Integrated Cardiac Catheter Mapping and Ablation Guidance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional diagnosis and treatment of biological rhythm disorders require multiple tools and procedures, leading to inefficiencies in time, cost, and increased error rates due to the need for multiple cycles of mapping and therapy, which can be improved by integrating sensing and therapy functions into a single catheter.
Innovation Solution
A dual-purpose catheter with integrated sensing and therapy capabilities, combined with software for navigation and real-time guidance, allows for high-resolution mapping and targeted treatment of critical regions, reducing the need for multiple tools and procedures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple separate tools are used for sensing and therapy delivery, then each tool can be optimized for its specific function, but the overall procedure becomes more complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines sensing electrodes and therapy delivery electrodes into a single integrated catheter device. The catheter includes both sensing elements for detecting electrical signals and therapy elements for delivering ablation energy, allowing both functions to be performed with one device rather than requiring multiple separate tools and procedures
Solution Approach 2:
The catheter is designed with multi-functionality, serving both as a sensing device for mapping electrical activity and as a therapy delivery device for ablation. This universal design allows the same device to perform multiple roles in the treatment of biological rhythm disorders, reducing procedural complexity while maintaining functional capabilities
2Reliability
If multiple cycles of mapping and therapy are performed, then thorough diagnosis and treatment can be achieved, but time consumption and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The integrated catheter enables continuous operation where sensing and therapy delivery can be performed in an uninterrupted sequence within a single procedure. The device maintains its position and continues to map and treat without requiring removal or replacement, eliminating the time loss associated with multiple cycles of inserting and removing separate tools
Solution Approach 2:
The catheter performs comprehensive mapping and identification of critical regions during the initial procedure, allowing therapy to be delivered to the correct locations without requiring repeated mapping cycles. The sensing function identifies targets in advance, and the therapy function addresses them in the same procedural session
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple tools are exchanged through limited access sites, then various functions can be performed, but error rates increase and procedural success decreases
Solution Approach 1:
By merging sensing and therapy delivery capabilities into a single catheter, the number of tool exchanges through limited access sites is reduced. This decreases the opportunity for errors during insertion, positioning, and removal of multiple separate devices, thereby improving procedural success rates while maintaining the ability to perform both sensing and therapy functions
Data Source
AI summary
A heart treatment system is disclosed capable of diagnosing one or more critical regions of interest for a biological rhythm disorder by sensing signals from biological tissue. If a critical region is not present at the current location of sensed signals, the system is capable of indicating a guidance direction in which to navigate to reach one or more critical regions. Ablation energy is delivered to treat said region of interest. Signals are again sensed and analyzed to assess the impact of treatment. This process is repeated until all critical regions of interest are treated. In some embodiments, all functionality is provided by a single sensing and treating catheter with display device and analytical software.