Cooled Ablation Catheter Thermal Mass Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ablation catheters face challenges in creating effective lesions during cardiac ablation due to overheating issues, which lead to hotspot formation and reduced efficiency in delivering ablative energy to the heart tissue.
Innovation Solution
The development of an ablation catheter with a cooled electrode tip that incorporates a cooling fluid pathway and irrigation apertures to manage temperature and prevent hotspot formation, allowing for efficient energy delivery and lesion creation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If RF energy is supplied to the catheter to burn lesions into the endocardium, then ablation effectiveness is improved, but the tip electrode overheats and lifts off the tissue surface
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter tip is divided into functionally distinct segments: a thermal mass portion that contacts tissue and an electrode portion that delivers RF energy. This segmentation allows the thermal mass to absorb and distribute heat evenly, preventing localized overheating and tip lift-off while maintaining effective ablation at the electrode-tissue interface.
Solution Approach 2:
A cooling fluid pathway acts as an intermediary between the RF energy source and the tissue. The cooling fluid circulates through the catheter shaft and into the thermal mass, absorbing excess heat and preventing temperature buildup that would cause tip lift-off, while allowing controlled energy transfer to the endocardium.
2Device complexity
If conventional catheters are used without cooling mechanisms, then device complexity is reduced, but hotspots form on the tip or in adjacent tissue
Solution Approach 1:
A hydraulic cooling system is integrated into the catheter, with fluid pathways running through the catheter shaft and into the thermal mass. Cooling fluid is pumped through these pathways to continuously remove heat from the tip region, preventing hotspot formation while maintaining a relatively simple overall catheter structure.
3Use of energy by moving object
If the electrode tip overheats during ablation, then energy delivery efficiency decreases, but embolism risk from overheated blood increases
Solution Approach 1:
Temperature sensing elements are integrated into the catheter tip to provide real-time feedback on tip temperature. This feedback is used to dynamically adjust RF energy delivery and cooling fluid flow rates, maintaining optimal temperature conditions that prevent both energy delivery inefficiency and embolism risk from overheated blood.
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 cooled ablation catheter effectively reduces hotspot formation and enhances energy transfer to the heart tissue, enabling larger lesion sizes and minimizing biological debris, thus improving the efficacy of cardiac ablation procedures.
Implementation Method 1
The tip includes an inner thermal mass having at least one fluid passageway therethrough. A cooling chamber, which is in fluid communication with the inner fluid lumen, can be positioned proximally to the thermal mass and adapted to cool a proximal portion of the electrode tip including the thermal mass.
Implementation Method 2
Cooling fluid can flow into the proximal cooling chamber, through the thermal mass, and into the surrounding environment via the multiple irrigation apertures.
Implementation Method 3
When the electrodes are placed in the desired position within the heart chamber, radio frequency ('RF') energy is supplied to the catheter thereby burning lesions into the endocardium.
Data Source
AI summary
Discloses herein are ablative catheters and methods of use. The catheters can include a cooling chamber for circulating cooling fluid within the catheter tip to reduce hot spots within the catheter tip and/or to reduce the formation of coagulum. A proximal cooling chamber can be positioned proximally to a thermal mass for cooling a proximal portion of the catheter. In addition, or alternatively, a distal cooling chamber can be positioned for cooling a distal portion of the catheter tip. The cooling fluid can flow the ablative catheter in an open, closed, or open and closed loop.