Catheter End Effector with Loop Members for Mapping Grid Strain Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current cardiac arrhythmia treatment methods, such as mapping and ablation, require high-density signal mapping and adaptable catheters to navigate complex heart tissue surfaces effectively, but existing catheters lack the necessary flexibility and mapping resolution for efficient data collection in atria or ventricles.
Innovation Solution
A catheter design featuring a tubular member with a distal end effector comprising three loop members, each with two spines and a connector, allowing for high-density electrical signal mapping and ablation on non-planar heart surfaces by providing a collapsible and expandable structure for precise tissue contact.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a catheter uses a rigid structure to maintain shape for mapping, then mapping precision is improved, but the catheter cannot collapse for atraumatic advancement through vasculature
Solution Approach 1:
The end effector employs a dynamic structure that transitions between collapsed and expanded configurations. The loop members are flexible during advancement to navigate vasculature safely, then expand at the target site to provide a stable mapping grid, resolving the contradiction between rigidity for precision and flexibility for navigation.
Solution Approach 2:
The end effector with its multiple loop members is collapsed into a compact configuration within the catheter body for advancement, similar to nested dolls. Once positioned, it expands outward to form the mapping grid, allowing the system to fit through small vasculature while maintaining full functional size at the target.
2Measurement precision
If a catheter uses high-density electrode array for high-resolution mapping, then mapping resolution is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The high-density electrode array is segmented into multiple loop members, each containing a subset of electrodes. This segmentation allows the complex array to be divided into manageable sections that can be collapsed and advanced together, reducing the operational complexity despite maintaining high electrode density for resolution.
Solution Approach 2:
The electrodes are arranged in a three-dimensional grid formed by multiple planar loop members stacked along the catheter axis. This dimensional arrangement packs more electrodes into a compact volume, achieving high mapping resolution without proportionally increasing the device's external dimensions or operational complexity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a catheter end effector uses multiple loop members for adaptable tissue contact, then adaptability to different tissue surfaces is improved, but the structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Each loop member is designed with universal characteristics that allow it to conform to various tissue surface geometries—flat, curved, or irregular. The identical or similar loop structures can be replicated multiple times, providing adaptability across different tissue types without requiring fundamentally different designs for each application.
Solution Approach 2:
The loop members are constructed from flexible materials that allow them to bend and conform to the irregular surfaces of cardiac tissue. This flexibility enables the end effector to adapt to different tissue geometries while maintaining a relatively simple loop-based structural design, avoiding the need for complex articulated mechanisms.
4Productivity
If a catheter end effector provides high-density electrode array for collecting large amounts of data, then productivity is improved, but the mapping grid density may be reduced due to strain
Solution Approach 1:
The end effector transitions from a collapsed low-strain state during advancement to an expanded high-density state at the target site. This dynamic transformation allows the structure to bear the strain of navigation without permanent deformation, then expand to provide the full high-density electrode array for productive data collection with preserved grid density.
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B~1C
Figure 1D~1E
AI summary
The disclosed technology includes a catheter for electrophysiology applications. The catheter can comprise a shaft extending along a longitudinal axis to a distal end and an end effector coupled to the distal end of the shaft. The end effector can include a plurality of loop members. Each loop member of the plurality of loop members can include a corresponding stress distribution node positioned at a distal portion of the respective loop member and a plurality of electrodes affixed to the plurality of loop members.