Basket Catheter Electrode Geometry for Dense Sheath Packing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing medical probes with electrodes face challenges in aligning electrodes on adjacent spines due to limited space within the sheath, resulting in fewer electrodes and reduced accuracy for cardiac tissue mapping and ablation.
Innovation Solution
The design of electrodes with a generally triangular shape at one end and a tetrahedral configuration allows them to be aligned on adjacent spines, enabling a greater number of electrodes while fitting within a sheath, and includes a tubular shaft with an expandable basket assembly for cardiac tissue contact.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If electrodes on adjacent spines are aligned with each other, then the number of electrodes that can be attached increases, but the electrodes cannot fit together within the sheath
Solution Approach 1:
The electrode body employs an asymmetric design where the first end (tissue-contacting end) has a larger surface area than the second end (spine-attachment end). This asymmetry allows electrodes on adjacent spines to be aligned with each other while the smaller second end fits within the constraints of the sheath, enabling increased electrode quantity without exceeding sheath volume limitations
Solution Approach 2:
The electrode body converges from the first end to the second end along the longitudinal axis, creating a three-dimensional tapered structure. This dimensional transition allows the electrode to occupy different spatial volumes at different ends, enabling alignment of electrodes on adjacent spines while maintaining compactness within the sheath
2Measurement precision
If the first end of the electrode has a larger surface area for tissue contact, then mapping and ablation accuracy improves, but the electrode requires more space within the sheath
Solution Approach 1:
The electrode body exhibits local quality variation along its longitudinal axis, with the first end having a larger surface area optimized for tissue contact and mapping precision, while the second end has a smaller cross-section optimized for fitting within the sheath. This localized differentiation allows the electrode to simultaneously achieve high mapping accuracy and compact storage
Solution Approach 2:
The electrode body converges from the first end to the second end along the longitudinal axis, creating a three-dimensional tapered structure. This dimensional transition allows the electrode to occupy different spatial volumes at different ends, enabling the first end to have sufficient surface area for accurate tissue mapping while the overall electrode remains compact enough to fit within the sheath
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A
AI summary
The disclosed technology includes an electrode comprising a body including a first end and a second end. The body can extend along a longitudinal axis from the first end to the second end. The body can be configured for attachment to a spine of an expandable basket assembly such that the first end is oriented for contacting tissue when the expandable basket assembly is in an expanded configuration. The first end can comprise a conductive surface forming a generally triangular shape and an area that is greater than the second end. The body can converge from the first end to the second end along the longitudinal axis.