Flexible Cardiac Electronics for Conformal Tissue Mapping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cardiac electrophysiology (EP) devices struggle with rapid, high-resolution mapping due to their rigid and planar shapes, which limit non-destructive integration with the curvilinear, soft surfaces of cardiac tissue, and they lack multiparametric mapping capabilities beyond electrical sensing.
Innovation Solution
Development of tissue-mounted, implantable devices with flexible and stretchable substrates integrated with inorganic semiconductor components, enabling conformal contact with 3D tissue surfaces for real-time monitoring and actuation of physical, chemical, and biochemical properties, including temperature, pH, and electrophysiology.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional rigid and planar electronic devices are used for cardiac mapping, then manufacturing and processing are simplified, but integration with curvilinear cardiac tissue surfaces is limited and measurement precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies curvature by transitioning from planar rigid substrates to three-dimensional conformable substrates that can wrap around and follow the curvilinear surfaces of cardiac tissue. This enables the electronic device to conform to the anatomical shape of the heart, achieving intimate contact across the entire mapping surface and thereby improving measurement precision without sacrificing manufacturing feasibility
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs flexible and stretchable substrate materials that can deform to match the dynamic shape of cardiac tissue during contraction and relaxation. These thin-film flexible substrates allow the device to maintain conformal contact with the beating heart surface, enabling high-resolution mapping while remaining compatible with standard flexible electronics manufacturing processes
2Ease of manufacture
If conventional semiconductor wafer-based electronics are used, then processing and manufacturing are easier, but integration with soft curvilinear tissue surfaces deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses flexible and stretchable substrate materials that can deform to match the dynamic shape of cardiac tissue. These substrates are fabricated using conventional flexible electronics manufacturing techniques, maintaining ease of manufacture while achieving reliable integration with soft curvilinear tissue surfaces through conformal contact and mechanical compatibility
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite material structures combining flexible substrates with sensor and actuator components. This composite approach allows integration of conventional semiconductor electronics with flexible materials, maintaining manufacturing simplicity while achieving reliable tissue-device integration through the flexible composite structure that can conform to and move with cardiac tissue
3Measurement precision
If sparse arrays of electrodes or point-contact catheters are used, then device complexity is reduced, but mapping resolution and speed deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the cardiac mapping task into multiple segments by deploying dense arrays of electrodes and sensors across the cardiac surface. This segmentation allows simultaneous acquisition of electrical, optical, and mechanical signals from multiple locations, achieving high mapping resolution and speed while managing device complexity through modular sensor array design and integrated processing circuits
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges multiple sensing modalities (electrical electrodes, optical sensors, mechanical transducers) into a single integrated device platform. This consolidation enables simultaneous multiparametric mapping across dense sensor arrays, achieving high resolution and speed while reducing overall device complexity through unified control and processing architecture
4Productivity
If sequential local recordings are combined to render composite representation, then device complexity is minimized, but procedure time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the cardiac surface into multiple monitoring zones with distributed sensors, allowing simultaneous acquisition of data from all regions. This parallel data collection eliminates the sequential recording process, dramatically improving mapping speed while managing data processing complexity through distributed sensing and localized signal processing at each sensor node
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements continuous real-time monitoring across the entire cardiac surface through densely packed sensor arrays. This continuous action captures transient arrhythmic events without the gaps inherent in sequential recording, improving mapping speed and productivity while using integrated circuits to process and store data continuously without interruption
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are devices and methods capable of interfacing with biological tissues, such as organs like the heart, in real-time and using techniques which provide the ability to monitor and control complex physical, chemical, biochemical and thermal properties of the tissues as a function of time. The described devices and methods utilize micro scale sensors and actuators to spatially monitor and control a variety of physical, chemical and biological tissue parameters, such as temperature, pH, spatial position, force, pressure, electrophysiology and to spatially provide a variety of stimuli, such as heat, light, voltage and current.