Expandable Electrode Catheter for Ligament of Marshall Ablation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional catheters face challenges in accessing difficult-to-reach regions of the heart, such as the ligament of Marshall, due to tortuous endocardial paths that conventional catheters cannot traverse, making endocardial access preferred but difficult.
Innovation Solution
A medical probe comprising a flexible guidewire, a tube, and a shaft with expandable electrodes that can traverse the tube and expand to contact the target region, allowing for endocardial access and ablation using electrical current without permanent deformation of the electrodes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional catheters are used to access hard-to-reach cardiac regions, then the procedure can be performed, but the tortuous endocardial paths make access difficult and unreliable
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter is divided into multiple segments including a flexible shaft, expandable electrodes, and a balloon catheter portion. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for specific functions - the flexible shaft for navigation through tortuous paths, the expandable electrodes for stable tissue contact, and the balloon for positioning and protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The catheter incorporates dynamic elements including a self-expanding electrode structure that transitions from a compressed state during navigation to an expanded state for ablation. The balloon catheter portion can be inflated and deflated to adjust its profile, enabling adaptation to different anatomical configurations and paths.
2Ease of operation
If expandable electrodes are used to access tortuous paths, then endocardial access is achieved, but the electrodes may deform permanently under the stress of navigation and expansion
Solution Approach 1:
The electrode structure employs a nested configuration where the electrode material is compressed within a protective sheath or catheter body during navigation. The electrode is designed to expand only when the catheter is in the target position and ready for ablation, preventing permanent deformation from navigation stresses.
Solution Approach 2:
The electrode is pre-compressed to a small diameter to facilitate navigation through tortuous paths. The expansion to its operational diameter is performed only after successful positioning, ensuring that the electrode undergoes no permanent deformation during the navigation phase while still enabling stable tissue contact during ablation.
3Ease of operation
If a flexible catheter structure is used to navigate tortuous paths, then access to hard-to-reach regions is improved, but the structural stability for effective ablation may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter transitions from a flexible, compressed state during navigation to a stable, expanded state during ablation. The self-expanding electrode structure provides flexibility during insertion but achieves structural stability when expanded at the target site, ensuring both navigation capability and ablation effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The catheter employs a flexible outer sheath that allows navigation through tortuous paths while containing a structurally stable electrode core. The flexible sheath protects the electrode during navigation, and the electrode maintains its shape and contact stability during ablation through its rigid internal structure.
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
Enables effective ablation of hard-to-reach cardiac regions like the ligament of Marshall by navigating through tortuous paths and delivering ablation energy without damaging the electrodes, facilitating precise and efficient tissue treatment.
Implementation Method 1
convey ablation energy to the tissue, by virtue of electrical current passing between the electrodes
Implementation Method 2
a plurality of expandable electrodes configured to traverse the tube lumen, to expand distally to a distal end of the tube
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus includes a shaft and an inflatable balloon coupled to a distal end of the shaft. The balloon includes a proximal portion that is electrically-conducting over at least half of a proximal-portion circumference of the proximal portion, a distal portion that is electrically-conducting over at least half of a distal-portion circumference of the distal portion, and an electrically-insulating middle portion that insulates the proximal portion from the distal portion. Other embodiments are also described.