Patent · US Expired

Ablation system and method of use

US7250048B2 · kind B2 · utility

266Cited by
372References
18Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateAug 20, 2004
Grant dateJul 31, 2007
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 20, 2024

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
  • CPC primaryA61B2218/002
  • WIPO fieldMedical technology
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A system and method for creating lesions and assessing their completeness or transmurality. Assessment of transmurality of a lesion is accomplished by monitoring the impedance of the tissue to be ablated. Rather than attempting to detect a desired drop or a desired increase impedance, completeness of a lesion is detected in response to the measured impedance remaining at a stable level for a desired period of time, referred to as an impedance plateau. The mechanism for determining transmurality of lesions adjacent individual electrodes or pairs may be used to deactivate individual electrodes or electrode pairs, when the lesions in tissue adjacent these individual electrodes or electrode pairs are complete, to create an essentially uniform lesion along the line of electrodes or electrode pairs, regardless of differences in tissue thickness adjacent the individual electrodes or electrode pairs. Complete or partial submersion in a fluid of the ablating portion of the ablation device may be detected prior to, during or following an ablation procedure.

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