Catheter Contact Force Categorization via 3D Imaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for measuring catheter-tip contact force during cardiac ablation procedures are either invasive, indirect, or lack effectiveness in accurately predicting lesion formation and avoiding complications like perforation and tamponade, highlighting a need for a more reliable and automatic method to categorize contact force.
Innovation Solution
An automatic method using 3D medical imaging to capture catheter-tip coordinates, computing measures such as total-least-squares-fit plane, major/minor axes ratios, and similarity analysis to categorize contact force into weak, medium, and strong levels, employing a multi-class classification decision tree for precise force determination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If indirect methods such as impedance measurement or electrogram signal quality are used to determine contact force, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical/physical contact force sensors with an image processing-based system that uses 3D coordinate data and computational algorithms to determine contact force categories, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining measurement precision through software-based analysis
2Measurement precision
If direct contact force sensors are used, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the contact force determination function from physical sensors and relocates it to an image processing system that analyzes 3D coordinate data, thereby reducing device complexity while preserving measurement precision through computational methods
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes mechanical contact force sensors with an optical/image processing-based system that uses 3D coordinates and algorithmic analysis to determine contact force, reducing device complexity while maintaining measurement accuracy
3Device complexity
If existing indirect methods are used to estimate contact force, then device complexity is reduced, but reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces unreliable indirect estimation methods with a systematic image processing approach that uses 3D coordinate analysis and multi-measure categorization, thereby improving reliability while keeping device complexity low through software-based solutions
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where 3D coordinate data is continuously processed through multiple measures and categorization steps to provide reliable contact force determination, improving system reliability through iterative computational analysis
Data Source
AI summary
An automatic method of categorizing the contact force of a catheter tip against a portion of a patient's heart based on motion of the catheter tip, the method comprising (a) capturing a series of 3D-coordinate data points of the catheter tip as a function of discrete times with a 3D medical imaging system, the 3D coordinates corresponding to an orthogonal 3-axis spatial coordinate system, (b) using a programmable computing system, computing a set of measures based on the series of 3D-coordinate data points, (c) categorizing each measure by a respective set of predetermined threshold values; and (d) combining the categorized measures to yield a relative quality of the contact force.