Ablation catheter having a virtual electrode comprising portholes and a porous conductor
US7326208B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 1, 2005 |
| Grant date | Feb 5, 2008 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 1, 2025 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC C)Chemistry; Metallurgy
- CPC primaryC08L2201/12
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An ablation catheter used for treatment of, for example, atrial fibrillation by electrically isolating a vessel, such as a pulmonary vein, from a chamber, such as the left atrium. The ablation catheter has a virtual electrode and a catheter shaft. The virtual electrode comprises a porous conductor. The catheter shaft includes a proximal portion and a distal portion. The distal portion includes an active region, which is either a looped structure transverse to the longitudinal axis of the catheter shaft, or a linear structure that extends parallel to the longitudinal axis of the catheter shaft. During use, the active region is directed into contact with, for example, the wall of a pulmonary vein and, upon energization, the virtual electrode creates a continuous lesion at or near the ostium of the pulmonary vein, thereby electrically isolating the pulmonary vein from the left atrium.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.