Controlling irreversible electroporation ablation using a focal catheter having contact-force and temperature sensors

Abstract

A catheter includes an insertion tube, first and second electrodes, and a contact-force sensor. The insertion tube is configured to insert the catheter into a patient body. The first and second electrodes are coupled to a distal-end of the catheter at a predefined distance from one another, and are configured to: (i) receive, via the insertion tube, one or more irreversible electroporation (IRE) pulses, and (ii) apply the IRE pulses, between the first and second electrodes, to tissue of the patient body. The contact-force sensor is disposed between the first and second electrodes and is configured to produce an electrical signal indicative of a contact force applied between the distal-end and the tissue.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.