Collapsible Planar Catheter Tip for Conformal Electrode Contact
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cardiac mapping and ablation catheters face challenges in conforming to complex heart anatomy, requiring stiff internal structural members that hinder electrode contact with irregular tissue surfaces and are prone to breakage and delamination, while flexible designs are complex and costly.
Innovation Solution
A flexible end effector with a framework and spaced flexible circuits, featuring a central and outer branch segments with electrodes, and a hydrophilic coating to enhance electrode contact and reduce friction, allowing for collapsible and atraumatic advancement through vasculature.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If stiff internal structural members are used to maintain predetermined configuration, then structural stability is improved, but electrode contact with irregular tissue surfaces deteriorates and manipulation difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter is divided into a proximal shaft portion and a distal tip portion with different mechanical properties. The distal tip portion is constructed without stiff internal structural members, allowing it to be flexible and conformable to irregular tissue surfaces, while the proximal shaft maintains structural stability for manipulation and control.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the catheter have different structural characteristics. The distal tip portion has localized flexibility to contact irregular tissue surfaces, while the proximal shaft has structural rigidity for stable manipulation. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction between overall structural stability and local conformability.
2Stability of the object's composition
If stiff internal structural members are used to maintain predetermined configuration, then structural stability is improved, but risk of breakage and delamination increases
Solution Approach 1:
The stiff internal structural members are extracted from the distal tip portion of the catheter, removing the source of breakage and delamination risks in the flexible region. This allows the distal tip to be highly flexible without internal支撑 structures that could fail under repeated bending and deformation.
Solution Approach 2:
The catheter is segmented into regions with different structural compositions. The distal tip portion is designed as a flexible structure without internal structural members, eliminating the breakage and delamination problems associated with stiff internal components in flexible regions, while the proximal shaft retains structural integrity.
3Ease of operation
If flexible probe tips are used to improve electrode contact, then ease of manipulation is improved, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter employs an asymmetric design where only the distal tip portion is constructed as a flexible structure without internal structural members, while the proximal shaft maintains traditional stiff construction. This asymmetric approach provides flexibility where needed for electrode contact while avoiding the manufacturing complexity and cost of making the entire catheter flexible.
4Ease of operation
If flexible probe tips are used to improve electrode contact, then ease of manipulation is improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible construction is applied locally only to the distal tip portion of the catheter where electrode contact with irregular tissue surfaces is required, rather than making the entire catheter flexible. This localized approach reduces manufacturing complexity and cost compared to constructing the whole catheter with flexible materials and without internal structural members.
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
The solution enables improved mapping resolution and electrode contact with various tissue surfaces, reducing breakage and delamination risks, while maintaining atraumaticity and ease of advancement.
Implementation Method 1
A flexible end effector with a framework and spaced flexible circuits, featuring a central and outer branch segments with electrodes, and a hydrophilic coating to enhance electrode contact and reduce friction
Data Source
AI summary
A medical probe including an end effector is herein disclosed. The end effector includes a flexible insulative material extending along a plane, a framework disposed in the flexible insulative material, and a flexible circuit disposed in the flexible insulative material and spaced apart from the framework. The flexible circuit includes a central branch segment, a plurality of outer branch segments, and a plurality of electrodes. The central branch segment extends along a longitudinal axis of the plane. The outer branch segments extend along the plane a distance away from the longitudinal axis, with at least some of the outer branch segments extending distal to the central branch segment thereby defining a recess in a distal end of the end effector. The electrodes are disposed along the central branch and the plurality of outer branch segments.