Cardiac Navigation System Using ECG-Gated Electromagnetic Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current cardiac catheterization procedures rely heavily on fluoroscopic imaging, leading to excessive radiation exposure for patients and medical staff, and lack real-time anatomic and physiological data for precise lead placement, making them inefficient and potentially harmful.
Innovation Solution
An image-guided navigation system equipped with a catheter carrying localization sensors, a sensor interface, user interface, controller, and visual display, which allows for real-time tracking and mapping of catheters within the heart in two, three, or four dimensions, using electromagnetic sensors and anatomic gating to compensate for cardiac motion, reducing the need for continuous fluoroscopy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If fluoroscopic imaging is used continuously to track catheter position, then real-time visualization of catheter location is achieved, but radiation exposure to patient and medical staff increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses electromagnetic sensors to detect the position of localization elements on the catheter and creates a virtual copy or representation of the catheter's location that is displayed on a monitor. This virtual representation replaces the need for continuous fluoroscopic imaging, allowing physicians to track catheter position without exposing the patient and staff to ionizing radiation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical fluoroscopic imaging system with an electromagnetic field-based localization system. Electromagnetic sensors detect the position of localization elements through electromagnetic induction, and this information is processed to display catheter location without requiring continuous X-ray exposure.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If pre-acquired images are used for navigation, then radiation exposure is reduced, but real-time tracking of moving cardiac structures and catheters becomes inaccurate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback system where electromagnetic sensors continuously detect the position of localization elements on the catheter in real-time. This position information is fed back to the navigation system, which updates the virtual representation of the catheter's location dynamically, maintaining accuracy despite cardiac motion without requiring repeated fluoroscopic images.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from static pre-acquired images to a dynamic navigation system that continuously updates catheter position information. The electromagnetic localization system tracks the catheter's movement in real-time, and the display system dynamically refreshes the virtual representation to match the current catheter position, accommodating the dynamic nature of cardiac structures.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If electromagnetic sensors are used for localization, then radiation exposure is reduced, but the system complexity increases due to additional sensors and processing requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates electromagnetic sensors and localization elements into the existing catheter structure, allowing the catheter to serve multiple functions: both its primary medical function and the localization function for navigation. The localization elements are incorporated into the catheter body, eliminating the need for separate localization devices and reducing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the catheter and localization elements into a single integrated system. The localization elements are embedded in or attached to the catheter, and the electromagnetic sensors are integrated into the navigation system's existing infrastructure, merging multiple functions into unified components rather than separate systems.
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 system enables precise navigation and placement of catheters and medical leads with reduced radiation exposure, improving the accuracy and safety of cardiac procedures by providing real-time anatomical and physiological data.
Implementation Method 1
an electromagnetic sensor for sensing a position of the catheter
Implementation Method 2
an anatomic gating device for gating the image acquisition and the display of the icon in synchronization with an electrocardiogram (ECG) signal
Data Source
AI summary
An image guided navigation system for navigating a region of a patient which is gated using ECG signals to confirm diastole. The navigation system includes an imaging device, a tracking device, a controller, and a display. The imaging device generates images of the region of a patient. The tracking device tracks the location of the instrument in a region of the patient. The controller superimposes an icon representative of the instrument onto the images generated from the imaging device based upon the location of the instrument. The display displays the image with the superimposed instrument. The images and a registration process may be synchronized to a physiological event.