Flexible Catheter Tips with Movable Microelectrodes for Cardiac Mapping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional mapping and ablation catheters with rigid electrodes face challenges in maintaining adequate contact with cardiac tissue, especially during erratic heartbeats and on contoured surfaces, leading to poor electrical contact and inaccurate mapping or lesion formation.
Innovation Solution
Development of flexible high-density mapping and ablation catheters with microelectrodes mounted on nonconductive frameworks that allow relative movement and insulation, enabling the catheters to conform to cardiac tissue and maintain stable contact despite cardiac motion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If rigid metallic electrodes are used in conventional mapping and ablation catheters, then structural strength and electrical conductivity are improved, but contact stability with cardiac tissue deteriorates during erratic heartbeats and on contoured surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter tip is divided into multiple independently movable electrode segments that can flex and conform to the cardiac tissue surface. Each segment can move independently to maintain contact with irregular or beating tissue surfaces, resolving the contradiction between structural strength and contact stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The catheter incorporates flexible tip structures with thin-film or flexible substrate electrodes that can bend and conform to contoured cardiac surfaces. This flexibility allows the electrodes to maintain stable contact with irregular tissue surfaces while retaining sufficient structural integrity for electrical conduction.
2Reliability
If rigid metallic electrodes are used in conventional catheters, then electrical conductivity is improved, but adaptability to contoured and trabeculated tissue surfaces deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter electrodes are designed with dynamic flexibility, allowing them to adapt their shape and position in real-time to match the contours of cardiac tissue. This dynamic adaptability ensures consistent electrical contact quality across irregular surfaces including trabeculated regions.
Solution Approach 2:
The catheter structure incorporates variable stiffness or flexibility parameters along its length, with the tip portion being more flexible to conform to tissue surfaces while maintaining adequate structural support for electrical conduction. This parameter variation resolves the contradiction between contact quality and surface adaptability.
3Reliability
If flexible catheter tips with movable microelectrodes are used, then contact stability and tissue conformability are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible catheter tip uses thin-film flexible substrates with integrated microelectrodes, creating a relatively simple flexible structure that can conform to tissue surfaces. This approach achieves sustained contact stability without requiring complex mechanical actuation or control systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The catheter design merges the structural support function and electrical conduction function into a single integrated flexible tip assembly. By combining these functions in one component rather than separate systems, the device achieves reliable sustained contact while minimizing overall structural complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Flexible high-density mapping catheter tips (10A) and flexible ablation catheter tips with onboard high-density mapping electrodes (18) are disclosed. These tips can be used for diagnosing and treating cardiac arrhythmias. The flexible, distal tips are adapted to conform to tissue and comprise a plurality of microelectrodes mounted to permit relative movement among at least some of the microelectrodes. The flexible tip portions may comprise a flexible framework forming a flexible array of microelectrodes (for example, a planar or cylindrical array) adapted to conform to tissue and constructed at least in part from nonconductive material in some embodiments. The flexible array of microelectrodes may be formed from a plurality of rows of longitudinally-aligned microelectrodes (18). The flexible array may further comprise, for example, a plurality of electrode-carrying arms or electrode-carrier bands. Multiple flexible frameworks may be present on a single device. A delivery adapter having an internal compression cone is also disclosed.