Wearable Haptic Feedback for Catheter Contact Force
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for verifying electrode contact with cardiac tissue during ablation procedures are invasive and require constant visual or auditory feedback, distracting the operator and potentially leading to inaccuracies in contact force measurement.
Innovation Solution
A wearable haptic device, such as a wrist bracelet, that uses actuators to provide tactile feedback of contact force between a catheter and cardiac tissue, allowing the operator to adjust the contact force haptically and maintain focus on the procedure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If visual displays and audio alerts are used to provide contact force feedback, then the operator receives information about contact force, but the operator becomes distracted and cannot maintain focus on the procedure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces visual and auditory feedback systems with a haptic feedback system that uses tactile sensations through a wearable device. This substitution allows the operator to receive contact force information through touch rather than through visual displays or audio alerts, thereby maintaining focus on the procedure while still obtaining necessary information.
Solution Approach 2:
The wearable haptic device acts as an intermediary between the ablation system and the operator. It translates contact force data into tactile feedback that the operator can感知 through touch, serving as a mediator that communicates system status without requiring the operator's attention to be diverted to visual or auditory channels.
2Measurement precision
If pressure transducers are integrated into the catheter to measure contact force, then contact force measurement is achieved, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the feedback function from the catheter itself and places it in a separate wearable device. The catheter continues to perform its primary ablation function while the wearable device handles the feedback provision, thereby reducing the complexity of the catheter system while maintaining measurement precision through the pressure transducers.
Solution Approach 2:
The system is divided into separate functional components: the catheter with pressure transducers for measurement, the transmitter for data communication, and the wearable haptic device for feedback. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining measurement capabilities.
3Measurement precision
If the operator frequently checks visual displays for contact force information, then accurate contact force monitoring is maintained, but the ablation procedure efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The haptic feedback system provides continuous contact force information through tactile sensations, allowing the operator to maintain constant awareness of contact force without interrupting the ablation procedure to check visual displays. This continuity eliminates breaks in the useful action of tissue ablation while maintaining monitoring precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements real-time haptic feedback that continuously informs the operator of contact force status through tactile sensations. This immediate feedback loop allows the operator to adjust contact force as needed without breaking the procedural flow, thereby maintaining both monitoring accuracy and procedural efficiency.
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 haptic device minimizes the need for visual displays and audio alerts, providing intuitive tactile feedback that enhances the operator's ability to maintain optimal contact force, thereby improving the precision and efficiency of the ablation process.
Implementation Method 1
an actuator operative to haptically stimulate the operator responsively to the signals
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention is directed to a method of ablation. The method includes the steps of inserting a probe having an ablation electrode into a body of a living subject and urging the ablation electrode into a contacting relationship with a target tissue. A measurement of at least one electroanatomic parameter is made between the ablation electrode and the target tissue, and the measurement is haptically communicated to an operator. Responsively to the communicated measurement, ablating the target tissue using the ablation electrode.