Irreversible Electroporation Ablation Electrode Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electrical ablation therapies face limitations such as high current density at the electrode tip, leading to thermal necrosis and induced muscle contractions, which can cause unwanted damage to surrounding tissue.
Innovation Solution
The use of electrical ablation devices that employ irreversible electroporation, characterized by the application of controlled electric pulses to create an electric field that increases cell membrane permeability, causing cell death without significant heat generation, thereby minimizing damage to healthy tissue.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If high current density is applied at the electrode tip for effective tissue ablation, then ablation effectiveness is improved, but thermal necrosis to surrounding tissue increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies irreversible electroporation using controlled electric pulses with specific parameters (voltage, pulse duration, frequency) to achieve tissue ablation through membrane permeabilization rather than thermal effects, fundamentally changing the physical mechanism from thermal to electrical field-based destruction
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces conventional thermal ablation mechanisms (heating elements, RF energy) with electrical pulse delivery systems that induce electroporation, substituting a different physical domain (electrical field) to achieve the same ablation goal with reduced thermal damage
2Productivity
If high current density is applied at the electrode tip for effective tissue ablation, then ablation effectiveness is improved, but induced muscle contractions increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses carefully controlled electric pulse parameters (amplitude, duration, frequency, waveform) to induce electroporation in target tissue while avoiding the threshold for muscle contraction, precisely tuning the electrical parameters to achieve selective tissue effect
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs periodic electric pulse delivery with specific frequency and duty cycle control to accumulate electroporation effects in target tissue while allowing recovery periods that prevent sustained muscle contractions, using pulsed rather than continuous delivery
3Productivity
If conventional electrical ablation therapy is used, then tissue ablation is achieved, but permanent damage to healthy tissue occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies electrical pulses with locally optimized parameters at the electrode tip interface, creating a highly localized electric field that produces electroporation only in immediate contact with the electrode surface while sparing surrounding healthy tissue through precise spatial control of the electric field distribution
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a specialized electrode tip design with specific geometric features that act as an intermediary between the electrical pulse source and target tissue, controlling current density distribution and electric field confinement to achieve selective ablation with protected surrounding tissue
Data Source
AI summary
An ablation device may generally comprise a first electrode, a plurality of second electrodes, and a grounding pad. Each of the plurality of second electrodes may comprise a first conductive section, a second conductive section, and a non-conductive section between the first conductive section and the second conductive section. The first electrode and each of the plurality of second electrodes may be coupled to an energy source delivering a series of electrical pulses to tissue to induce cell necrosis by irreversible electroporation.