Cardiac Conduction Path Mapping for Ablation Gap Visualization
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cardiac ablation techniques face challenges in visualizing ablation gaps and determining remaining conduction paths due to visual clutter from numerous ablation tags, which hinders the physician's ability to accurately assess tissue damage and identify areas requiring further ablation.
Innovation Solution
A real-time visualization technique using the A* algorithm to calculate and overlay possible remaining conduction paths on an anatomical map, hiding ablation tags to reduce clutter, and allowing physicians to focus on necessary ablation areas.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If ablation tags are displayed on the anatomical map to mark ablation sites, then the physician can track ablation progress, but visual clutter increases making it difficult to identify remaining conduction paths
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes ablation tags from the visual display after their data has been captured and processed. The system maintains the functional information from tags (ablation site locations and characteristics) while eliminating the visual clutter they create, allowing clear visualization of remaining conduction paths without the distracting tag markers.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a computational model (copy) of the ablation tissue damage based on tag data, rather than displaying the tags themselves. This virtual representation allows the system to simulate and visualize conduction flow paths through processed tissue, providing the same informational value as tags without the visual clutter.
2Reliability
If multiple ablation tags are displayed to document comprehensive tissue treatment, then ablation coverage is tracked, but the physician's ability to identify gaps and remaining conduction paths is hindered
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a computational algorithm as an intermediary between the raw tag data and the physician's visual assessment. This algorithm processes the ablation tag information to generate a virtual anatomical model that highlights remaining conduction paths and potential ablation gaps, making the information from multiple tags interpretable without displaying each tag individually.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms the representation parameters from discrete tag markers to continuous conduction flow path visualizations. By changing how the data is parameterized and displayed - from point-based tags to path-based representations - the system maintains comprehensive documentation while improving gap detection capability.
3Measurement precision
If ablation tags are kept visible to maintain reference to previous ablation locations, then procedural accuracy is maintained, but visual noise increases reducing workflow efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary processing of ablation tag data to create a virtual anatomical model with embedded location information before the physician needs to assess remaining conduction paths. This pre-processing maintains the reference information from tags while eliminating the need to display them during the assessment phase, improving workflow efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
A method includes receiving an anatomical map of wall tissue of at least a portion of a cardiac chamber, the map superimposed with ablation tags. A nonconductive zone is defined around each ablation tag for at least some of the ablation tags, to calculate block areas. A starting point and an ending point markings on the map of a potential conduction flow are received from a suer. Using a search algorithm, one or more possible conduction flow paths are searched for, from the starting point to the ending point, the one or more existing paths taking into consideration the block areas. One or more flow paths found by the search algorithm are overlayed on the anatomical map. The overlayed anatomical map is presented to a user.