Bipolar Clamp Pulse Ablation for Reliable Conduction Block
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current ablation technologies for treating atrial fibrillation, particularly those using bipolar RF ablation, often require multiple applications to achieve effective conduction block and may not reliably isolate pulmonary veins, especially in non-paroxysmal AF, and are limited by safety constraints on heating temperatures.
Innovation Solution
The use of high-voltage pulses applied by bipolar clamp assemblies with electrodes separated by less than 5 mm, delivering pulses of 500-3000 volts and durations of 0.02-0.1 msec, to create lesions through dielectric breakdown, allowing for more precise and effective tissue ablation with minimal thermal damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If bipolar RF ablation is used to treat atrial fibrillation, then tissue ablation can be achieved, but multiple applications are required and conduction block is not reliably achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the fundamental parameter of energy delivery from continuous RF heating to pulsed high-voltage electrical breakdown. By applying voltage pulses of 200-1000 volts for 0.1-10 milliseconds, the system achieves immediate dielectric breakdown of cell membranes, creating instant conduction blocks without requiring multiple sequential applications. This parameter change from thermal to electrical energy delivery directly resolves the contradiction by achieving reliable conduction block in a single application.
2Reliability
If bipolar RF ablation heating is increased to achieve better conduction block, then ablation effectiveness improves, but safety constraints on heating temperatures are exceeded
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes thermal energy delivery with electrical energy delivery. Instead of using RF heating to thermally ablate tissue, the system applies high-voltage pulses that create immediate dielectric breakdown of cell membranes through electrical forces. This substitution eliminates the temperature constraint entirely, as the ablation mechanism relies on electrical field strength rather than thermal energy, allowing effective conduction block without exceeding safety temperature limits.
3Manufacturing precision
If bipolar clamp assemblies with electrodes separated by less than 5 mm are used, then precise tissue ablation is achieved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by concentrating the electrical field precisely between two closely spaced electrodes (less than 5 mm apart) on the bipolar clamp. The high-voltage pulses are delivered only through these localized electrode contacts, creating focused lesions exactly where the electrodes touch the tissue. This localized energy delivery achieves precise lesion width control (typically 2-10 mm) without requiring complex overall device structure, as the precision is inherent in the simple two-electrode configuration.
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
This method provides efficient and controlled tissue ablation, creating lesions with widths up to 10 mm, effectively blocking conduction and isolating pulmonary veins with fewer applications, while minimizing skin and surrounding tissue damage.
Implementation Method 1
delivering pulses of 500-3000 volts and durations of 0.02-0.1 msec, to create lesions through dielectric breakdown
Data Source
AI summary
High-voltage pulses ablation systems and methods are used to ablate tissue and form lesions. A variety of different electrophysiology devices, such as catheters, surgical probes, and clamps, may be used to position one or more electrodes at a target location. Electrodes can be connected to power supply lines and, in some instances, the power to the electrodes can be controlled on an electrode-by-electrode basis. High-voltage pulse sequences provide a total amount of heating that is typically less than that which is observed with thermally-based radiofrequency energy ablation protocols.