Systems and methods for tissue mapping and ablation
US5916213A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 4, 1997 |
| Grant date | Jun 29, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 4, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA61B2218/002
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A steerable electrophysiology catheter includes a shaft having a distal ablation segment with one or more electrodes coupled to a source of electrical energy by a connector extending through the shaft. The distal ablation segment of the shaft is movable between a collapsed configuration sized for percutaneous introduction into the patient and/or endoluminal delivery to the target site and an expanded configuration, in which the distal ablation segment forms a substantially continuous surface transverse to the shaft axis for engaging the heart tissue and creating a linear lesion thereon. The catheter includes one or more force element(s) positioned to apply an axial force between the distal and proximal ends of the ablation segment. The force element(s) provide a sufficiently uniform force against the distal ablation segment to establish continuous contact pressure between the electrodes and the patient's heart tissue. This contact pressure allows the surgeon to engage the entire length of the distal ablation segment against the heart tissue to provide a relatively long linear lesion on this tissue.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.