Probe Contact Quality Gating for Accurate Body Cavity Mapping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Invasive diagnostic procedures face challenges in maintaining optimal contact between probes and body tissue, leading to inaccurate readings due to insufficient or excessive force, which can deform tissue and cause physical damage.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus for mapping physiological parameters inside the body that utilize contact quality measurement, such as pressure or impedance, to gate data acquisition, ensuring only valid contact points are recorded, and automatically adjust the probe's position to maintain appropriate contact pressure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the probe applies sufficient force to maintain good contact with tissue, then measurement accuracy is improved, but tissue deformation and physical damage occur
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors contact pressure through a force sensor and uses this feedback to automatically adjust the probe's contact force with the tissue. The controller receives pressure signals and modulates the actuator to maintain optimal contact pressure, preventing both insufficient contact (poor measurements) and excessive contact (tissue damage).
Solution Approach 2:
The probe's contact force is made dynamically adjustable rather than static. The actuator allows real-time modification of the contact pressure based on tissue response and measurement requirements, enabling the system to adapt to different tissue types and conditions while maintaining optimal measurement accuracy without causing damage.
2Reliability
If the probe applies excessive force to ensure contact, then contact reliability is improved, but tissue damage risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The force sensor provides continuous feedback on contact pressure to the controller, which automatically adjusts the actuator to maintain pressure within a safe and effective range. This prevents excessive force that would cause tissue damage while ensuring sufficient contact for reliable measurements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system pre-establishes safe pressure limits and uses the actuator to prevent excessive force from being applied to the tissue. The feedback mechanism acts as a protective cushion, stopping the probe before it can cause tissue damage while maintaining adequate contact pressure.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the probe applies insufficient force to contact tissue, then tissue damage is prevented, but measurement accuracy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The force sensor continuously monitors contact pressure and provides feedback to the controller. When pressure is insufficient for accurate measurements, the controller activates the actuator to increase contact force, ensuring both tissue safety and measurement accuracy are achieved simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The contact force is dynamically adjusted based on real-time feedback from the force sensor. The system transitions from insufficient force (preventing damage) to adequate force (enabling accurate measurements) through controlled actuator activation, maintaining both safety and accuracy.
4Device complexity
If contact pressure is not monitored, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement validity cannot be ensured
Solution Approach 1:
The force sensor serves multiple functions: it monitors contact pressure for data validation, provides feedback for automatic control, and protects against tissue damage. This multi-functionality justifies the added complexity by delivering multiple benefits from a single component.
Solution Approach 2:
The force sensor creates a closed-loop feedback system that automatically validates contact quality and adjusts probe position or pressure as needed. This feedback mechanism ensures data validity without requiring complex manual monitoring procedures, as the system self-regulates based on real-time pressure information.
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
This approach ensures accurate and safe data collection by limiting map points to instances of adequate contact, preventing tissue deformation and damage, while maintaining effective electrode contact for precise readings.
Implementation Method 1
measuring a pressure exerted on a distal end of the probe. Measuring the pressure typically includes receiving a signal from a force sensor within the probe
Implementation Method 2
measuring an electrical impedance between the probe and the tissue
Implementation Method 3
A magnetic field sensor within the distal end of a probe generates electrical signals in response to these magnetic fields
Data Source
AI summary
A method of mapping includes receiving inputs measured by a probe at respective locations inside a body cavity of a subject. At each of the respective locations, a respective contact quality between the probe and a tissue in the body cavity is measured. The inputs for which the respective contact quality is outside a defined range are rejected, and a map of the body cavity is created using the inputs that are not rejected.