Apparatus and methods for ablation efficacy
AssigneeVoyage Medical, Inc.
InventorsMichael J. DREWS, Bryan WYLIE, Leslie OLEY, Vahid SAADAT
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Abstract
Apparatus and methods for ablation efficacy are described herein where a hood having a deployable elongated feature can extend beyond a distal face of the hood. The elongated feature can channel the energy to the deeper regions within the tissue (such as trabeculated regions or other tissue structures) such that the energy can be delivered to the target tissue despite small or large irregularities in the target tissue surface (or region) and/or changes in the relative distances between the hood and the target tissue.
Claims27
An apparatus for ablating a tissue region having irregular anatomy, comprising:
- an elongate catheter having a distal end and a flexible length;
- a non-inflatable hood attached to the distal end and having a low-profile shape and a deployed shape, wherein the hood defines an open area when in the deployed shape which is in fluid communication through at least one opening with an environment external to the hood;
- and
- an elongated feature which is extendable distally from the hood, wherein the projection defines the at least one opening having a diameter which is less than a diameter of the hood such that a purging fluid introduced into the open area from the catheter is urged through the narrowed projection and into the environment.
An apparatus for ablating a tissue region having irregular anatomy, comprising:
- an elongate catheter having a distal end and a flexible length;
- a non-inflatable hood projecting distally from the distal end, where the hood is configurable between a low-profile shape and a deployed shape where the hood defines an open area in fluid communication with the catheter;
- and,
- an elongate projection which is extendable from a distal barrier of the hood, wherein the projection defines an opening which allows for fluid communication between the open area and an environment external to the hood.
An apparatus for ablating a tissue region having irregular anatomy, comprising:
- an elongate catheter having a distal end and a flexible length;
- a non-inflatable hood projecting distally from the distal end, where the hood is configurable between a low-profile shape and a deployed shape where the hood defines an open area in fluid communication with the catheter;
- and,
- an elongate projection having a corrugated membrane which is extendable from a distal barrier of the hood, wherein the projection defines an opening which allows for fluid communication between the open area and an environment external to the hood.
An apparatus for ablating a tissue region having irregular anatomy, comprising:
- an elongate catheter having a distal end and a flexible length;
- a non-inflatable hood projecting distally from the distal end, where the hood is configurable between a low-profile shape and a deployed shape where the hood defines an open area in fluid communication with the catheter;
- and,
- an elongate projection which is extendable from a distal barrier of the hood, wherein the projection defines an opening which allows for fluid communication between the open area and an environment external to the hood through a porous membrane.
An apparatus for ablating a tissue region having irregular anatomy, comprising:
- an elongate catheter having a distal end and, a flexible length;
- a non-inflatable hood attached to the distal end and having a low-profile shape and a deployed shape, wherein the hood defines an open area when in the deployed shape;
- a barrier positioned over a distal end of the hood and defining an aperture through which the open area is in fluid communication with an environment external to the hood;
- and,
- an ablation instrument having a curved distal end positionable through the flexible length such that the curved distal end is advanceable through the aperture and into contact against the tissue region.
An apparatus for ablating a tissue region, comprising:
- an elongate catheter having a distal end and a flexible length;
- a non-inflatable hood attached to the distal end and having a low-profile shape and a deployed shape, wherein the hood defines an open area which is in fluid communication with an environment external to the hood;
- and
- a fluid dispersing feature defining a plurality of openings through which a clearing fluid introduced into the open area is purged through the fluid dispersing feature and into the environment.
A method of ablating a tissue region having irregular anatomy, comprising:
- positioning a catheter in proximity to the tissue region;
- reconfiguring a non-inflatable hood attached to the distal end of the catheter from a low-profile shape into a deployed shape, wherein the hood defines an open area when in the deployed shape which is in fluid communication through at least one opening with an environment external to the hood;
- introducing a clearing fluid into the open area such that an opaque fluid is purged from the open area and through the at least one opening into the environment;
- energizing the clearing fluid via at least one electrode;
- and
- dispersing the clearing fluid while passing into the environment via a fluid dispersing feature.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.