Catheter Probe for 3D Cardiac Arrhythmia Localization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current electroanatomic mapping systems struggle to accurately determine and visualize reentrant and ectopic electrical activity in the heart, particularly during fibrillation, limiting the effectiveness of ablation techniques for complex arrhythmias like atrial fibrillation.
Innovation Solution
A catheter probe assembly employing 'geodesic resistance' to detect and guide the catheter towards reentrant and ectopic patterns of electrical activation on the heart wall, using a plurality of electrodes and processors to create a cubic phase map that identifies singularity points indicating filaments and ectopic sources, allowing for remote guidance and precise localization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If current electroanatomic mapping systems are used to map reentrant and ectopic activity, then the mapping can be performed with existing technology, but the accuracy and visualization of reentrant and ectopic electrical activity during fibrillation is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from traditional 2D electroanatomic mapping to 3D cubic phase mapping. By arranging electrodes at vertices of a cube and constructing cubic phase maps, the system adds a dimensional perspective that enables accurate visualization of reentrant and ectopic activity in three-dimensional space, directly addressing the insufficiency of existing 2D mapping techniques for complex arrhythmias
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs phase color coding in cubic phase maps to represent different electrical activation phases. This visual encoding method allows clinicians to distinguish reentrant and ectopic activity patterns through color variations, significantly improving the visualization capability for identifying arrhythmia sources during fibrillation
2Measurement precision
If traditional contact-based mapping systems are used, then electrode-surface contact is required for signal detection, but the mapping quality is highly dependent on contact quality which varies during procedures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces blood or saline as an intermediary conductive medium between the electrodes and heart tissue. Instead of requiring direct electrode-tissue contact, the conductive fluid transmits electrical signals from the heart to the electrodes, eliminating the need for stable physical contact and removing the variability associated with contact quality during procedures
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical contact-based detection system with a fluid-mediated electrical field detection system. By using the conductive properties of blood or saline to transmit electrical signals, the system substitutes mechanical electrode-tissue contact with electromagnetic field interaction through the conductive medium
3Area of stationary object
If panoramic mapping of the heart cavity is achieved, then complete coverage of electrical activity is obtained, but the system complexity and number of electrodes required increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the heart cavity mapping into multiple cubic volume elements, each with its own set of electrodes forming a cube. This segmentation allows panoramic coverage to be achieved through systematic placement of multiple cubic units, making the complex mapping task manageable through modular decomposition of the detection space
Solution Approach 2:
The cubic electrode configuration serves multiple functions simultaneously: it detects electrical potentials at eight vertices, defines a three-dimensional detection volume, enables phase calculation through vertex potential differences, and provides spatial orientation for localization. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate systems for each measurement type
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques are provided that identify and localize on to reentrant and ectopic patterns of electrical activation in the heart wall. These patterns may correspond to atrial fibrillation, ventricular fibrillation, or other heart arrhythmia conditions. The techniques detect these patterns of electrical activity using a multi-lead an intra-cavitary catheter that, along with a controller, is able to track, over a multi-dimensional cubic space, reentrant activity and identify filaments in the heart cavity. The intra-cavitary catheter includes multiple conducting poles positioned in a configuration relative to each other and functioning as either or both sensing and active poles for measuring electrical pathways in the heart wall and over the multi-dimensional space.