Intracardiac Tracking via Local Electrical Field Generation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current catheter tracking systems in cardiac mapping procedures face challenges in accurately determining the position of catheters within the heart cavity, especially due to movement caused by respiration or patient movement, and require pre-acquired images or external magnetic/electric fields, which can be cumbersome and less accurate.
Innovation Solution
A method and system using a multi-electrode array (MEA) catheter with both potential measuring electrodes (PME) and current injecting electrodes (CIE) to generate electrical fields, allowing for conductivity calibration and inhomogeneity correction, enabling the tracking of catheters relative to the MEA without pre-acquired images, by measuring electrical signals and using optimization techniques to determine the relative position of other electrodes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If external magnetic or electric fields are used for catheter tracking, then tracking capability is provided, but system complexity and accuracy are worsened due to requiring pre-acquired images and external field sources
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the tracking functionality from external field sources and integrates it directly into the catheter by embedding electrodes that generate and detect electrical fields locally within the heart chamber, eliminating the need for external tracking infrastructure
Solution Approach 2:
The catheter performs its own tracking by using its embedded electrodes to generate electrical fields and measure potentials, allowing it to determine its own position without requiring external tracking systems or pre-acquired images
2Measurement precision
If pre-acquired images are used for tracking reference, then position determination is enabled, but time consumption and procedure complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of requiring pre-acquired images before the procedure, the system performs preliminary calibration actions during the procedure itself by having the catheter generate electrical fields and measure potentials to establish its position relative to the heart chamber geometry in real-time
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/image-based tracking reference system with an electrical field-based system where the catheter uses electrical potentials generated by its own electrodes to determine position, eliminating the need for separate imaging procedures
3Ease of operation
If traditional tracking systems are used, then catheter location is determined, but accuracy deteriorates due to organ movement from respiration and patient motion
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adapts to organ movement by continuously measuring electrical potentials and recalculating catheter position in real-time, allowing the tracking to remain accurate despite respiratory and patient-induced motion of the heart chamber
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the tracking parameter from fixed external field coordinates to dynamic electrical potential measurements that automatically adjust to the moving organ, using the measured potentials to continuously update the catheter's position relative to the heart chamber geometry
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
This approach allows for precise tracking of catheters within the heart cavity, accounting for movement and inhomogeneities, improving accuracy and eliminating the need for external tracking systems, thereby enhancing the precision of cardiac mapping and ablation procedures.
Implementation Method 1
generating a multitude of electrical fields on the MEA catheter
Implementation Method 2
using measurements of these generated fields on the MEA catheter to provide a conductivity calibration
Data Source
AI summary
In general, in one aspect, a method is disclosed for determining information about a position of an object. The method includes: (i) causing current to flow between each of three or more sets of current-injecting electrodes on a first catheter inserted into an organ in a patient's body, the organ having a periphery (ii) in response to current flow caused by each set of current injecting electrodes, measuring an electrical signal at each of one or more measuring electrodes located on one or more additional catheters inserted into the organ in the patient's body and (iii) determining the position of each of one or more of the measuring electrodes on the additional catheters relative to the first catheter based on the measured signals from the one or more measuring electrodes.