Flexible Tip Electrode for Linear Lesion Creation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ablation catheters with traditional electrodes face challenges in efficiently creating linear lesions, as they are time-consuming, labor-intensive, and impractical, especially when dealing with tissue surfaces that have ridges, and existing solutions often result in unwanted damage or ineffective lesion creation.
Innovation Solution
The development of flexible tip electrodes with a dome-shaped tip and cylindrical walls featuring variously configured openings that allow for flexibility in bending and shortening, enabling improved electrode-to-tissue contact and precise ablation, including the use of a spiraling pattern and a coil for structural integrity, which enhances the ability to create continuous linear lesions without penetrating the tissue.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a single point electrode catheter is used to create linear lesions, then the procedure becomes time-consuming and labor-intensive, but the electrode can create lesions at precise points
Solution Approach 1:
The electrode is divided into multiple segments or zones along its length, with each segment capable of independent energy delivery. This segmentation allows simultaneous or sequential activation of multiple electrode portions, enabling rapid creation of linear lesions without the need to manually position and activate a single point electrode repeatedly
Solution Approach 2:
The electrode transitions from a single point contact to an elongated surface contact geometry. By extending the active electrode surface along the catheter shaft, the system delivers energy across a linear dimension rather than at a single point, dramatically increasing the rate of lesion creation while maintaining precision through controlled energy distribution along the electrode length
2Productivity
If ring electrodes are used to create linear lesions, then the procedure is faster, but too much RF energy causes unwanted damage and creates spaced-apart single point lesions instead of connected linear lesions
Solution Approach 1:
Different portions of the electrode surface have different energy delivery characteristics. The electrode design incorporates varying impedance, surface area, or active zone distributions along its length, allowing localized control of energy density. This enables higher overall productivity while preventing excessive energy concentration that would cause unwanted damage, by optimizing energy distribution to match the specific tissue target requirements
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts RF energy parameters (power, duration, frequency) based on real-time feedback from tissue impedance monitoring and pre-programmed protocols. This parameter control ensures that sufficient energy is delivered to create connected linear lesions without exceeding safe thresholds that would cause unwanted damage, resolving the contradiction between speed and safety
3Adaptability or versatility
If a longitudinal type electrode is used, then flexibility is improved, but the electrode cannot effectively create linear lesions when laid across tissue having ridges and requires a spherical structure at the tip
Solution Approach 1:
The electrode incorporates a curved or domed tip geometry rather than a flat longitudinal surface. This curvature allows the electrode to conform to ridged and irregular tissue surfaces, maintaining consistent contact across the electrode-tissue interface. The curved geometry enables effective linear lesion creation on complex anatomical surfaces while preserving the flexibility needed for navigation and adaptation
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 flexible tip electrodes improve the efficiency and precision of creating linear lesions, especially on irregular tissue surfaces, reducing the risk of tissue penetration and allowing for deeper ablation with lower energy settings, while minimizing 'flipping' and maintaining consistent contact, thus enhancing surgical control and precision.
Implementation Method 1
allowing the consecutively-arranged ring electrodes to ablate the target tissue using RF energy
Implementation Method 2
This electrode has micro-slotting or micro-apertures across its surface to improve flexibility of the electrode
Data Source
AI summary
A flexible tip electrode for an ablation catheter is disclosed. The catheter includes a catheter body and a hollow elongate tip electrode disposed at a distal end of the catheter body. The electrode includes a sidewall provided with one or more elongate gaps extending therethrough. The one or more elongate gaps providing flexibility in the sidewall for bending movement of the tip electrode relative to a longitudinal axis of the catheter body.