Mapping And Ablation Applicators For Uniform Tissue Contact
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrode systems struggle to maintain consistent and uniform contact with varying or irregularly shaped treatment areas, particularly in medical applications involving body vessels and lumina, leading to potential damage and inefficiency in delivering high-field electric pulses.
Innovation Solution
The development of electrodes that can conform to varying and irregularly shaped treatment areas, including expandable frames and adjustable electrodes, allowing for the delivery of sub-microsecond pulsed electrical fields that minimize damage to non-targeted regions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional rigid electrodes are used to deliver electric pulses, then the electrode structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the electrodes cannot maintain uniform contact with varying or irregularly shaped treatment areas
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs dynamically adjustable electrode structures that can change their configuration during operation. The electrodes are designed to be repositionable and reconfigurable, allowing them to adapt to varying treatment area geometries. This dynamic adjustment capability enables consistent contact uniformity across irregular surfaces without requiring completely different electrode designs for each anatomical variation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes parameters such as electrode spacing, electrode size, and electrode shape as adjustable variables. By changing these parameters, the electrode system can optimize contact uniformity for different treatment areas. The ability to modify electrode parameters allows the same basic electrode design to effectively treat variously shaped regions while maintaining consistent electrical contact.
2Reliability
If high-field strength electric pulses are delivered to treat irregularly shaped areas, then treatment effectiveness is improved, but contact consistency between electrodes and tissue deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical adjustment mechanisms with field-based control methods. Instead of requiring precise mechanical positioning of electrodes through multiple repositioning steps, the system uses electrical field modeling and control to achieve consistent treatment outcomes. This substitution simplifies operation while maintaining both treatment effectiveness and contact consistency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent designs universal electrode structures that can function effectively across multiple treatment scenarios and anatomical configurations. These multi-functional electrodes are capable of delivering high-field strength pulses while maintaining adequate contact across variously shaped treatment areas, eliminating the need for specialized electrodes for each specific anatomical variation.
3Area of stationary object
If multiple repositioning steps are used to treat varying diameter vessels, then treatment coverage is improved, but treatment time and procedural complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the treatment area into multiple segments or zones that can be addressed simultaneously or sequentially by a single electrode configuration. This segmentation allows the electrode to treat varying diameter sections without requiring physical repositioning, as different segments are activated or adjusted electronically. The treatment coverage is maintained across the entire vessel length while eliminating time-consuming repositioning maneuvers.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from one-dimensional linear electrode contact to multi-dimensional electrode arrangements. By utilizing three-dimensional electrode configurations and field distributions, the system can treat varying diameter vessels in a single deployment. The additional spatial dimensions allow the electrode to accommodate diameter variations without requiring axial repositioning, thereby reducing procedural time while maintaining comprehensive treatment coverage.
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
The solution enables safe and reliable delivery of high-field electric pulses, inducing apoptosis in targeted cells while minimizing thermal impact on surrounding tissue, effectively treating irregularly shaped body vessels and lumina without requiring multiple repositioning steps.
Implementation Method 1
provide sub-microsecond (e.g., nanosecond) pulsed electrical fields in a localized manner that limits or prevents damage to deeper, non-targeted regions
Implementation Method 2
Such shorter pulses with a field strength varying in the range, for example, of 10 kV/cm to 100 kV/cm may trigger apoptosis (i.e. programmed cell death) in some or all of the cells exposed to the described field strength and pulse duration
Data Source
AI summary
Devices and methods for mapping tissue, such as cardiac tissue, and applying electrical energy to ablate the tissue may include an applicator region comprising two or more wire electrodes that extend between the arms of the device as well as a plurality of mapping and/or sensing electrodes (e.g., ring electrodes) on the arms and/or the elongate body. These devices may sense electrical activity using the mapping electrodes and may deliver energy between the first wire electrode and the second wire electrode to ablate, for example, cardiac tissue.