Ion Acceleration Complex for Atrial Fibrillation Treatment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current treatments for atrial fibrillation, such as catheter ablation, are invasive and have limitations, while existing radiation therapies lack precision and safety for targeting heart arrhythmias, necessitating a non-invasive and precise method for destroying abnormal electrical connections in the heart.
Innovation Solution
The use of high-frequency linear ion accelerators (linacs) to deliver precise beams of charged particles, particularly helium ions, for treating atrial fibrillation, enabling sub-millimeter dose precision and rapid energy adjustment to compensate for heart movement, combined with a three-dimensional feedback system for minimizing irradiation of healthy tissues.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If catheter ablation is used to destroy abnormal electrical connections in the heart, then the treatment can be performed, but the procedure is invasive and refused by many patients
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical catheter-based approach with a radiation therapy system using linear accelerators to deliver ion beams through the chest wall, eliminating the need for invasive catheter insertion and making the procedure non-invasive while maintaining treatment effectiveness
2Ease of operation
If standard radiotherapy is used for heart arrhythmias, then non-invasive treatment is achieved, but the localization precision is insufficient and healthy tissues are irradiated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical parameters of the radiation by using charged particles (protons or carbon ions) instead of photons, exploiting the Bragg peak effect where particles deposit maximum energy at a specific depth, thereby achieving precise localization of the radiation dose to the target tissue while sparing healthy tissues
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback system using real-time imaging and tracking to monitor heart position and motion, dynamically adjusting the beam position and energy to compensate for cardiac movement and maintain precise targeting throughout the treatment
3Manufacturing precision
If carbon ions are used instead of protons for AF treatment, then multiple scattering and straggling are reduced, but the accelerator becomes much larger
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the particle type from protons to carbon ions, which have higher mass and charge, resulting in reduced multiple scattering and straggling effects that improve spot size precision and dose localization, though this increases the magnetic rigidity and requires a larger accelerator
4Object-affected harmful factors
If three-dimensional feedback system is implemented to compensate for heart movements, then irradiation of healthy tissues is minimized, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a three-dimensional feedback system that uses real-time imaging to track heart position and motion, dynamically adjusting the beam position and energy in three dimensions to compensate for cardiac movement, thereby minimizing irradiation of healthy tissues while managing system complexity through integrated control
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 a non-invasive, precise, and efficient treatment of atrial fibrillation with reduced exposure to healthy tissues, offering a compact and cost-effective solution for hospital installations, and can also treat arteriovenous malformations and focal epileptic lesions.
Implementation Method 1
hadrons are definitely to be preferred to X rays because of the much better localization of the delivered dose due to the Bragg peak, in which—at the end of the charged particle range—the maximum energy density is deposited in the patient's body
Implementation Method 2
it is necessary to rapidly vary—before sending every spot—its two transverse positions and also its depth in the body so as to compensate for the movements due to (i) the respiration cycle and (ii) the patient's heartbeat
Data Source
AI summary
A system (12) is proposed for the acceleration of ions to treat Atrial Fibrillation (AF), arteriovenous malformations (AVMS) and focal epileptic lesions; this system (12) includes a pulsed ion source (1), a pre-accelerator (3) and one or more linear accelerators or linacs (5, 6, 7) operating at frequencies above 1 GHz with a repetition rate between 1 Hz and 500 Hz. The particle beam coming out of the complex (12) can vary (i) in intensity, (ii) in deposition depth and (iii) transversally with respect to the central beam direction. The possibility of adjusting in a few milliseconds and in three orthogonal directions, the location of each energy deposition in the body of the patient makes that system of accelerators (12) perfectly suited to irradiation of a beating heart.