Method of radiofrequency ablation
AssigneeSensor Electronics, Inc.
InventorEdwin Langberg
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A cardiac ablation apparatus including a solenoidal antenna, monitoring electrodes, and a coupling network at a distal end of a catheter transmission line, and another coupling network at the proximal end of the catheter transmission line to connect the catheter to the source of radiofrequency (RF) power and to an intracardiac electrogram monitor. Solenoidal antenna design includes single and multiple windings with varying geometrical features. Plated plastic tri-axial design of a transmission line offers unitary fabrication. A catheter with variable impedance electrode and gap coatings has features useful for both ablation and for hyperthermia applications.
Claims5
A method of thermally destroying myocardial tissue in a chamber of the heart to treat arrythmia comprising the steps of
- introducing into the heart chamber a catheter body that carries an antenna having an axis,
- conducting eletromagnetic power to the antenna while the catheter body is immersed in blood in the chamber, and
- conditioning the antenna to emit a helically generated electromagnetic field about the antenna axis that penetrates, heats, and thermally destroys myocardial tissue beyond the catheter body.
A method of thermally destroying myocardial tissue in a chamber of the heart to treat arrythmia comprising the steps of
- introducing into the heart chamber a catheter body that carries a solenoidal antenna having an axis,
- conducting electromagnetic power to the solenoidal antenna while the catheter body is immersed in blood in the heart chamber, and
- conditioning the solenoidal antenna to emit an electromagnetic field about the antenna axis to penetrate, heat, and thermally destroy myocardial tissue beyond the catheter body.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.