Expandable Basket Catheter for Uniform Pulsed Field Ablation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing medical ablation catheters face challenges in integrating electrodes and expandable basket assemblies into compact and maneuverable designs, with issues such as uneven electrode distribution, inadequate mechanical properties, and potential tissue damage from sharp edges, while pulsed field energy ablation systems require improvements in precision, safety, and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A catheter system with a steerable or non-steerable design, featuring a shaft assembly with concentric tubes and a deployable expandable basket, utilizing flexible printed circuit boards and braided mesh electrodes, ensuring reliable coupling and uniform energy delivery, and minimizing sharp edges through atraumatic design elements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If traditional catheter designs with expandable basket assemblies are used, then ablation functionality is provided, but mechanical stability and structural integrity are inadequate
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter shaft assembly utilizes composite construction with an inner shaft and outer shaft made of materials providing enhanced mechanical strength and stability. The basket assembly incorporates struts with electrodes integrated into a structurally sound framework that maintains integrity during expansion and ablation procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The catheter is divided into distinct functional segments including the shaft assembly, basket assembly, and electrode components. This segmentation allows each part to be optimized independently for its specific function while contributing to overall structural stability through controlled interfaces between segments.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If ring-shaped electrodes are integrated onto the basket filaments, then ablation capability is achieved, but sharp edges may cause tissue damage
Solution Approach 1:
The ring-shaped electrodes are designed with continuous curved surfaces and rounded edges that eliminate sharp protrusions. The filaments and struts incorporating these electrodes feature smooth transitions and rounded geometries throughout, ensuring atraumatic interaction with tissue during catheter manipulation and ablation procedures.
3Ease of operation
If the catheter is designed to be compact and maneuverable, then ease of insertion and navigation is improved, but integration of functional components becomes challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The basket assembly is configured to nest within the catheter shaft when collapsed, allowing compact insertion through vascular access. During deployment, the basket expands outward from the shaft in a controlled manner, transforming from a compact stored state to an expanded functional state without requiring excessive space or complexity in the integration mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The catheter incorporates dynamic elements including the expandable basket that transitions between collapsed and expanded configurations, and flexible components that adapt to vascular anatomy. This dynamic design allows the device to maintain compactness during navigation while providing adequate functional structure during ablation procedures.
4Measurement precision
If electrodes are positioned on the distal basket, then ablation precision is improved, but uniform energy delivery becomes difficult to achieve
Solution Approach 1:
The electrode array on the basket is configured with specific spatial distribution patterns that optimize local energy delivery characteristics. The ring-shaped electrodes are positioned at predetermined intervals around the basket struts, creating zones of enhanced and reduced energy density that can be tailored to match the anatomical target and achieve uniform overall ablation results.
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
The system provides enhanced mechanical stability, improved safety, and optimized energy delivery, reducing tissue damage and operational complexity, while enabling precise and efficient pulsed field ablation.
Implementation Method 1
pulsed field energy ablation catheters are a promising technology due to their ability to selectively ablate target tissue while minimizing damage to surrounding structures
Data Source
AI summary
An ablation system and methods comprising a catheter having an expandable basket and a shaft assembly comprising an outer and inner elongated shaft allowing relative longitudinal movement. The expandable basket comprises filaments braided into a braided mesh including electrodes for ablation, mapping and measurement. An expandable basket at the distal end of the catheter is coupled to both shafts and is deployable from a collapsed to an expanded configuration. The system includes an introducer sheath with a highly abrasion-resistant inner liner designed for smooth catheter deployment. An electrical control circuits regulates the delivery of high-voltage pulses from a pulse generator to the target tissue, enhancing the safety, precision and effectiveness of tissue ablation.