Deployable Tine Catheter for Stable Cardiac Electroporation Ablation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cardiac ablation techniques, such as radio frequency (RF) ablation, cause indiscriminate tissue damage and undesired effects like nerve and arterial tissue damage, while irreversible electroporation struggles with forming transmural lesions in thick myocardium and maintaining stable contact during a moving heart.
Innovation Solution
A catheter design with deployable tines and adjustable return electrodes to deliver targeted irreversible electroporation by forming lethal nanopores in cell membranes, using flexible materials and shape memory alloys to stabilize the catheter and shape the electric field for precise ablation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If radiofrequency catheter ablation is used to treat atrial fibrillation, then arrhythmogenic tissue can be destroyed, but the procedure requires high power delivery that causes thermal damage to surrounding healthy tissue
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical parameter of energy delivery from thermal (radiofrequency) to non-thermal (electroporation). By using irreversible electroporation with short high-voltage pulses instead of continuous high-power radiofrequency energy, the system achieves tissue ablation through membrane permeabilization rather than thermal heating, thereby eliminating thermal damage to surrounding healthy tissue while maintaining arrhythmia treatment effectiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the thermal mechanism (radiofrequency heating) with an electrical field mechanism (irreversible electroporation). The RF ablation system uses electromagnetic energy converted to thermal energy, while the IRE system uses electrical fields to create permanent pores in cell membranes, substituting one physical mechanism for another to achieve the same therapeutic goal without thermal side effects
2Reliability
If cryoablation is used to treat atrial fibrillation, then arrhythmogenic tissue can be destroyed, but the procedure requires freezing temperatures that cause ice crystal formation damaging surrounding structures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical parameter of energy delivery from thermal cooling (cryoablation) to non-thermal electrical field application (irreversible electroporation). By using short high-voltage pulses to create permanent pores in cell membranes rather than freezing temperatures, the system achieves tissue ablation without ice crystal formation and its associated mechanical damage to surrounding structures
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical freezing mechanism (cryoablation with ice crystal formation) with an electrical field mechanism (irreversible electroporation). The cryoablation system uses extreme cold to freeze and destroy tissue, while the IRE system uses controlled electrical pulses to permeabilize cell membranes, substituting one physical mechanism for another to achieve arrhythmia treatment without the harmful effects of ice crystal formation
3Reliability
If high power radiofrequency energy is delivered to ablate tissue, then arrhythmogenic tissue is destroyed, but the procedure risks steam pops and eschar formation causing additional tissue injury
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the energy delivery parameter from high-power continuous radiofrequency energy to short-duration high-voltage electrical pulses. This parameter change delivers sufficient energy to achieve irreversible electroporation and arrhythmia treatment while limiting total energy deposition, thereby preventing steam pops and eschar formation that result from excessive thermal energy accumulation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the thermal vaporization and charring mechanism (steam pops and eschar formation from RF heating) with an electrical field-based cell membrane permeabilization mechanism. By using irreversible electroporation instead of thermal ablation, the system achieves arrhythmia treatment without the harmful thermal byproducts of steam pops and eschar that can cause additional tissue injury
4Reliability
If thermal ablation methods are used, then tissue destruction is achieved, but the procedure lacks precision in targeting only arrhythmogenic cells without affecting adjacent healthy cells
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by using multiple electrode contacts on the catheter tip, each capable of delivering electroporation energy to a specific localized area. The system can selectively activate individual electrodes or combinations thereof to target precise regions of arrhythmogenic tissue while leaving adjacent healthy cells unaffected, achieving cell-specific ablation through localized electrical field application
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the ablation function across multiple electrode contacts on the catheter. Each electrode contact can independently deliver electroporation pulses to specific target areas, allowing the system to divide and conquer the ablation task with high spatial precision, targeting only arrhythmogenic cells in specific regions without affecting surrounding healthy tissue
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
Achieves precise focal cardiac ablation with minimal collateral damage by stabilizing the catheter and concentrating the electric field for effective transmural lesions in thick myocardium, avoiding issues associated with RF ablation.
Implementation Method 1
delivering a high-voltage electrical pulse to a patient's heart to treat an arrhythmia by irreversible electroporation
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A catheter for focal cardiac ablation by irreversible electroporation includes a flexible catheter body, a plurality of tines disposed at a distal end of the catheter body, a flexible shaft, a return electrode, and an electrical conductor. The plurality of tines are formed of an electrically conductive material and configured to deploy from a lumen at the distal end of the catheter body. Each tine of the plurality of tines is configured to self-bias from a linear configuration within the lumen to a curved configuration when deployed from the lumen. The shaft is mechanically and electrically coupled to the plurality of tines. The shaft is configured to deploy the tines from the lumen when the shaft is moved toward the distal end of the catheter body. The return electrode is disposed on an outer surface of the catheter body. The electrical conductor is electrically coupled to the return electrode.