US 5,840,031 A · Catheters for imaging, sensing electrical potentials and ablating tissue

Abstract

An acoustic imaging system for use within a heart has a catheter, an ultrasound device incorporated into the catheter, and an electrode mounted on the catheter. The ultrasound device directs ultrasonic signals toward an internal structure in the heart to create an ultrasonic image, and the electrode is arranged for electrical contact with the internal structure. A chemical ablation device mounted on the catheter ablates at least a portion of the internal structure by delivery of fluid to the internal structure. The ablation device includes a material that vibrates in response to electrical excitation, the ablation being at least assisted by vibration of the material. The ablation device may alternatively be a transducer incorporated into the catheter, arranged to convert electrical signals into radiation and to direct the radiation toward the internal structure. The electrode may be a sonolucent structure incorporated into the catheter, through which the ultrasound device is arranged to direct signals. An acoustic marker mounted on the catheter emits a sonic wave when electrically excited. A central processing unit creates a graphical representation of the internal structure, and super-imposes items of data onto the graphical representation at locations that represent the respective plurality of locations within the internal structure corresponding to the plurality of items of data. A display system displays the graphical representation onto which the plurality of items of data are super-imposed.

Claims27

Dependent claims

A catheter system, comprising:

an elongated, flexible catheter constructed to be inserted into a body of a living being;
an imaging system constructed and arranged to provide information from which a graphical representation of an internal structure within said body of said living being may be created, said imaging system comprising an ultrasound device incorporated into said elongated, flexible catheter,
a data collection system, at least partially located on a distal portion of said elongated, flexible catheter, constructed and arranged to produce a plurality of items of data corresponding to a respective plurality of locations within said internal structure,
a central processing unit, electrically connected to said imaging system and said data collection system, said central processing unit configured and arranged to simultaneously record said information provided by said imaging system and said plurality of items of data provided by said data collection system, to create said graphical representation of said internal structure from said information provided by said imaging system, and to super-impose onto said graphical representation said plurality of items of data provided by said data collection system, said plurality of items of data being super-imposed at locations on said graphical representation that represent said respective plurality of locations within said internal structure corresponding to said plurality of items of data, and
a graphic display system, electrically connected to said central processing unit, and constructed to display said graphical representation onto which said plurality of items of data are super-imposed.

2 more elements

A catheter system, comprising:

an elongated, flexible catheter constructed to be inserted into a body of a living being,
an imaging system constructed and arranged to provide information from which a graphical representation of an internal structure within said body of said living being may be created, said imaging system comprising a trans-esophageal ultrasound imaging device,
a data collection system, at least partially located on a distal portion of said elongated, flexible catheter, constructed and arranged to produce a plurality of items of data corresponding to a respective plurality of locations within said internal structure,
a central processing unit, electrically connected to said imaging system and said data collection system, said central processing unit configured and arranged to simultaneously record said information provided by said imaging system and said plurality of items of data provided by said data collection system, to create said graphical representation of said internal structure from said information provided by said imaging system, and to super-impose onto said graphical representation said plurality of items of data provided by said data collection system, said plurality of items of data being super-imposed at locations on said graphical representation that represent said respective plurality of locations within said internal structure corresponding to said plurality of items of data, and
a graphic display system, electrically connected to said central processing unit, and constructed to display said graphical representation onto which said plurality of items of physiological data are super-imposed.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Catheters for imaging, sensing electrical potentials and ablating tissue

Life of this patent

Catheters for imaging, sensing electrical potentials and ablating tissue

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims27