Catheter with cryogenic and electrical heating ablation

US7951140B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Medtronic CryoCath LP

Inventors

• Steven G. Arless · Beaconsfield, CA
• Fredric L. Milder · Brookline, US
• Marwan Abboud · ᐙᔂᓂᐲ Waswanipi, CA
• Dan Wittenberger · Brossard, CA
• Sean Carroll · Rancho Cucamonga, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Jan 9, 2008
• Grant date: May 31, 2011
• Expiry date: Dec 19, 2029

Classification

• Technology area (CPC A): Human Necessities
• CPC primary: A61B2018/0268
• WIPO field: Medical technology
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A catheter includes a cryoablation tip with an electrically-driven ablation assembly for heating tissue. The cryoablation tip may be implemented with a cooling chamber through which a controllably injected coolant circulates to lower the tip temperature, and having an RF electrode at its distal end. The RF electrode may be operated to warm cryogenically-cooled tissue, or the coolant may be controlled to conductively cool the tissue in coordination with an RF treatment regimen, allowing greater versatility of operation and enhancing the lesion size, speed or placement of multi-lesion treatment or single lesion re-treatment cycles.