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US 5,836,947 AGranted
Flexible structures having movable splines for supporting electrode elements
AssigneeEP Technologies, Inc.
InventorsSidney D. Fleischman, Thomas M. Bourne, James G. Whayne
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A flexible electrode support is bent to define an arcuate shape that extends beyond the distal end of an associated guide body. At least one of the ends of the support is free of attachment to the distal end. By moving the free end, a user can push upon or pull against the structure to alter its arcuate shape to assure intimate contact with tissue.
Claims43
An electrode support structure comprising
- a carrier having an axis,
- a spline leg carried by the carrier having a resilient memory to define a normally flexed structure including an inner portion located generally along the axis of the carrier and an outer portion spaced radially from the axis of the carrier,
- at least one elongated flexible electrode element on the outer portion of the flexed structure, and
- at least one of the inner and outer portions of the flexed structure being free of attachment to the carrier,
- a control element coupled to the at least one of the inner and outer portions to move the at least one of the inner and outer portions relative to the carrier to increase or decrease flexure of the structure and thereby change the shape of the elongated flexible electrode.
2 more elements
A flexible electrode device for ablating tissue comprising
- a guide body having a distal end,
- an elongated flexible electrode element having a near end and a far end,
- a spline leg having a near end and a far end,
- the near ends of the electrode element and the spline leg extending in a circumferentially spaced relationship from the distal guide body end with the far ends of the electrode element and spline leg joined at a junction, the near end of the electrode element being attached to the distal guide body end, the electrode element having a resilient memory defining an arcuate shape between its near end and the junction, the near end of the spline leg being free of attachment to the distal guide body end for movement, and
- a control element coupled to the near end of the spline leg to move the spline leg to pull upon and push against the junction to alter the arcuate shape of the electrode element.
2 more elements
An electrode support structure comprising
- a guide body having a distal end,
- a stylet extending along the guide body having an axis and having a bendable portion extending outwardly beyond the distal end of the guide body,
- at least one flexible spline leg having a near end attached to the distal end of the guide body and a far end extending beyond the distal end of the guide body and attached to the bendable portion of the stylet, the spline leg being normally flexed between the distal guide body end and the bendable stylet portion in a first direction that extends along and radially outward of the axis of the stylet,
- at least one electrode element on the flexible spline leg, and
- a control element coupled to the bendable stylet portion to apply tension to bend the bendable stylet portion and flex the spline leg in a second direction without bending the guide body.
2 more elements
An electrode support structure comprising
- a guide body having a distal end,
- a stylet extending along the guide body having an axis and having a bendable portion extending outwardly beyond the distal end of the guide body,
- at least one flexible spline leg having a near end attached to the distal end of the guide body and a far end extending beyond the distal end of the guide body and attached to the bendable portion of the stylet, the spline leg being normally flexed between the distal guide body end and the bendable stylet portion in a first direction that extends along and radially outward of the axis of the stylet,
- at least one electrode element on the flexible spline leg,
- a first control element coupled to the stylet to move the stylet along its axis toward the distal end of the guide body to increase flexure of the spline leg in the first direction and to move the stylet along its axis away from the distal end of the guide body to decrease flexure of the spline leg in the first direction, and
- a second control element attached to the bendable stylet portion to apply tension to bend the bendable stylet portion and flex the spline in a second direction without bending the guide body.
3 more elements
A flexible electrode device for ablating tissue comprising
- a guide body having a distal end,
- a stylet extending along the guide body having an axis and having a bendable portion extending outwardly from the distal end of the guide body,
- at least one elongated flexible electrode element carried between the distal end of the guide body and the bendable portion of the stylet, the electrode element being normally flexed between the distal guide body end and the bendable stylet portion in a first direction that extends along and radially outward of the axis of the stylet, and
- a control element coupled to the bendable stylet portion to apply tension to bend the bendable stylet portion and flex the electrode element in a second direction without bending the guide body.
1 more element
A method for ablating tissue in a heart comprising the steps of
- introducing a probe into the heart, the probe having a catheter body having an axis and carrying at least one elongated flexible ablation element, the probe also including a bendable stylet attached to a distal end of the flexible ablation element,
- establishing contact between the ablation electrode and a region of heart tissue,
- applying tension to bend the stylet and flex the ablation element into a curvilinear shape along the contacted tissue region without bending the catheter body, and
- transmitting ablation energy to the ablation electrode while flexed in the curvilinear shape and in contact with the tissue region.
1 more element
A method for ablating tissue in a heart comprising the steps of
- introducing a probe into the heart, the probe having an axis and carrying at least one elongated flexible ablation element, the probe also including a bendable stylet attached to a distal end of the flexible ablation element,
- establishing contact between the ablation electrode and a region of heart tissue at least in part by moving the stylet along the probe axis to flex the ablation electrode in a first direction that extends along and radially outward of the axis of the probe,
- applying tension to bend the stylet and flex the ablation element in a second direction along the contacted tissue region, and
- transmitting ablation energy to the ablation electrode while flexed in the first and second directions.
1 more element
An electrode support structure comprising
- a guide body having a distal end,
- a first spline leg and a second spline leg each carried by the guide body, the first and second spline legs extending in a generally circumferentially spaced relationship beyond the distal guide body end, the first spline leg having a resilient memory forming a main arcuate structure that extends in a first plane beyond the distal guide body end, the first spline leg including a secondary structure that extends in a second plane different than the first plane, the first and second spline legs including near ends extending from the distal guide body end, the near end of at least one of the spline legs being free of attachment to the distal guide body end and movable relative to the guide body to compress or expand the main arcuate structure, and
- at least one electrode element on the secondary structure.
An electrode support structure comprising
- a guide body having a distal end,
- first and second spline legs carried by the guide body, each having a near end and a far end, the near ends extending in a generally diametrically spaced relationship from the distal guide body end with the far ends joined, the first spline leg being attached to the distal guide body end and having a resilient memory forming a main arcuate structure that extends in a first plane beyond the distal guide body end, the first spline leg including a secondary arcuate structure carried between its near and far ends that extends in a second plane different than the first plane, and
- at least one electrode element on the secondary arcuate structure.
An electrode support structure comprising
- a guide body having a distal end,
- first and second spline legs receivable in the guide body, each having a near end and a far end, the near ends extending in a generally diametrically spaced relationship from the distal guide body end with the far ends joined, the first spline leg being attached to the distal guide body end and having a resilient memory forming a main arcuate structure that extends in a first plane beyond the distal guide body end, the first spline leg including a secondary arcuate structure carried between its near and far ends that extends in a second plane different than the first plane, the near end of at least one of the first and second spline legs being free of attachment to the distal guide body end and moveable to compress or expand the main arcuate structure, and
- at least one electrode element on the secondary arcuate structure.
A device for ablating tissue comprising
- a guide body having a distal end,
- first and second spline legs carried by the guide body, each having a near end and a far end, the near ends extending in a generally diametrically spaced relationship from the distal guide body end with the far ends joined at a junction, the first spline leg being attached to the distal guide body end and having a resilient memory forming a main arcuate structure that extends in a first plane between the distal guide body end and the junction, the first spline leg including a secondary arcuate structure carried between its near and far ends that extends in a second plane different than the first plane, and
- a flexible ablation electrode element carried on and conforming to the shape of the secondary arcuate structure.
A device for ablating tissue comprising
- a guide body having a distal end,
- first and second spline legs carried by the guide body, each having a near end and a far end, the near ends extending in a generally diametrically spaced relationship from the distal guide body end with the far ends joined at a junction, the first spline leg being attached to the distal guide body end and having a resilient memory forming a main arcuate structure that extends in a first plane between the distal guide body end and the junction, the first spline leg including a secondary arcuate structure carried between its near and far ends that extends in a second plane different than the first plane, the near end of the second spline leg being free of attachment to the distal guide body end and moveable to pull upon or push against the junction to compress or expand the main arcuate structure, and
- a flexible ablation electrode carried on and conforming to the shape of the secondary arcuate structure.
An electrode support structure comprising
- a guide body having a distal end and an axis,
- first and second stylets each including proximal ends joined to each other at a junction near the distal guide body end and distal ends extending outwardly beyond the junction in a spaced apart relationship along the axis of the guide body,
- a first flexible spline leg having a near end attached to the distal end of the guide body and a far end attached to the distal end of the first stylet, the first spline leg being normally flexed between the distal guide body end and the distal first stylet end in a first radial direction outward of the axis of the guide body,
- a second flexible spline leg having a near end attached to the distal end of the guide body and a far end attached to the distal end of the second stylet, the second spline leg being normally flexed between the distal guide body end and the distal second stylet end in a second radial direction outward of the axis of the guide body different than the first radial direction, at least one electrode element on at least one of the flexible spline legs, and
- a control element coupled to the junction of the first and second stylets to move the junction away from the distal end of the guide body to simultaneously decrease flexure of the first and second spline legs and to move the junction toward the distal end of the guide body to simultaneously increase flexure of the first and second spline legs.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.