Atrial Reentry Mapping for Precise Fibrillation Ablation Targets
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current treatments for atrial fibrillation, such as antiarrhythmic drugs and catheter ablation therapies, have limited efficacy and often require repeat procedures due to their failure to target the underlying molecular and structural mechanisms of the condition, and there is a lack of understanding of the quantification of rotational activities in the heart that drive atrial fibrillation.
Innovation Solution
A system and method using an electrode array to sense heart data, identify dominant clockwise and anti-clockwise reentry locations, determine an intersection point, and perform targeted ablation at this point to treat atrial fibrillation, utilizing a computing device to analyze electrode data and generate heat maps to visualize and quantify reentry parameters.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional catheter ablation therapies are used to treat atrial fibrillation, then treatment can be performed, but efficacy is limited and repeat procedures are required due to failure to target underlying mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary identification and mapping of clockwise and anti-clockwise reentry locations and their intersection points before performing ablation. This preliminary analysis allows the ablation to target the precise underlying mechanisms of atrial fibrillation rather than applying generic treatment, thereby improving efficacy while maintaining manageable complexity through structured pre-planning
Solution Approach 2:
The invention applies different treatment approaches to different locations within the atrium based on their specific rotational characteristics. Intersection points where clockwise and anti-clockwise reentries meet are identified as critical targets for ablation, while other regions are mapped and analyzed separately. This location-specific treatment strategy improves reliability by addressing the unique mechanisms at each site
2Measurement precision
If comprehensive analysis of rotational activities is performed to identify intersection points, then treatment precision is improved, but system complexity and data processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the complex task of identifying ablation targets into distinct steps: first identifying clockwise reentry locations, then identifying anti-clockwise reentry locations, and finally determining their intersection points. This segmentation of the analysis process improves measurement precision by systematically evaluating each rotational pattern separately while combining the results, and manages system complexity by breaking down the overall task into manageable computational steps
Solution Approach 2:
The computing device acts as an intermediary that processes electrode array data, performs complex calculations to identify reentry patterns and intersection points, and presents the results to guide ablation. This intermediary computational layer handles the complexity of analyzing rotational activities and translating raw electrode signals into precise target identification, thereby improving measurement precision while containing system complexity within a dedicated processing system
Data Source
AI summary
A system to identify atrial fibrillation includes an electrode array that senses data from an atrium of a heart. The system also includes a computing device operatively coupled to the electrode array. The computing device includes a processor configured to identify, based on the sensed data from the electrode array, one or more first locations of the atrium at which a dominant direction of reentry is clockwise. The processor is also configured to identify, based on the sensed data from the electrode array, one or more second locations of the atrium at which a dominant direction of reentry is anti-clockwise. The processor is also configured to identify, based on analysis of the one or more first locations and the one or more second locations, an intersection point, where the intersection point is a location of the atrium at which there is both a dominant clockwise reentry and a dominant anti-clockwise reentry. The processor is further configured to determine a target location for treatment based on the intersection point.