Ablation catheter with flexible tip
AssigneeSt. Jude Medical, Atrial Fibrillation Division, Inc.
InventorsCarlo Pappone, Alan de la Rama, Peter Chen, Cary Hata, Jared A. Shimizu
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A flexible tip electrode for an ablation catheter is disclosed. The catheter includes a catheter body and a hollow elongate tip electrode disposed at a distal end of the catheter body. The electrode includes a sidewall provided with one or more elongate gaps extending therethrough. The one or more elongate gaps providing flexibility in the sidewall for bending movement of the tip electrode relative to a longitudinal axis of the catheter body.
Claims36
-34. (canceled)
An ablation catheter comprising:
- a catheter body;
- a hollow elongate tip electrode disposed at a distal end of the catheter body, the electrode comprising a sidewall provided with one or more elongate gaps extending therethrough, the one or more elongate gaps providing flexibility in the sidewall for bending movement of the tip electrode relative to a longitudinal axis of the catheter body;
- and
- a fluid delivery lumen in communication with the one or more elongate gaps, wherein the sidewall is configured to be coupled to an irrigation system such that when a cooling fluid is delivered in the lumen, it passes through the one or more elongate gaps to outside of the electrode.
An ablation catheter comprising:
- an elongate electrode having a cylindrical hollow body defined by a wall having one or more elongate gaps extending through a thickness of the wall, the elongate gaps providing axial freedom of movement and allowing the electrode to bend when the electrode impinges upon a tissue surface;
- and
- a fluid delivery lumen in communication with the one or more elongate gaps, wherein the electrode is configured such that when the lumen is coupled to an irrigation system and a cooling fluid is delivered through the lumen, the fluid passes through the one or more elongate gaps to outside of the electrode.
The catheter as recited in claim 47, wherein the wall is defined by a spiraling stem extending about a longitudinal axis of the electrode and forming a series of turns, the gaps being located between adjacent turns of the spiraling stem, and wherein the stem includes a plurality of protruding blocks disposed on both sides of the member, each block transversely extending towards an adjacent turn.
An electrode for an ablation catheter, the electrode comprising a hollow electrode body defined by a sidewall extending along a longitudinal axis, wherein the sidewall is provided with a pattern including one or more elongate gaps extending through a thickness of the wall, the elongate gaps imparting flexibility to the sidewall to adopt different operating configurations relative to the longitudinal axis.
An ablation catheter comprising:
- a catheter body;
- a hollow elongate tip electrode disposed at a distal end of the catheter body, the electrode comprising a sidewall provided with one or more elongate gaps extending therethrough;
- and
- a fluid delivery lumen in communication with the one or more elongate gaps, wherein the sidewall is configured such that the one or more elongate gaps enable bending movement of the tip electrode relative to a longitudinal axis of the catheter body when the tip electrode impinges upon a tissue surface, and for directed fluid egress from a portion of the elongate gaps toward the surface.
An ablation catheter comprising:
- a catheter body;
- a hollow elongate tip electrode disposed at a distal end of the catheter body, the electrode comprising a sidewall provided with one or more elongate gaps extending therethrough;
- and
- a fluid delivery lumen in communication with the one or more elongate gaps, wherein the sidewall is configured such that the one or more elongate gaps enable bending movement of the tip electrode relative to a longitudinal axis of the catheter body when the tip electrode impinges upon a tissue surface, and wherein the sidewall is configured such that more of a fluid is directed through a portion of the elongate gaps toward the surface than away from the surface when the fluid is delivered through the lumen while the electrode impinges upon the surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.