Cardiac Mapping Surface Map for Internal Structure Visualization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cardiac mapping systems fail to depict internal cardiac structures such as papillary muscles and septums, which can contribute to cardiac disorders, as they only show electrical activity on the endocardial surface, making it difficult for physicians to diagnose and treat disorders associated with these internal structures.
Innovation Solution
A cardiac mapping system that generates a cardiac map and a surface map, allowing representation of cardiac electrical signal features sensed both on and internal to the endocardial surface, enabling the visualization of internal structures and their potential contribution to cardiac disorders, with the ability to reposition the surface map to include additional points and features.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If conventional mapping systems only display electrical activity on the endocardial surface, then the mapping system maintains simplicity and ease of operation, but internal cardiac structures cannot be visualized
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a new dimension of visualization by creating a surface map that can be positioned at different depths relative to the endocardial surface. This allows electrical activity from internal structures to be projected onto a surface that extends into the cardiac chamber, enabling visualization of internal structures without fundamentally changing the sensing mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The surface map acts as an intermediary between the conventional endocardial surface map and the internal cardiac structures. It provides a intermediate representation plane that can capture and display electrical activity from both surface and internal points, bridging the gap between what conventional systems can see and what needs to be visualized.
2Loss of information
If the mapping system displays only endocardial surface points, then the display remains simple and interpretable, but physicians cannot detect internal structures' contribution to cardiac disorders
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the display into two distinct components: the conventional cardiac map showing endocardial surface electrical activity, and the surface map showing electrical activity from internal structures. This segmentation allows physicians to view both representations separately or together, maintaining interpretability while providing access to internal structure information.
Solution Approach 2:
By adding the surface map as an additional dimensional layer that can be positioned at different depths, the system provides another viewpoint for analyzing electrical activity. This additional dimension allows physicians to correlate surface findings with internal structure activity without cluttering the traditional endocardial map interpretation.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the surface map includes points internal to the generated map, then comprehensive visualization of internal structures is achieved, but the mapping system requires more complex processing and positioning
Solution Approach 1:
The surface map is designed to be dynamically repositionable along the normal vector of the endocardial surface. This dynamic positioning capability allows the system to adapt to different viewing needs and focus on specific internal structures by adjusting the surface map's depth and orientation, providing versatility without requiring multiple fixed systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The surface map serves multiple functions: it can display electrical activity from internal structures, provide a different viewing angle of surface activity, and be repositioned to focus on different regions. This multi-functionality consolidates what would otherwise require multiple separate systems into a single versatile tool.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems for mapping and displaying cardiac structures are disclosed. The method includes sensing cardiac electrical signals at a plurality of points and generating a cardiac map of at least a portion of one or more cardiac structures based on at least a portion of the sensed cardiac electrical signals. A surface map having a corresponding first position relative to the cardiac map is generated. The surface map includes a first surface point, where a first cardiac electrical signal feature is represented on the surface map at the first surface point if a corresponding first cardiac electrical signal is sensed at a point that is located within a threshold distance of the first surface point. The cardiac map and the surface map, at the first position, are displayed. The surface map may be repositioned to a second position.