Patent · US Expired

Methods for locating and ablating accessory pathways in the heart

US5673695A · kind A · utility

431Cited by
9References
6Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateNov 6, 1996
Grant dateOct 7, 1997
Priority date
Expiry dateNov 6, 2016

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
  • CPC primaryA61B2018/1861
  • WIPO fieldMedical technology
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

Systems and methods sense electrical events about a selected annulus region of the heart to identify the location of an accessory pathway. The systems and methods establish a contact site between heart tissue along the selected annulus and a multi-electrode array having a generally circular shape that conforms to the circumferential geometry of the selected annulus region. The systems and methods maintain the site of contact between the electrode array and heart tissue, while conveying signals representing electrical events sensed by bipolar pairs of the electrodes in the selected annulus region. The systems and methods display the signals as graphic information that represents the time differences between the atrial and ventricular electrogram complexes sensed by bipolar pairs of the electrodes on the selected annulus region. The bipolar pair of electrodes displaying the least time separation between the atrial and ventricular complexes identifies the region of the accessory pathway. With this information, the systems and methods convey energy to one or more of the electrodes of the selected pair to ablate tissue in the selected annulus region.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.