Expandable Electrode Catheter for Conformable Cardiac Ablation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ablation technologies for heart diseases, such as atrial fibrillation and arrhythmia, face challenges in improving ablation efficiency and safety, particularly in achieving precise and effective treatment with minimal tissue damage.
Innovation Solution
A medical ablation catheter with a first and second catheter, a conductive portion, and an adjustment portion that allows for adjustable expansion and rotation, enabling both intensive and extensive ablation modes through expandable electrodes, and a system incorporating pulsed field and radio-frequency ablation energy sources.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional ablation catheters are used, then the ablation procedure can be performed, but the ablation efficiency and safety are insufficient, and precise treatment with minimal tissue damage cannot be achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter employs an expandable electrode structure that can dynamically change from a compressed delivery state to an expanded working state. The electrode expands upon contact with tissue, allowing the ablation surface to conform to the tissue geometry, thereby improving both safety through better contact and efficiency through larger treatment area
Solution Approach 2:
The ablation catheter is divided into multiple independent expandable electrode segments that can be deployed simultaneously. This segmentation allows each electrode to independently conform to tissue contours while collectively providing comprehensive ablation coverage, resolving the contradiction between safety and efficiency
2Adaptability or versatility
If the ablation catheter uses a fixed structure, then the device is simple, but it cannot adapt to various tissue shapes, reducing conformability and adherence
Solution Approach 1:
The expandable electrode is nested within a delivery catheter in a compressed state for insertion. Once positioned, the electrode expands outward from the catheter body, transforming from a compact deliverable form to an expanded functional form that adapts to tissue contours, thus achieving adaptability without excessive structural complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The catheter structure transitions from a static delivered state to a dynamic expanded state. The expandable electrode can be deployed and retracted, allowing the system to adapt its configuration based on treatment requirements while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure
3Adaptability or versatility
If a single ablation mode is used, then the device is simple to operate, but multiple ablation modes are needed to treat different arrhythmia conditions effectively
Solution Approach 1:
The ablation catheter integrates multiple ablation modalities (radio frequency, microwave, ultrasonic, and pulsed field ablation) within a single device platform. The expandable electrode structure serves as a universal interface that can deliver different energy types, allowing treatment of various arrhythmia conditions without requiring multiple specialized devices, thereby maintaining ease of operation while achieving versatility
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 catheter provides precise and efficient ablation by adapting to various tissue shapes, enhancing adherence and conformability, and allowing for multiple ablation modes, thereby improving treatment efficacy and safety.
Implementation Method 1
a conductive portion, configured to connect to the first catheter and the inner catheter
Implementation Method 2
radio-frequency ablation (RFA for short)
Implementation Method 3
The IRE uses high-voltage narrow pulses to act on a lesion location
Implementation Method 4
Irreversible electroporation (IRE for short) is a new technique in the field of tumor ablation. The IRE uses high-voltage narrow pulses to act on a lesion location, to cause nanoscale permanent perforation of a cell membrane
Data Source
AI summary
A medical ablation catheter, an ablation system, and an ablation method. The medical ablation catheter comprises a first catheter (1); a second catheter (2), comprising an inner catheter (21) and an outer catheter (22); a conductive part (3), connected to the first catheter (1) and the inner catheter (21), the distal end of the conductive part (3) being fixed within the first catheter (1), the proximal end of the conductive part (3) being fixed on the inner catheter (21); an adjustment part (4), the distal end thereof being fixed within the first catheter (1), the proximal end thereof being movably arranged within the inner catheter (21) in a penetrating manner. The conductive part (3) can be switched between a linear state and an expanded state, and ablation is performed when the conductive part (3) is in the expanded state.