Automatic Ablation Tracking System for Intracardiac Procedures
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current minimally-invasive intracardiac ablation systems require manual marking of ablation sites by physicians, which can be inaccurate and time-consuming, and do not effectively account for variations in heart wall thickness and respiratory motion during the procedure.
Innovation Solution
A system that uses a processor coupled to a catheter to automatically mark ablation sites on a 3D map based on predefined stability criteria, including contact stability, electrophysiological signals, and energy delivery parameters, while compensating for respiratory motion and varying heart wall thickness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual marking of ablation sites is used, then the system is simple to operate, but the accuracy and efficiency of marking ablation sites deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically marks ablation sites by evaluating stability criteria without requiring manual physician input for each marking decision. The processor autonomously determines which sites meet the stability criteria and marks them on the 3D map, allowing the system to serve itself in the marking task while improving accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors probe stability, contact force, and position data, then uses this feedback to automatically determine when ablation sites should be marked. The real-time evaluation of stability criteria provides feedback that drives the automatic marking process, ensuring accurate and consistent site identification.
2Productivity
If manual marking is used, then the system is faster to implement, but the efficiency of tracking therapy delivery deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously evaluates probe stability and automatically marks ablation sites in real-time during the procedure. This continuous automatic tracking eliminates interruptions for manual marking, maintaining continuous useful action throughout the ablation process and significantly improving tracking efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The automatic marking system performs the tracking and marking tasks autonomously without requiring physician time for manual marking operations. This self-service capability frees the physician to focus on other critical aspects of the procedure, thereby improving overall productivity and reducing time loss.
3Reliability
If manual marking without stability assessment is used, then the procedure is simpler, but the reliability of treatment consistency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements real-time feedback by continuously monitoring probe stability criteria including contact force, position stability, and duration of contact. This feedback mechanism ensures that only sites meeting predefined stability thresholds are marked, guaranteeing consistent and reliable treatment delivery across different regions of the heart.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses multiple measurable parameters (contact force, position coordinates, dwell time) to objectively determine ablation site stability. By changing from subjective manual judgment to objective parameter-based assessment, the system achieves reliable and reproducible treatment consistency while accounting for anatomical variations.
4Measurement precision
If automatic marking with real-time assessment is implemented, then the accuracy of ablation site identification improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The processor automatically performs all analysis and marking decisions without requiring complex manual intervention systems. The self-service automatic marking process simplifies the user interface while maintaining high precision through sophisticated backend algorithms that evaluate stability criteria and identify ablation sites autonomously.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a digital 3D map copy of the heart anatomy and performs all stability assessments and markings on this virtual representation. This copying approach allows complex real-time analysis to be performed on the digital model without affecting the physical procedure, maintaining measurement precision while managing system complexity through virtual simulation.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method for performing a medical procedure includes bringing a probe (24) into contact with an organ in a body of a patient. A map (44) of the organ (26)is displayed, and the location of the probe relative to the map is tracked. A therapy is applied via the probe at multiple tissue sites in the organ with which the probe is brought into contact. Stability of the contact between the probe and the tissue sites is assessed while applying the therapy. The map is automatically marked, responsively to the assessed stability, to indicate the tissue sites (46) at which the therapy was applied.