Contact-Sensitive Probes with Indicators for Safe Tissue Coagulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
In medical procedures involving tissue coagulation, poor electrode/tissue contact leads to inefficient energy transmission to the target tissue, increasing the risk of forming lesions in non-target tissue and causing safety issues such as skin burns and the formation of coagulum and emboli.
Innovation Solution
The development of electrode structures and probes with contact-sensitive switches and indicators that ensure energy transmission only when proper electrode/tissue contact is achieved, preventing energy transmission until a predetermined contact force is applied and maintaining connection as long as contact is sufficient, thereby ensuring efficient and safe lesion formation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If energy transmission is performed without contact verification, then procedural efficiency is improved, but safety deteriorates due to risk of non-target tissue damage and skin burns
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by requiring contact verification to occur before energy transmission is permitted. The contact-sensitive switch detects electrode-tissue contact in advance, and only after this verification does the system enable energy delivery, ensuring safety prerequisites are met before the main therapeutic action begins
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback through contact-sensitive switches that continuously monitor electrode-tissue contact status. This feedback mechanism provides real-time information about contact quality, allowing the system to dynamically control energy transmission based on actual contact conditions, thereby preventing harmful effects from poor contact
2Reliability
If contact verification mechanism is added, then safety is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies self-service by designing a system where the electrode structure itself contains the contact verification capability through integrated contact-sensitive switches. The electrode assembly is self-diagnostic, automatically detecting its own contact status without requiring external monitoring equipment, thereby adding safety functionality while minimizing overall system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the contact verification function with the electrode structure itself. The contact-sensitive switches are integrated into the electrode assembly, combining the therapeutic electrode function with the safety monitoring function in a single integrated component, reducing the need for separate systems
Data Source
AI summary
Probes that are sensitive to electrode/tissue contact and that are configured to connect an electrode to a power supply and/or provide an indication when the desired level of electrode/tissue contact has been achieved.