Catheter with Segmented Loop Electrode Array for High-Density Mapping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current cardiac arrhythmia treatment methods, such as mapping and ablation, face challenges in achieving high-density signal mapping and adaptable catheter designs for diverse heart tissue surfaces.
Innovation Solution
A catheter design featuring a tubular member with a distal portion having specific cross-sectional configurations and an end effector with closed-loop members and spines, allowing for high-density mapping and ablation on various heart tissue surfaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a catheter uses a multitude of electrodes to provide very high-density signal maps, then mapping resolution is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter is divided into multiple loops (first loop, second loop, third loop) with electrodes distributed along each loop. This segmentation allows the complex high-density electrode array to be organized into manageable modular sections, each contributing to the overall mapping resolution while simplifying the structural design and assembly process.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a catheter is designed to be adaptable to different tissue surfaces (flat, curved, irregular), then adaptability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter incorporates flexible loops that can dynamically adjust their shape and configuration to match different tissue surface geometries. The loops can conform to flat, curved, or irregular surfaces through their inherent flexibility and ability to deform, providing adaptability without requiring multiple rigid components or complex adjustment mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The catheter uses flexible loop structures that can bend and conform to various tissue surfaces. These flexible elements allow the catheter to adapt to different anatomical geometries while maintaining structural integrity, avoiding the need for complex rigid frameworks or multiple interchangeable components.
3Productivity
If a catheter collects larger amounts of data signals within shorter time spans, then productivity is improved, but measurement precision may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The electrode array is segmented into multiple loops with distributed electrodes, allowing parallel data collection from numerous sensing points simultaneously. This segmentation enables rapid acquisition of large amounts of electrical signal data across the tissue surface while maintaining precise spatial resolution through the organized distribution of electrodes within each loop segment.
Data Source
AI summary
A catheter for electrophysiology applications is disclosed herein that includes a tubular member and an end effector. The end effector is coupled to a distal portion of the tubular member which as a cross-section intersecting first and second orthogonal planes extending along a longitudinal axis. The end effector includes first, second, and third loop members and has an unconstrained configuration in which the first and second loop members respectively define planar surfaces which each intersect the first and second orthogonal planes and the third loop member defines a planar surface that intersects only one of the first and second orthogonal planes.