Arrhythmia Mapping Electrode Loop With Reduced Directional Stiffness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cardiac mapping catheters struggle to provide high-density signal maps on non-planar cardiac tissue surfaces efficiently and adapt to varying tissue topologies, such as flat, curved, or irregular surfaces, while maintaining atraumatic advancement through the vasculature.
Innovation Solution
A catheter design featuring a loop assembly with a primary and secondary frame member, allowing sliding movement in the longitudinal direction, and a plurality of loop members with support frames and electrodes that conform to different tissue surfaces by adjusting their alignment and contact with the surface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a catheter uses a rigid frame structure to maintain shape and provide stable electrode positioning, then measurement precision and reliability are improved, but the catheter cannot adapt to non-planar cardiac tissue surfaces and causes trauma during advancement
Solution Approach 1:
The frame is divided into multiple segments including a proximal segment, a middle segment, and a distal segment. These segments can move relative to each other, allowing the frame to maintain structural integrity while adapting to non-planar tissue surfaces. The segmented design enables the catheter to conform to cardiac tissue geometry without compromising electrode positioning stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The frame transitions from a static rigid structure to a dynamic structure with movable segments. The middle segment can slide relative to the proximal and distal segments, enabling the frame to dynamically adjust its shape to match the tissue surface while maintaining sufficient rigidity for stable electrode contact and precise signal mapping.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a catheter uses a collapsible design for atraumatic advancement through vasculature, then ease of operation and reduced harmful factors are improved, but the structural stability and electrode positioning accuracy deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The frame is segmented into multiple sections that can collapse independently during advancement and expand stably during operation. The proximal, middle, and distal segments can compress relative to each other for atraumatic navigation through vasculature, then stabilize when deployed against the tissue surface for accurate signal mapping.
Solution Approach 2:
The collapsible frame design allows segments to nest within each other during advancement, similar to nested dolls. This enables the catheter to compress to a small profile for safe vascular navigation while maintaining the capability to expand to a stable configuration for precise electrode positioning and signal acquisition.
3Measurement precision
If a catheter uses high-density electrode arrays to improve mapping resolution, then measurement precision is improved, but the device complexity and difficulty of manipulation increase
Solution Approach 1:
The high-density electrode array is distributed across segmented frame sections. This segmentation allows the complex electrode configuration to be managed in modular sections, reducing the overall manipulation difficulty while maintaining high mapping resolution through the dense electrode distribution on each segment.
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B~1C
Figure 2A~2B
AI summary
A loop assembly for a catheter, the assembly including a primary frame member, a secondary frame member, and a sleeve disposed around least one of the primary and secondary frame members. The primary frame member can have at least a first cross-sectional area and can include a pair of proximal ends extending along a longitudinal axis to a closed distal end. The secondary frame member can have at least a second cross-sectional area different from the first cross-sectional area, can be disposed on at least a portion of the primary frame member between the proximal ends and the closed distal end, and can be configured to slide in at least a first dimension relative to the primary frame member.