Virtual Catheter Model for Cardiac Source Localization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods fail to accurately identify and locate rotational sources of complex heart rhythm disorders, particularly those located in polar or remote regions relative to a catheter and its sensors, making targeted treatment challenging.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that processes cardiac information signals to generate x-y coordinate pairs, applies offsets to determine the location of rotational or focal sources, including those remotely located, using spline-sensor transformations and angular tilts to visualize the source on a grid representation, enabling precise identification and treatment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional catheter sensing methods are used, then simple rhythm disorders can be detected, but complex rhythm disorders with remote or polar sources cannot be accurately located
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the traditional 2D grid representation of cardiac signals into a 3D virtual catheter model that incorporates spatial depth and angular orientation. This dimensional expansion allows the system to locate rotational sources in remote or polar regions that were previously undetectable on standard 2D grids, resolving the contradiction between measurement precision and detection coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a virtual catheter model as an intermediary between the physical catheter sensors and the final source location determination. This virtual model acts as a computational mediator that processes signals from multiple sensors, applies offset calculations, and reconstructs the 3D spatial relationships, enabling accurate localization of remote sources without requiring physical extension of the sensing array.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the catheter is positioned to detect remote sources, then detection coverage increases, but measurement precision for source location decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a virtual copy of the catheter's spatial configuration and sensor positions within a computational model. This virtual catheter model replicates the physical catheter's geometry and sensor locations, allowing the system to process and analyze signals as if viewed from multiple spatial perspectives. This copying approach enables precise source localization regardless of the physical catheter's position, resolving the contradiction between detection coverage and measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent dynamically adjusts spatial parameters including offset distances, angular tilts, and coordinate transformations in the virtual catheter model. By changing these parameters computationally, the system can optimize the virtual sensing geometry to accurately locate sources at various distances and orientations, maintaining measurement precision while expanding detection coverage without moving the physical catheter.
3Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If traditional grid representation is used, then device complexity is low, but the ability to identify remote rotational sources is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the need for complex physical sensor arrays and multiple catheters with a computational approach using virtual catheter models. Instead of mechanically positioning multiple sensors to detect remote sources, the system uses software-based signal processing, coordinate transformations, and virtual model manipulations to achieve the same detection capability, reducing physical device complexity while improving remote source detectability.
Data Source
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AI summary
A system to generate a representation of a rhythm disorder that includes identifying remote or polar sources associated with a cardiac rhythm disorder is disclosed. The system includes generated a representation based on the cardiac information signals received from the sensors by transformation of spline- sensor locations of the catheter to x-y coordinate pairs of locations. A first offset is determined resulting from a perturbation to corresponding x-y coordinate pairs of locations associated with the representation, the first offset displacing coordinate pairs of sensor locations of the representation at least one unit of displacement in a first direction. A remote source associated with a cardiac rhythm disorder is identified when activations associated with the cardiac information signals rotate in sequence at least once, or emanate centrifugally for at least a first time period, the source being identified based on the representation as displaced. A corresponding method and computer-readable medium are also disclosed.