Intracardiac catheter and method for detecting and diagnosing myocardial ischemia

An intracardiac catheter for sensing electrical activity and pressure within the heart of a living subject and for transmitting indications of this electrical activity and pressure to an external monitoring source, comprising:

• a) a flexible elongated body having an outer wall defining a lumen formed therein extending the length of said elongated body, said body having a proximal end portion and a distal end portion;
• b) electrical activity sensing means for measuring the electrical activity in a ventricle of the heart, including,
• at least one distally extending electric conductor having a proximal end and a distal end, said electric conductor extending within said lumen from said proximal end portion to said distal end portion,
• an electrically insulating sheath covering a substantial portion of said electric conductor,
• sensing electrode means connected to the distal end of the conductor, said sensing electrode means being capable of detecting electric currents from the ventricle, and
• means connected to the proximal end of the conductor to connect the electric conductor to said external monitoring source;
• c) means secured to the elongated body for preventing the sensing electrode means from coming into direct contact with the endocardium of the heart plus preventing obscuration of the sensed electrical currents by interference patterns;
• and
• d) pressure sensing means for sensing pressure in a body chamber adjacent said ventricle, said pressure sensing means extending within said lumen from an intermediate portion located between the distal portion and the proximal portion to said proximal portion, said pressure sensing means being connectable at a proximal end to said external monitoring source,
• wherein during utilization of the catheter said intermediate portion is positioned within said body chamber adjacent said ventricle and said distal portion is positioned in a ventricle of the heart, the catheter therefore having the capability of providing simultaneous indications of electrical activity within the ventricle and pressure within the adjacent body chamber, thus permitting correlation between indications of pressure and electrical activity.