Electrical heating catheter
AssigneeSensor Electronics, Inc.
InventorEdwin Langberg
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Abstract
The invention provides a thermal design of a catheter where the active electrode is partially covered by a heat conducting and electrically insulating heat-sink layer for localizing and controlling an electrical heating of tissue and cooling of the active electrode by convective blood flow. The invention further comprises a current equalizing coating for gradual transition of electrical properties at a boundary of a metallic active electrode and an insulating catheter tube. The current equalizing coating controls current density and the distribution of tissue heating.
Claims13
An electrical heating catheter comprising:
- an electrical cable housed in an electrically insulating catheter tube;
- the electrical cable adapted to be connected at a proximal end to a source of electrical power;
- an active electrode including a metallic material;
- the electrical cable connected at a distal end to said active electrode;
- a graduated electrical impedance coating on the active electrode for providing a smooth transition of surface current density between said metallic material of the active electrode and a material of the electrically insulating catheter tube.
In a catheter for electrical heating, comprising an active electrode formed of metallic material and a catheter transmission line having a proximal end and a distal end, said line being adapted to be connected at its proximal end to a source of electrical power and being connected at its distal end to said active electrode, said electrode in operation being immersed in a lossy medium, said catheter characterized by:
- a graduated impedance coating deposited on a surface of the said active electrode for shaping an electric field in the lossy medium outside of said electrode and coating being heat conducting and electrically insulating, said coating controlling an electrical heating of tissue and cooling of said active electrode by convective blood flow.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.