Radiofrequency ablation catheter
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.
Claims12
A catheter for thermally destroying myocardial tissue in a heart chamber to treat arrythmia comprising
- a catheter body that carries an antenna having an axis,
- means for conducting electromagnetic power to the antenna while the catheter body is immersed in blood in a heart chamber, and
- means for 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 catheter for thermally destroying myocardial tissue in a heart chamber to treat arrythmia comprising
- a catheter body that carries a solenoidal antenna having an axis,
- means for conducting electromagnetic power to the solenoidal antenna while the catheter body is immersed in blood in a heart chamber, and
- means for 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.
A cardiac ablation catheter comprising
- a catheter body,
- solenoidal antenna means having an axis and carried within the catheter body, the solenoidal antenna means being operative, when conducting electromagnetic power, for emitting an electrical field while the catheter body is immersed in an intra-cardiac medium to thereby heat tissue, and
- power transmission means for connecting the solenoidal antenna means to an external source of electromagnetic power comprising a conductive connection at a first point of the solenoidal antenna means and a capacitive connection at a second point of the solenoidal antenna means to selectively condition the solenoidal antenna means, based upon the frequency of the conducted electromagnetic power, to operate in a first mode for heating tissue beyond the catheter body by emitting a helically generated electrical field that circulates around the catheter body in radially spaced arcuate paths about the solenoidal antenna means axis;
- to alternatively condition the solenoidal antenna means to operate in a second mode for heating tissue by emitting an electrical field that extends radially from the solenoidal antenna means axis;
- and to alternatively condition the solenoidal antenna means to operate in a range of modes between the first and second modes.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.