Cardiac Mapping Catheter Matrix for Single-Device Electroporation Ablation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current medical procedures for treating cardiac arrhythmias require separate mapping and ablation catheters, increasing procedural risk and inefficiency due to the need for multiple catheter exchanges, and existing catheters lack the capability to integrate mapping and ablation functions in a single device.
Innovation Solution
A single catheter apparatus with a contact assembly that includes conductive elements and supporting tubes, capable of both mapping cardiac anatomy and delivering irreversible or reversible electroporation ablation therapy, transitioning between compressed and expanded configurations to facilitate navigation and treatment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If separate mapping and ablation catheters are used, then specialized functions are achieved, but procedural complexity and risk increase due to multiple catheter exchanges
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines mapping catheter and ablation catheter into a single integrated device. The contact assembly includes both mapping electrodes for creating 3D anatomical maps and ablation electrodes for delivering therapeutic energy. This merging eliminates the need for multiple catheter exchanges, reducing procedural complexity while maintaining specialized mapping and ablation capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The single catheter apparatus performs multiple functions: it can map cardiac anatomy, navigate to target regions, and deliver ablation therapy. The contact assembly is designed with both mapping and ablation electrodes that can be selectively activated, allowing one device to replace two separate specialized catheters.
2Productivity
If a single catheter integrates mapping and ablation, then procedural efficiency improves, but device structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The contact assembly is segmented into multiple independent conductive elements arranged in a matrix pattern. Each element can be independently controlled for mapping or ablation functions. This segmentation allows the complex integrated device to be managed through modular control, improving procedural efficiency while organizing structural complexity into manageable units.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a nested structure where the contact assembly with multiple conductive elements is positioned within the catheter shaft. The mapping electrodes and ablation electrodes are nested within the same catheter body, allowing compact integration that reduces the overall device footprint while maintaining functional complexity.
3Reliability
If multiple catheters are exchanged during procedure, then specialized treatment delivery is achieved, but procedural time and risk increase
Solution Approach 1:
By merging mapping and ablation capabilities into one catheter, the procedure eliminates time lost in exchanging catheters. The single device can complete the entire workflow from anatomical mapping to targeted ablation therapy without removing and reinserting separate catheters, thereby reducing procedural time while maintaining treatment reliability.
4Adaptability or versatility
If a single catheter is used for both mapping and ablation, then device versatility improves, but electrical isolation requirements increase complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The contact assembly segments electrical pathways by providing independent lead wires for mapping electrodes and ablation electrodes. This segmentation allows electrical isolation between the two functional groups while maintaining their integration within the same catheter structure, enabling dual functionality without compromising electrical safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses an intermediary insulation system between the mapping electrodes and ablation electrodes. This insulating barrier prevents electrical interference between the two functional elements while allowing both to operate within the same catheter, managing the complexity of electrical isolation in the integrated device.
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
Enables simultaneous mapping and ablation therapy, reducing procedural risks and inefficiencies by allowing a single device to create 3D maps and deliver therapeutic energy, such as irreversible electroporation, while maintaining a small form factor for minimally invasive procedures.
Implementation Method 1
The contact wire is configured to deliver irreversible electroporation ablation to a patient
Implementation Method 2
a plurality of conductive elements disposed on the plurality of supporting tubes... configured to measure physiological signals associated with the patient
Data Source
AI summary
Devices and methods for cardiac mapping and ablation are described. In some embodiments, an apparatus for cardiac mapping and ablation includes an elongated tube with a distal and proximal end, connected to a matrix of tubes that create a surface attached to the distal end of the first tube, with at least one conductive wire parallel to the first tube, and multiple conductive elements, electrically isolated from the conductive wire, attached to the matrix of tubes. The tube and matrix apparatus constructed of materials bio compatibly suitable for introduction into the human vascular system and heart