Label-Free Cardiac Mapping via Endogenous Fluorescence
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current cardiac mapping techniques, especially for arrhythmias, rely on toxic fluorescence probes or electrically sensitive catheters with low resolution and subjective interpretations, limiting their effectiveness in clinical settings and temporal resolution.
Innovation Solution
A dual optical mapping system that simultaneously records voltage and FAD signals at high frame rates without extrinsic dyes, using LEDs and dichroic mirrors to capture intrinsic fluorescence of NADH and FAD, enabling fast label-free mapping of metabolic waves on a beat-to-beat basis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If fluorescence probes are used for optical mapping, then high resolution spatio-temporal dynamics can be achieved, but toxic effects and limited clinical applicability occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes endogenous fluorophores (NADH and FAD) that naturally exist in cardiac tissue to perform optical mapping. These molecules inherently possess fluorescent properties that can be excited by light and detected, eliminating the need for exogenous fluorescent probes. The tissue essentially maps itself using its own metabolic cofactors, achieving high-resolution spatio-temporal dynamics without introducing toxic substances.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts and utilizes the intrinsic fluorescent properties of endogenous molecules (NADH and FAD) already present in the cardiac tissue. By focusing detection on these naturally occurring fluorophores rather than introducing external probes, the method removes the harmful element (toxicity) while preserving the beneficial measurement capability (high resolution mapping).
2Object-affected harmful factors
If endogenous fluorophores are used for optical imaging, then non-toxic mapping is achieved, but temporal resolution decreases to seconds or minutes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the temporal sampling parameter by implementing high-speed camera acquisition at frame rates sufficient to capture beat-to-beat metabolic dynamics. This parameter change transforms the temporal resolution from seconds/minutes (traditional endogenous imaging) to the millisecond scale required for cardiac physiology, while maintaining the non-toxic advantage of using endogenous fluorophores.
Solution Approach 2:
The method captures metabolic dynamics at periodic intervals synchronized with the cardiac cycle, acquiring images at high frame rates that correspond to the beat-to-beat timescale. This periodic high-speed acquisition enables resolution of rapid metabolic transients that occur during each cardiac cycle, matching the temporal dynamics of electrical and mechanical cardiac function.
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
Provides high-resolution, real-time cardiac mapping capable of identifying arrhythmia sources and guiding ablation procedures without toxic dyes or catheters, offering a non-invasive, high-temporal resolution alternative to existing methods.
Implementation Method 1
NADH and FAD change their fluorescence properties on a beat-to-beat basis during metabolically normal states and during metabolically pathological states
Implementation Method 2
one or more lenses for focusing an image of the heart
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for mapping metabolic data of a heart. The system has a light source directing light onto the heart, one or more lenses for focusing an image of the heart, and a fluorescent detector receiving the focused image and generating transients and/or waves to map metabolic cardiac data.