Basket Catheter Eddy Current Deformation Sensor
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current cardiac ablation procedures face challenges in accurately determining the force and deformation of basket catheters during electrophysiology mapping and ablation, which can affect the precision of targeting aberrant electrical conductive tissue sites responsible for arrhythmias.
Innovation Solution
A basket catheter system equipped with a sensor assembly that includes a transmitting coil and multiple receiving coils, generating magnetic fields to detect force and deformation on an electrically conductive plate or ring, allowing for precise determination of the basket's position and deformation using magnetic field superposition signals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a basket catheter is used for cardiac ablation, then the ability to map and ablate cardiac tissue is improved, but the ability to accurately determine force and deformation of the basket is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical force and deformation sensors with a magnetic field-based sensing system. A permanent magnet is embedded in the basket catheter, and its position and orientation are tracked using external magnetic field sensors (e.g., fluxgate magnetometers or Hall effect sensors). This substitution eliminates complex mechanical sensing mechanisms while enabling precise measurement of basket position, orientation, and deformation through magnetic field interactions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a permanent magnet as an intermediary element within the basket catheter structure. This magnet serves as a mediator that translates mechanical deformation and position of the basket into measurable magnetic field variations. The external sensing system detects these magnetic field changes, allowing indirect but accurate measurement of force and deformation without direct mechanical contact or complex sensor integration in the catheter itself.
2Measurement precision
If magnetic field sensors are used to track basket position, then real-time positioning accuracy is improved, but the complexity of the sensing system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The magnetic field sensing system serves multiple functions simultaneously: it tracks the position of the basket catheter, measures its orientation, and detects deformation of the basket structure. A single permanent magnet embedded in the basket works with external magnetic sensors to provide all these measurements through magnetic field gradient analysis, eliminating the need for separate sensors for each measurement type and reducing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes changes in magnetic field parameters (strength, direction, gradient) as the basket catheter moves and deforms. By monitoring these parameter variations in the magnetic field generated by the embedded permanent magnet, the system extracts positional and deformation information without requiring complex sensor hardware. The external sensors detect magnetic field parameter changes that directly correlate with basket position and shape.
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
Enables real-time tracking and precise positioning of the basket catheter, enhancing the accuracy of cardiac tissue ablation and mapping by determining the force and deformation applied to the basket assembly, thereby improving the effectiveness of arrhythmia treatment.
Implementation Method 1
The IGS system is configured to provide signals to the transmitting coil to generate a first magnetic field that in turn causes eddy currents in the electrically conductive plate, disk, or ring, that in turn generates a second magnetic field.
Implementation Method 2
The transmitting coil is configured to generate a first alternating magnetic field... The location element is configured to generate a second alternating magnetic field based at least in part on the first alternating magnetic field
Data Source
AI summary
A basket catheter and system is configured to determine a force on a basket assembly of the basket catheter and/or determine deformation of the basket assembly by using a sensor assembly in the basket catheter which includes a transmitting coil and multiple receiving coils in the catheter shaft and an electrically conductive plate, disk, or ring at a distal end of the basket assembly. The system is configured to provide signals to the transmitting coil to generate a first magnetic field that in turn causes eddy currents in the electrically conductive plate, disk, or ring, that in turn generates a second magnetic field. The receiving coils detect a superposition of the first and second magnetic fields, and the system determines the force and/or deformation based at least in part on the signals from the receiving coils.