Systems, apparatuses, and methods for pre-ablation pulses in pulsed field ablation applications

An apparatus, comprising:

• a current sense resistor coupled to a set of electrodes of an ablation device positionable within patient anatomy;
• current measurement circuitry configured to measure a current across the current sense resistor that is generated in response to a pre-ablation pulse being applied to a first subset of electrodes of the set of electrodes;
• a comparator configured to determine whether the current meets a predetermined criterion and to produce a digital output indicative of whether the current meets the predetermined criterion;
• and
• a processor configured to:
• in response to the digital output indicating that the current meets the predetermined criterion, cause delivery of a pulse waveform to a second subset of electrodes of the set of electrodes such that the second subset of electrodes generates a pulsed electric field for ablation;
• and
• in response to the digital output indicating that the current does not meet the predetermined criterion, inhibit delivery of the pulse waveform to the second subset of electrodes;
• wherein the processor is configured to set the predetermined criterion based on an input received from a user;
• wherein the input includes a threshold value or a range of values, and the processor is configured to set the predetermined criterion by:
• passing the threshold value or the range of values to a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) such that the DAC produces an analog signal representative of the threshold value or the range of values,
• the predetermined criterion being set at the comparator based on the analog signal.

A method, comprising:

• generating, using an energy source, a set of pre-ablation signals;
• delivering the set of pre-ablation signals to a first set of subsets of electrodes of the set of electrodes of an ablation device, the ablation device being position within patient anatomy;
• measuring, using sensing circuitry coupled to the set of electrodes, a set of one or more currents passing through a current sense resistor of the sensing circuitry in response to the delivery of the set of pre-ablation signals;
• determining whether the set of currents meet a predetermined criterion;
• and
• in response to determining that the set of currents meet the predetermined criterion, generating and delivering a pulse waveform to a second set of subsets of electrodes of the set of electrodes such that the second set of subsets of electrodes generates a pulsed electric field for ablating tissue;
• wherein determining whether the set of currents meets the predetermined criterion includes at least one of:
• determining whether each current of the set of currents is greater than a predetermined threshold value, determining whether each current of the set of currents is less than a predetermined threshold value, or determining whether each current of the set of currents is within a predetermined range of values;
• wherein the set of pre-ablation signals is delivered to the first set of subsets of electrodes according to a predetermined sequence in which each pre-ablation signal from the set of pre-ablation signals is delivered to a distinct subset of electrodes of the first set of subsets of electrodes.