Cardiac Pacing Capture Grading for Electrode Placement Reliability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing medical procedures for cardiac arrhythmia treatment, such as electrode catheter placement and ablation, rely heavily on manual visual analysis of electrical activation signals, which is time-consuming and cumbersome, especially when multiple electrodes are involved.
Innovation Solution
A system that automatically evaluates the successful acquisition of electrical activations induced by pacing pulses and computes a capture grade, providing a quantitative and descriptive measure of electrode placement reliability, using processing circuitry to track electrode location and sense electrical activation signals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual visual analysis is used to assess electrode placement reliability, then measurement precision can be maintained, but productivity decreases and time consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service by having the electrode array automatically assess its own placement reliability through automated signal analysis. The processing circuitry evaluates electrical activation signals without requiring manual visual analysis, allowing the system to grade its own performance objectively and rapidly.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/manual visual analysis system with an automated electronic processing system. The processing circuitry automatically detects, measures, and evaluates electrical activation signals to determine electrode placement reliability, substituting human visual inspection with automated electronic assessment.
2Measurement precision
If manual visual analysis of electrical activation signals is performed, then measurement precision is maintained, but loss of time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables continuous automated assessment of electrode placement reliability throughout the medical procedure. The processing circuitry continuously monitors and evaluates electrical activation signals in real-time, eliminating the interruptions and delays associated with manual visual analysis while maintaining consistent measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual visual analysis with automated electronic signal processing that operates continuously and instantaneously. The processing circuitry automatically evaluates electrical activation signals without the time delays inherent in manual inspection, providing immediate feedback on electrode capture grade.
3Productivity
If automated evaluation system is implemented, then productivity increases and time is saved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The processing circuitry is designed with multi-functionality, serving multiple purposes: it detects electrical activation signals, measures their characteristics, evaluates electrode placement reliability, and provides feedback. This universal approach consolidates multiple functions into a single system, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining high productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses self-service principles where the same processing circuitry that delivers pacing pulses also automatically evaluates electrode placement reliability. This dual functionality eliminates the need for separate assessment systems, reducing device complexity while maintaining automated high-speed evaluation capabilities.
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
Facilitates rapid assessment of electrode placement reliability, enabling confident mapping and ablation procedures by providing immediate, objective grading of electrode performance without manual visual analysis.
Implementation Method 1
A second electrode senses an electrical activation signal responsively to electrical activations induced by capture of the pacing pulses
Data Source
AI summary
In one embodiment, a medical procedure system includes a probe for insertion into a chamber of a heart of a living subject, and including a first electrode to apply a sequence of pacing pulses at a position in the chamber, a second electrode to sense an electrical activation signal responsively to electrical activations induced by capture of the pacing pulses in a myocardium of the chamber, a display, and processing circuitry to evaluate a successful acquisition by the second electrode of the induced electrical activations responsively to the electrical activation signal, the successful acquisition being indicative of a successful capture of the pacing pulses by the myocardium, compute a capture grade responsively to the evaluation of the successful acquisition of the induced electrical activations, the capture grade being indicative of a count of the induced electrical activations evaluated as being successfully acquired, and render the capture grade to the display.