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US 11,759,255 B2Granted
Lesion formation
AssigneeAffera, Inc.
InventorsDoron Harlev, Andrew Miles Wallace, Luke Tsai
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Ablation systems and methods of the present disclosure control lesion depth and width such that, for example, wide and shallow lesions can be formed in target tissue in an anatomic structure of a patient during a medical procedure. Such wide and shallow lesions can be useful for treating, for example, thin tissue such as atrial tissue in atria of the heart of the patient.
Claims20
A method comprising:
- positioning a distal portion of a shaft of a catheter in an anatomic structure of a patient;
- expanding an expandable tip, wherein the expandable tip has (i) a proximal region coupled to the distal portion of the shaft and (ii) a distal region opposite the proximal region, and wherein the expandable tip, in an expanded state, is generally spherical and has a maximum radial dimension greater than a maximum radial dimension of the distal portion of the shaft, and further wherein blood flows through the expandable tip at a treatment site in the anatomic structure;
- delivering energy through the expandable tip to tissue at the treatment site, wherein the expandable tip is configured such that, at least while the expandable tip is in the expanded state, ablative energy can be delivered through an outer portion of the expandable tip, including through the distal region of the expandable tip, and independent of orientation of contact between the outer portion of the expandable tip and the tissue at the treatment site;
- and
- controlling the energy delivered to the treatment site to form, in the tissue, a lesion having a maximum depth less than about one-half of a maximum width.
2 more elements
A method, comprising:
- positioning a distal portion of a catheter shaft in an anatomic structure of a patient;
- expanding an expandable tip carried by the catheter shaft, wherein the expandable tip comprises (i) a proximal region coupled to the distal portion of the catheter shaft and (ii) a distal region opposite the proximal portion,
- wherein the expandable tip, in an expanded state, is generally spherical and has a maximum radial dimension greater than a maximum radial dimension of the distal portion of the catheter shaft;
- delivering energy through the expandable tip to tissue at a treatment site in the anatomic structure, wherein the expandable tip is configured such that, at least while the expandable tip is in the expanded state, energy can be delivered through an outer portion of the expandable tip, including through the distal region of the expandable tip, and independent of orientation of contact between the outer portion of the expandable tip and the tissue at the treatment site;
- delivering irrigation fluid through the expandable tip at the treatment site;
- and
- controlling the energy delivered to the treatment site to form, in the tissue at the treatment site, a lesion having a maximum depth less than about one-half of a maximum width.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.