Real-time Electroanatomical Heart Mapping via Magnetic Sensors
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current cardiac catheterization techniques for mapping electrical activation times in the heart are lengthy, require calibration, and expose patients to radiation, with single-electrode methods being inefficient and impractical for real-time data processing during procedures.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus using a probe with multiple electrodes and sensors that processes data in near real-time to dynamically modify electroanatomical maps of the heart, incorporating algorithms that analyze data from contact force, position, and optical sensors to update maps within a cardiac cycle, reducing processing delays and radiation exposure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If single-electrode mapping is used to measure activation time, then calibration is required and the procedure is lengthy, but using multiple electrodes can measure electrical potentials simultaneously at different locations to map activation time more rapidly and conveniently
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses magnetic field copies instead of direct electrical measurements. Magnetic sensors detect the magnetic field generated by cardiac electrical activity, allowing activation time mapping without direct electrode contact or complex calibration procedures. This copying approach enables simultaneous multi-point mapping while avoiding the calibration requirements of traditional electrical methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/electrical measurement system with a magnetic field-based system. Instead of using electrodes that require impedance calibration and direct electrical contact, the system uses magnetic sensors to detect magnetic fields generated by cardiac activity, substituting a non-contact magnetic measurement approach for the traditional electrical measurement system.
2Measurement precision
If fluoroscopic imaging is used during single-electrode mapping, then activation time can be mapped, but the patient is exposed to undesirable ionizing radiation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces fluoroscopic imaging with magnetic field detection. Magnetic sensors mounted on the catheter detect magnetic fields generated by cardiac electrical activity, providing activation time measurements without requiring ionizing radiation. This substitution eliminates radiation exposure while maintaining measurement capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces magnetic fields as an intermediary between the cardiac electrical activity and the measurement system. Instead of directly imaging with fluoroscopy or making electrical contact with electrodes, the system detects the magnetic field signature of cardiac activity, using this magnetic intermediary to obtain measurement information without radiation exposure.
3Loss of information
If data processing is performed after catheterization, then complete analysis can be done, but real-time visualization and immediate adjustments are not possible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs data processing and visualization during the catheterization procedure itself rather than after completion. Magnetic sensors continuously detect cardiac magnetic fields, and the system processes this data in real-time to provide immediate visualization of activation patterns, enabling clinicians to make decisions during the procedure rather than waiting for post-procedure analysis.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent maintains continuous data acquisition and processing throughout the catheterization procedure. Magnetic sensors continuously monitor cardiac magnetic fields, and the system continuously processes and visualizes this data, providing uninterrupted real-time information rather than batch processing after the procedure ends.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
Catheterization of the hear is carried out with a probe having a plurality of electrodes and sensors by displaying an electroanatomical map of the heart on a monitor. During a time interval that does not exceed a duration of a cardiac cycle of the heart the following steps are performed: reading data from at least one of the electrodes and sensors, and invoking a processor to perform an algorithm on the data. The data is one of a plurality of inputs of the algorithm, and the result of the algorithm includes a transformation of the data. The method is further carried out by rendering the result of the algorithm on the monitor to modify the electroanatomical map.