System and method for assessing the formation of a lesion in tissue

A system for assessing tissue of an anatomical structure during an ablation procedure, the system comprising:

• an elongate medical device comprising:
• at least one optical-based sensing element configured for sensing contact of the elongate medical device with the tissue, and
• at least one electrode configured for sensing at least one component of a complex impedance between the electrode and the tissue;
• and
• an electronic control unit (ECU) configured to:
• acquire a signal from the optical-based sensing element to confirm that the elongate medical device is in contact with the tissue;
• acquire a magnitude for at least one component of the complex impedance from the electrode;
• and
• calculate a value responsive to the signal from the optical-based sensing element and the at least one component of the complex impedance.

An apparatus for assessing tissue during an ablation procedure using an ablation catheter, the apparatus comprising:

• an electronic control unit (ECU) configured to:
• acquire a power magnitude associated with a power applied to the tissue;
• acquire at least one component of a complex impedance between an electrode of the catheter and the tissue;
• acquire a signal indicating whether the catheter is in contact with the tissue;
• calculate a value responsive to the power magnitude, the at least one component of the complex impedance, and the signal indicating whether the catheter is in contact with the tissue;
• and
• output the value to a display device.

A method for assessing tissue of an anatomical structure during an ablation procedure using an ablation catheter, the method comprising:

• acquiring a signal from an optical-based sensing element of the catheter to confirm that the catheter is in contact with the tissue;
• acquiring a magnitude of at least one component of a complex impedance between an electrode of the catheter and the tissue;
• calculating a value responsive to the signal from the optical-based sensing element and the at least one component of the complex impedance;
• and
• outputting the value to a display device.