliability

If real-time impedance monitoring is implemented for each electrode, then the safety is improved, but the measurement precision requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprocedure safetyVSAvoidimpedance measurement precision
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements real-time impedance monitoring that provides continuous feedback on the tissue-electrode interface conditions for each active electrode. This feedback mechanism enables the system to detect tissue desiccation, electrode-tissue contact quality, and other critical parameters, allowing dynamic adjustment of energy delivery to maintain safety margins while achieving reliable ablation outcomes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The system enables uniform energy delivery to tissue, reduces tissue desiccation risk, and allows for real-time monitoring of impedance changes to optimize ablation procedures, improving the effectiveness and safety of energy delivery.

Implementation Method 1

an ablation catheter in communication with an ablation energy generator... delivering ablation energy from the energy generator to the first pole

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectJoule heating: Joule Heating

Data Source

PatentEP3445222B1Systems for controlling energy delivery in medical devices
Publication Date: 2024.03.20 BOSTON SCIENTIFIC SCIMED INC
  • EP3445222B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3445222B1 patent drawingFigure 3
  • EP3445222B1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

Systems for controlling ablation procedures that include a user interface. The user interface can include a display; and a memory with a computer executable method stored thereon, the computer executable method adapted to cause to be displayed on the display a plurality of interactive elements for controlling one or more aspects of the ablation.