Steerable Ablation Catheter for Precise Cardiac Tissue Lesions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current atrial fibrillation treatment methods are limited, with existing ablation techniques being tedious, risky, and often ineffective, and there is a need for improved methods to create safe and precise lesions in cardiac tissue without damaging untargeted tissue.
Innovation Solution
Development of unique ablation catheters with steerable shafts and deflectable tips that can deliver RF energy to create targeted lesions in cardiac tissue, allowing for precise ablation with minimal risk to surrounding tissues, including the esophagus and phrenic nerve.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional ablation techniques are used to treat atrial fibrillation, then tissue ablation can be achieved, but the procedure is tedious and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter is divided into multiple functional segments including a distal portion with deflectable tip for precise positioning, a shaft with multiple ablation elements, and a proximal portion for control. This segmentation allows simultaneous engagement of multiple tissue sites, enabling faster creation of ablation lesions compared to traditional single-point ablation methods
Solution Approach 2:
The catheter incorporates a deflectable distal portion that can assume multiple three-dimensional configurations within the heart chamber. This spatial dimensionality allows the ablation elements to reach and treat multiple tissue areas simultaneously, significantly reducing the time required to create complete ablation patterns for atrial fibrillation treatment
2Reliability
If ablation procedures are performed to treat cardiac arrhythmia, then electrical propagation can be stopped, but untargeted tissue may be inadvertently damaged
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter employs multiple ablation elements with different configurations positioned at specific locations along the shaft. Each element can be selectively activated based on the specific tissue target, allowing precise control over where ablation energy is delivered. This local differentiation ensures that only the intended tissue is affected while surrounding untargeted tissue remains protected
Solution Approach 2:
The catheter system incorporates mapping capabilities that provide real-time feedback on tissue characteristics and ablation lesion formation. This feedback mechanism allows the operator to monitor the ablation process and adjust energy delivery parameters to achieve effective tissue modification while preventing damage to adjacent untargeted structures such as the esophagus and phrenic nerve
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple catheter placements are used to map and ablate surface areas in heart chambers, then comprehensive treatment can be achieved, but procedure complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter is designed as a multi-functional device that combines mapping electrodes, ablation elements, and deflectable positioning capabilities in a single instrument. This universal design allows the catheter to perform multiple functions including electrical mapping, targeted ablation, and verification of lesion creation, eliminating the need for multiple separate catheter placements and simplifying the overall procedure 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 ablation catheters enable faster, safer, and more precise treatment of atrial fibrillation and other cardiac conditions by creating effective lesions that inhibit inappropriate electrical impulses while minimizing damage to untargeted tissue, reducing procedure time and improving patient outcomes.
Implementation Method 1
catheters which deliver radiofrequency (RF) energy that create safe, precision lesions in tissue such as linear lesions created in cardiac tissue
Implementation Method 2
passing energy, such as electrical energy, through one or more electrodes and causing the tissue in contact with the electrodes to heat up to an ablative temperature
Data Source
AI summary
Devices, systems and methods are disclosed for the ablation of tissue. A steerable ablation catheter can include one or more ablation elements at its distal end and one or more ablation elements fixedly attached to its shaft. The distal end of the ablation catheter can be deflected to assume a number of different deflection geometries in at least one direction along the shaft. One feature of the ablation catheter is that its shaft can comprise materials of differing durometers or stiffnesses attached together at a joint. Methods associated with use of the ablation catheter are also covered.