Ablation Fluid Sensor for Real-Time Flow Monitoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
During tissue ablation procedures, the accurate control of fluid flow rate and pressure is crucial for effective lesion creation, but existing systems lack real-time monitoring and feedback, leading to potential variations in treatment efficacy and safety due to factors like tubing kinks or pump malfunctions.
Innovation Solution
A sensor is integrated within the ablation system to detect fluid parameters such as flow or pressure proximal to the target tissue, providing timely and accurate data to adjust therapy parameters and prevent errors, ensuring consistent treatment outcomes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a pump is used to control fluid flow rate in ablation therapy, then therapy efficacy is improved, but real-time monitoring of fluid delivery becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a sensor that continuously monitors fluid flow rate and provides real-time feedback to the control circuit. This feedback mechanism allows the system to detect actual fluid delivery conditions and adjust pump operation accordingly, resolving the contradiction between improving therapy efficacy through controlled fluid delivery and maintaining the ability to monitor that delivery in real-time.
2Productivity
If fluid flow rate is increased to destroy greater tissue volume, then treatment time is reduced, but control precision over fluid delivery deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor continuously measures actual fluid flow rate and provides feedback to the control circuit, enabling precise control even at high flow rates. This feedback loop allows the system to maintain accurate control of fluid delivery while operating at elevated flow rates that reduce treatment time, thereby resolving the contradiction between productivity and measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts pump operation parameters based on real-time sensor readings of fluid flow rate. By continuously monitoring and adjusting flow parameters, the system maintains precise control over fluid delivery while achieving high treatment speeds, thus resolving the contradiction between treatment time and control precision.
3Measurement precision
If the sensor is placed proximal to the target tissue, then measurement accuracy is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor is integrated within the catheter assembly that is already part of the ablation device structure. By nesting the sensor within the existing catheter framework, the patent achieves proximal placement for accurate measurement without proportionally increasing overall device complexity, as the sensor utilizes the existing structural pathways and housing of the catheter.
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure describes a method and a system that may be used to provide feedback regarding the flow of fluid during ablation therapy. The system includes a generator that generates energy to ablate at least a portion of a target tissue, a needle that delivers the energy to the target tissue, a return electrode that receives energy dispersed from the needle, a catheter that houses at least a portion of the needle, a pump that delivers a fluid to the target tissue via the catheter, a sensor that detects a fluid parameter indicative of at least one of flow or pressure of the fluid, and a processor that analyzes the fluid parameter detected by the sensor. The sensor may be located between the pump and the target tissue. The fluid parameter detected by the system may be pressure or flow. The system may be used to treat benign prostatic hypertrophy.