Prediction of atrial wall electrical reconnection based on contact force measured during RF ablation

A method for determining the continuity of an isolation line formed by point contact ablation in a region of the human heart, comprising:

• providing an elongate flexible catheter, said catheter including a distal portion having an ablation head operatively coupled with an energy source, a force sensor and a position sensing device, said energy source, said force sensor and said position sensing device being operatively coupled with a processor;
• configuring said processor to:
• provide instructions for forming a plurality of lesions substantially along a desired ablation line with said ablation head,
• sense the location of each of said plurality of lesions with said position sensing device during the forming of said plurality of lesions,
• determine if a jump occurred between each consecutively formed pair of lesions of said plurality of lesions, said jump being defined by a predetermined criteria of spatial separation between the lesions of said consecutively formed pairs of lesions, and
• increment a jump index for each jump detected in the formation of said plurality of lesions;
• and
• determining a probability of gap formation along said isolation line based on said Limp index and said force data.

A method of forming an isolation line in a region of a human heart, comprising:

• providing an elongate flexible catheter adapted to be introduced into a patient during a medical procedure, said catheter including a distal portion having an ablation head operatively coupled with a force sensor, a position sensing device and a control system having a processor, said processor being operatively coupled with said force sensor, said position sensing device and a receiving device, said processor having access to a storage medium that contains programming instructions to be executed by said processor, said programming instructions including:
• determining an actual location of a first lesion of said isolation line;
• calculating a desired location for a second lesion, said desired location of said second lesion being proximate to and based on said actual location of said first lesion;
• generating an instruction to position said ablation head at said desired location of said second lesion;
• and
• sending said instruction to position said ablation head at said desired location of said second lesion to said receiving device.