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US 2014/0276692 A1Published application
Pressure Sensing of Irrigant Backpressure for Aligning Directional Medical Devices with Target Tissue
AssigneeSt. Jude Medical, Atrial Fibrillation Division, Inc.
InventorsJohn W. Sliwa, Zhenyi Ma, Stephen A. Morse
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Abstract
The present disclosure relates generally to systems and methods for aligning directionally operable medical devices with and upon target tissue. In particular, the instant disclosure relates to systems and methods for aligning medical devices such as directional ablation catheters to and upon target tissue by monitoring irrigant backpressure.
Claims21
A system for aligning a medical device with target tissue, comprising:
- an elongate medical device having a proximal region and a distal region, the distal region comprising a distal tip and at least one directional therapeutic or diagnostic component, the medical device further comprising:
- an irrigant delivery lumen having a proximal end and a distal end, wherein the distal end of the irrigant delivery lumen comprises an exit port at the distal tip of the distal region of the device, and wherein the irrigant delivery lumen exit port is spatially aligned with the therapeutic or diagnostic component;
- a fluid pump operably configured to supply a fluid to the irrigant delivery lumen;
- at least one pressure sensor configured to measure fluid backpressure in the irrigant delivery lumen;
- and
- a processor or circuitry capable of reporting increases in fluid backpressure during device manipulation which indicate alignment of the therapeutic or diagnostic component with and upon target tissue.
3 more elements
An ablation catheter apparatus comprising:
- an elongated catheter body extending longitudinally between a proximal portion and a distal portion along a longitudinal axis;
- the distal portion comprising at least one directional ablator or diagnostic component and an irrigant outflow port directionally spatially aligned with the at least one directional component;
- an irrigant delivery lumen disposed within the catheter body and terminating at the irrigant outflow port;
- at least one pressure monitoring element, wherein the at least one pressure monitoring element senses irrigant fluid backpressure caused by varying tissue blockage of the outflow port;
- and a processor or circuitry operably connected to the at least one pressure monitoring element, wherein the processor or circuitry determines a degree to which the directional component is aligned with and upon a target tissue.
2 more elements
A method of detecting orientation of a medical device to a target tissue, the steps of the method comprising:
- moving the medical device toward a target tissue, wherein the medical device comprises:
- a proximal region and a distal region and including a distal tip in the distal region;
- an energy delivery element located in the distal region of the medical device;
- a diagnostic element coupled to the distal region of the medical device
- a irrigant delivery lumen operably connected to a fluid pump and wherein the irrigant delivery lumen comprises an exit port at the distal tip of the medical device, the exit port being coaligned with at least one of said energy delivery or diagnostic element;
- delivering fluid via the irrigant delivery lumen;
- measuring the a change in back pressure as the energy delivery element moves towards and upon a target area on the tissue, wherein an increase in back pressure indicates alignment of the at least one energy delivery or diagnostic element with the target area.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.