Enhanced medical device for use in bodily cavities, for example an atrium

A medical system comprising:

• a structure comprising a plurality of elongate members, each elongate member of the plurality of elongate members comprising a proximal end, a distal end, and a respective intermediate portion positioned between the proximal end and the distal end of the elongate member, the structure selectively moveable between a delivery configuration in which the structure is sized to be percutaneously delivered to a bodily cavity, and a deployed configuration in which the structure is expanded to have a size too large to be percutaneously delivered to the bodily cavity, the respective intermediate portions of at least some of the plurality of elongate members angularly spaced with respect to one another about a first axis when the structure is in the deployed configuration;
• a handle portion;
• and
• a shaft member, a portion of the shaft member sized and arranged to deliver the structure percutaneously to the bodily cavity, the shaft member comprising a first end positioned at least proximate to the handle portion and a second end physically coupled to the structure, in the deployed configuration the structure and a second-end-portion of the shaft member including the second end of the shaft member having a projected outline in the shape of the lower-case Greek letter rho,
• wherein each of the at least some of the plurality of elongate members comprises a curved portion that extends along at least a portion of a respective curved path that intersects the first axis at each of a respective at least two spaced apart locations along the first axis when the structure is in the deployed configuration.

A medical system comprising:

• a structure comprising a plurality of elongate members, each elongate member of the plurality of elongate members comprising a proximal end, a distal end, an intermediate portion positioned between the proximal end and the distal end of the elongate member, and a thickness, the intermediate portion of each elongate member of the plurality of elongate members comprising a front surface and a back surface opposite across the thickness of the elongate member from the front surface, wherein the structure is selectively moveable between:
• an unexpanded configuration in which at least the respective intermediate portions of the elongate members of the plurality of elongate members are arranged with respect to one another front surface-toward-back surface in a stacked array sized for delivery through a bodily opening leading to a bodily cavity, and
• an expanded configuration in which the respective intermediate portions of the plurality of elongate members are angularly spaced with respect to one another about a first axis, the plurality of elongate members further comprising at least one elongate member that comprises a curved portion arranged to extend along at least a portion of a respective curved path that intersects the first axis at each of a respective at least three spaced apart locations along the first axis when the structure is in the expanded configuration.

A medical system comprising:

• a plurality of individually activatable transducer elements;
• and
• a structure comprising a plurality of elongate members, each elongate member of the plurality of elongate members comprising a proximal end, a distal end, an intermediate portion positioned between the proximal end and the distal end of the elongate member, and a thickness, the intermediate portion of each elongate member of the plurality of elongate members comprising a front surface and a back surface opposite across the thickness of the elongate member from the front surface, wherein the structure comprises:
• a first configuration in which at least the respective intermediate portions of the elongate members of the plurality of elongate members are successively arranged front surface-toward-back surface in a stacked array comprising a plurality of successive pairs of the elongate members, the stacked array sized for delivery through a bodily opening leading to a bodily cavity when the structure is in the first configuration, wherein each elongate member of the plurality of elongate members is arranged to be advanced distal end ahead of the proximal end through the bodily opening leading to the bodily cavity when the structure is in the first configuration, and wherein a respective particular group of the plurality of individually activatable transducer elements is arranged between the elongate members of each successive pair of the elongate members in the stacked array when the structure is in the first configuration.

A medical system comprising:

• a structure comprising a plurality of elongate members, each elongate member of the plurality of elongate members comprising a proximal end, a distal end, and a respective intermediate portion positioned between the proximal end and the distal end of the elongate member, the structure selectively moveable between a delivery configuration and an expanded configuration,
• wherein the structure is sized to be percutaneously delivered to a bodily cavity in the delivery configuration with the respective distal end of each of the plurality of elongate members arranged to be delivered to the bodily cavity before at least the respective intermediate portion,
• wherein the respective intermediate portions of at least two of the plurality of elongate members are angularly spaced with respect to one another about a first axis when the structure is in the expanded configuration, each of the at least two of the plurality of elongate members comprising a curved portion that extends along at least a portion of a respective curved path that intersects the first axis at each of a respective at least two spaced apart locations along the first axis when the structure is in the expanded configuration,
• wherein a first location of the respective at least two spaced apart locations intersected by the at least the portion of the respective curved path extended along by the curved portion of one elongate member of the at least two of the plurality of elongate members is located along the first axis relatively farther from the respective proximal end of at least the one elongate member than a second location of the respective at least two spaced apart locations intersected by the at least the portion of the respective curved path extended along by the curved portion of the one elongate member when the structure is in the expanded configuration, and
• wherein the respective distal ends of the at least two of the plurality of elongate members are each located relatively closer to the second location than the first location when the structure is in the expanded configuration.

A medical system comprising:

• a structure comprising a proximal portion and a distal portion, the structure selectively moveable between a delivery configuration and an expanded configuration, the structure percutaneously deliverable distal portion first through a bodily opening when the structure is in the delivery configuration, and each of the proximal and distal portions comprising a respective domed shape when the structure is in the expanded configuration;
• and
• a shaft member, a portion of the shaft member sized and arranged to deliver the structure percutaneously through the bodily opening, the shaft member comprising a first end, a second end, and an elongated portion extending between the first end and the second end of the shaft member, the shaft member physically coupled to the proximal portion of the structure at least at a location on the proximal portion of the structure, the location on the proximal portion of the structure located at least adjacent the second end of the shaft member, and the second end of the shaft member arranged to be percutaneously delivered through the bodily opening at least before the elongated portion of the shaft member,
• wherein the structure comprises a plurality of elongate members, each elongate member of the plurality of elongate members comprising a proximal end, a distal end, and a respective intermediate portion positioned between the proximal end and the distal end of the elongate member,
• wherein the structure is sized to be percutaneously delivered through the bodily opening in the delivery configuration with the respective distal end of each of the plurality of elongate members arranged to be delivered through the bodily opening before at least the respective intermediate portion, and the respective intermediate portions of at least two of the plurality of elongate members are angularly spaced with respect to one another about a first axis when the structure is in the expanded configuration, each of the at least two of the plurality of elongate members comprising a curved portion that extends along at least a portion of a respective curved path that intersects the first axis at each of a respective at least two spaced apart locations along the first axis when the structure is in the expanded configuration, a first location of the respective at least two spaced apart locations intersected by the at least the portion of the respective curved path extended along by the curved portion of one of the at least two of the plurality of elongate members located along the first axis relatively farther from the location on the proximal portion of the structure than a second location of the respective at least two spaced apart locations intersected by the at least the portion of the respective curved path extended along by the curved portion of the one of the at least two of the plurality of elongate members when the structure is in the expanded configuration, and
• wherein the respective distal ends of the at least two of the plurality of elongate members are each located relatively closer to the second location than the first location when the structure is in the expanded configuration.

A medical system comprising:

• a structure comprising a plurality of elongate members, each elongate member of the plurality of elongate members comprising a proximal end, a distal end and an intermediate portion positioned between the proximal end and the distal end of the elongate member, the intermediate portion of each elongate member of the plurality of elongate members comprising a thickness, a front surface and a back surface opposite across the thickness from the front surface, wherein the structure is selectively moveable between:
• a delivery configuration in which the structure is sized to be percutaneously delivered to a bodily cavity with the respective distal end of each of the plurality of elongate members arranged to be delivered to the bodily cavity before at least the respective intermediate portion, and
• an expanded configuration in which at least the intermediate portions of the plurality of elongate members are circumferentially arranged about a first axis,
• wherein the structure is positionable in the bodily cavity in the expanded configuration to position a first portion of the front surface of the respective intermediate portion of at least a first elongate member of the plurality of elongate members to face a first portion of an interior tissue surface within the bodily cavity and to position a second portion of the front surface of the respective intermediate portion of the first elongate member to face a second portion of the interior tissue surface, and
• wherein, when the structure is in the expanded configuration, the first axis passes through a portion of the front surface of the respective intermediate portion of the first elongate member located between the first portion of the front surface of the respective intermediate portion of the first elongate member and the second portion of the front surface of the respective intermediate portion of the first elongate member.

A medical system comprising:

• a structure comprising a plurality of elongate members, each elongate member of the plurality of elongate members comprising a proximal end, a distal end and an intermediate portion positioned between the proximal end and the distal end of the elongate member, the intermediate portion of each elongate member of the plurality of elongate members comprising a thickness, a front surface and a back surface opposite across the thickness from the front surface, wherein the structure is selectively moveable between:
• a delivery configuration in which the structure is sized to be percutaneously delivered to a bodily cavity with the respective distal end of each of the plurality of elongate members arranged to be delivered to the bodily cavity before at least the respective intermediate portion, at least the intermediate portions of the elongate members of the plurality of elongate members arranged with respect to one another front surface-toward-back surface in a stacked array when the structure is in the delivery configuration, and
• an expanded configuration in which at least the intermediate portions of at least two of the plurality of elongate members are angularly arranged about a first axis, wherein when the structure is in the expanded configuration, the respective distal end of at least a first elongate member of the at least two of the plurality of elongate members is arranged between the respective intermediate portion of the first elongate member and the respective proximal end of the first elongate member when viewed from a direction normal to the first axis,
• wherein each elongate member of the plurality of elongate members comprises a respective length between the proximal end and the distal end of the elongate member, and the first axis passes through each of at least one elongate member of the plurality of elongate members when the structure is in the expanded configuration, the first axis passing through the one elongate member at two or more locations when the structure is in the expanded configuration, each location of the two or more locations spaced from another location of the two or more locations along the length of the one elongate member,
• wherein the medical system comprises a plurality of individually activatable transducer elements,
• wherein the stacked array comprises a plurality of successive pairs of the elongate members when the structure is in the delivery configuration, and
• wherein a respective group of the plurality of individually activatable transducer elements is arranged between the elongate members of each successive pair of the elongate members in the stacked array when the structure is in the delivery configuration.

A medical system comprising:

• a structure comprising a plurality of elongate members, each elongate member of the plurality of elongate members comprising a respective proximal end, a respective distal end, a respective intermediate portion positioned between the respective proximal end and the respective distal end of the elongate member, and a respective length between the respective proximal end and the respective distal end of the elongate member, the structure selectively moveable between:
• a delivery configuration in which the structure is sized to be delivered through a bodily opening leading to a bodily cavity, with each elongate member of the plurality of elongate members arranged to be delivered with the respective distal end ahead of the respective proximal end;
• and
• a deployed configuration in which the structure is expanded to have a size too large to be delivered through the bodily opening leading to the bodily cavity, the respective intermediate portions of at least some of the plurality of elongate members angularly spaced with respect to one another about a first axis, and each of the at least some of the plurality of elongate members further comprising a curved portion arranged to extend along at least a portion of a respective curved path that intersects the first axis at each of a respective at least two spaced apart locations along the first axis when the structure is in the deployed configuration, and a portion of the structure is radially spaced from the first axis by a first dimension when the structure is in the deployed configuration,
• the medical system further comprising at least one actuator operably coupled to the structure to selectively, when the structure is in the deployed configuration, increase the first dimension while reducing an end-to-end distance between the respective distal end of a first elongate member of the plurality of elongate members and the respective distal end of a second elongate member of the plurality of elongate members, a curvature of the respective curved portion of each of the first elongate member and the second elongate member reducing while the first dimension increases.