Apparatus and Method for ventricular mapping and ablation

An apparatus for mapping electrical signals arising in a wall of a heart forming a chamber in the heart, comprising a flexible shaft having proximal and distal extremities and a basket assembly, the basket assembly comprising a plurality of circumferentially spaced-apart longitudinally extending arms having proximal and distal extremities, means securing the proximal extremities of the arms to the distal extremity of the shaft, each of said arms including a member formed of an elastic material having a recoverable strain of more than 1.0% and having an outwardly bowed shape memory, at least one electrode provided on each of the arms and conductor means on the arms connected to the electrodes carried by the arm for conducting electrical signals detected by the electrodes, said member being in the form of a band having a width which is substantially greater than its thickness, said band being enclosed within an insulating layer to provide an enclosed band, said conductor means connected to said electrodes in said arms being carried in a multiple conductor strip secured to the enclosed band.

In an apparatus for mapping electrical signals arising in a wall of a heart forming a chamber in the heart, comprising a flexible shaft having proximal and distal extremities and a basket assembly, the basket assembly comprising a plurality of circumferentially spaced-apart longitudinally extending arms having proximal and distal extremities and having an outwardly facing surface, means securing the proximal extremities of the arms to the distal extremity of the shaft, each of said arms including a member formed of an elastic material having a recoverable strain of more than 1.0% and having an outwardly bowed shape memory, a plurality of electrodes on each of the arms, means carried by each of said arms for mounting said electrodes in spaced-apart position longitudinally of each arm and so that they are flush with the outwardly facing surface of each arm and conductor means on the arms connected to the electrodes carried by the arm for conducting electrical signals detected by the electrodes, said arms having a column strength and thickness, the proximal and distal extremities of the arms having a reduced cross-sectional area to reduce the column strength and stiffness of the proximal and distal extremities to help ensure that the electrodes carried by the arms are retained in engagement with the wall of the heart during movement of the wall as pumping of the heart occurs.

A mapping catheter for mapping electrical signals arising in a wall of a heart forming a chamber in the heart, comprising a flexible elongate tubular member having proximal and distal extremities and having a cylindrical configuration, a basket assembly comprised of a plurality of circumferentially spaced-apart longitudinally extending arms having proximal and distal extremities, means securing the proximal extremities of the arms to the distal extremity of the elongate flexible tubular member, said arms having outer surfaces, electrodes carried by the outer surfaces insulated from each other and being exposed solely in a direction extending from the outer surfaces and conductor means connected to the electrodes and carried by the arms for conducting electrical signals detected by the electrodes and extending through the flexible elongate tubular member to the proximal extremity thereof, each of said arms including a member of an elastic material having a recoverable strain of more than 1.0% and having an outwardly bowed shape memory, said arms being compressible so that they have a cylindrical configuration which corresponds generally to the cylindrical configuration of the elongate flexible tubular member.

A mapping catheter for mapping electrical signals arising in a wall of a heart forming a chamber in the heart, comprising a flexible elongate tubular member having proximal and distal extremities, a basket assembly comprised of a plurality of circumferentially spaced-apart longitudinally extending arms having proximal and distal extremities, means securing the proximal extremities of the arms to the distal extremity of the elongate flexible tubular member, said arms having outer surfaces, electrodes carried by the outer surfaces and conductor means connected to the electrodes and carried by the arms for conducting electrical signals detected by the electrodes and extending through the flexible elongate tubular member to the proximal extremity thereof, each of said arms including a member of an elastic material having a recoverable strain of more than 1.0% and having an outwardly bowed shape memory, said arms being compressible so that they have a cylindrical configuration which corresponds generally to the cylindrical configuration of the elongate flexible tubular member, said elastic material being a shape-memory alloy, said shape-memory alloy having a substantially rectangular cross-section to form a band, said electrodes and said conductor means being in the form of a multiple conductor strip secured to said band.

A catheter for mapping a wall of an organ comprising a flexible elongate tubular member having proximal and distal extremities and having a cylindrical configuration, a basket assembly comprised of a plurality of circumferentially spaced-apart longitudinally extending arms having proximal and distal extremities and intermediate portions, said proximal and distal extremities having a stiffness and including means for reducing the stiffness of the proximal and distal extremities, means securing the proximal extremities of the arms to the distal extremity of the elongate flexible tubular member, said arms having outer surfaces, electrodes carried by the outer surfaces and being flush with the outer surfaces and conductors connected to the electrodes and carried by the arms and extending through the flexible elongate tubular member to the proximal extremity thereof, said arms having an outwardly bowed shape memory and being compressible so that they can have a cylindrical configuration which conforms generally to the cylindrical configuration of the elongate flexible tubular member.

An mapping catheter comprising a flexible elongate tubular member having proximal and distal extremities and a cylindrical configuration, a basket assembly comprised of a plurality of circumferentially spaced-apart longitudinally extending arms having proximal and distal extremities and intermediate positions, said proximal and distal extremities being of reduced cross-sectional area in comparison to the intermediate portions, means securing the proximal extremities of the arms to the distal extremity of the elongate flexible tubular member, said arms having outer surfaces, electrodes carried by the outer surfaces and conductor means connected to the electrodes and carried by the arms and extending through the flexible elongate tubular member to the proximal extremity thereof, said arms having an outwardly bowed shape memory and being compressible so that they can have a cylindrical configuration which conforms generally to the cylindrical configuration of the elongate flexible tubular member, each of said arms including a band formed of a material having a recoverable strain of more than 1% and having a substantially rectangular cross-section, said electrodes and said conductor means being in the form of a multiple conductor strip secured to said band.