Epicardial Ablation Device with Suction Stabilization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current cardiac ablation devices are challenging to position and secure on epicardial tissue, often requiring invasive procedures and failing to effectively ablate tissue around pulmonary veins, which are common triggers for atrial fibrillation, leading to suboptimal treatment outcomes.
Innovation Solution
The development of devices and methods that include a tissue contacting member for securing the ablation device to the epicardial tissue, an ablation member for treating the tissue, and optional features like visualization members, suction positioning, and energy transmission members to enable minimally invasive procedures on a beating heart, allowing for precise ablation patterns and energy application.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If current cardiac ablation devices are used, then ablation of cardiac tissue can be performed, but the devices are challenging to position and secure on epicardial tissue and require invasive procedures
Solution Approach 1:
The ablation device is nested within a delivery catheter that guides it to the epicardial surface. The tissue contacting member is collapsed within the catheter during insertion, then expanded at the target site to contact the epicardial tissue, enabling minimally invasive access to the heart's outer surface for ablation procedures
Solution Approach 2:
The ablation device is divided into separate functional components: a delivery catheter for minimally invasive access, a tissue contacting member with multiple contact elements for securing to epicardial tissue, and an ablation element for tissue treatment. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function and enables stepwise deployment
2Reliability
If ablation is performed around pulmonary veins to treat atrial fibrillation, then treatment effectiveness is improved, but current devices fail to effectively ablate tissue in this region
Solution Approach 1:
The tissue contacting member is configured with a curved or conformable surface that can adapt to the three-dimensional anatomy around pulmonary veins. This curvature allows the ablation device to effectively contact and treat tissue in the complex geometric region surrounding pulmonary vein ostia, improving ablation completeness for atrial fibrillation treatment
3Object-affected harmful factors
If minimally invasive procedures on beating heart are performed, then patient safety and recovery are improved, but precise ablation patterns and energy application become more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The device incorporates sensors that provide real-time feedback on tissue contact force, temperature, and ablation progress. This feedback enables the operator to precisely control energy delivery and ablation pattern formation even during heart motion, maintaining treatment precision while performing minimally invasive procedures on a beating heart
Solution Approach 2:
The tissue contacting member is designed to first secure stable contact with the epicardial surface before ablation energy is applied. This preliminary stabilization of the tissue-device interface ensures precise energy delivery and consistent ablation patterns are achieved even during cardiac motion, reducing the need for invasive heart-stopping procedures
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
These devices enable effective minimally invasive ablation of epicardial tissue, particularly around pulmonary veins, stabilizing the heart during treatment and improving the disruption of conduction pathways to treat atrial fibrillation and other arrhythmias with enhanced precision and safety.
Implementation Method 1
a tissue contacting member for contacting a portion of the epicardial tissue of a heart and securing the ablation device to the epicardial tissue
Implementation Method 2
at least one energy transmission member for applying energy to the heart tissue in a pattern to treat the cardiac arrhythmia
Implementation Method 3
optional features like visualization members, suction positioning, and energy transmission members to enable minimally invasive procedures on a beating heart
Data Source
AI summary
Devices and methods provide for ablation of cardiac tissue for treating cardiac arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation. Although the devices and methods are often be used to ablate epicardial tissue in the vicinity of at least one pulmonary vein, various embodiments may be used to ablate other cardiac tissues in other locations on a heart. Devices generally include at least one tissue contacting member for contacting epicardial tissue and securing the ablation device to the epicardial tissue, and at least one ablation member for ablating the tissue. Various embodiments include features, such as suction apertures, which enable the device to attach to the epicardial surface with sufficient strength to allow the tissue to be stabilized via the device. For example, some embodiments may be used to stabilize a beating heart to enable a beating heart ablation procedure. Many of the devices may be introduced into a patient via minimally invasive introducer devices and the like. Although devices and methods of the invention may be used to ablate epicardial tissue to treat atrial fibrillation, they may also be used in veterinary or research contexts, to treat various heart conditions other than atrial fibrillation and/or to ablate cardiac tissue other than the epicardium.