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US 9,848,899 B2Granted
Pressure sensing of irrigant backpressure for aligning directional medical devices with target tissue
AssigneeSt. Jude Medical, Atrial Fibrillation Division, Inc.
InventorsJohn W. Sliwa, Zhenyi Ma, Stephen A. Morse
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Systems and methods for aligning directionally operable medical devices with and upon target tissue. Systems and methods for aligning medical devices such as directional ablation catheters to and upon target tissue by monitoring irrigant backpressure. The current disclosure provides solutions to the problem of rotationally or angularly aligning a directional medical device toward tissue.
Claims15
A system for rotationally aligning a medical device with target tissue, comprising:
- a medical device having a proximal region and a distal region, the distal region comprising a distal tip and at least one directional therapeutic or diagnostic component, the medical device further comprising:
- an irrigant delivery lumen having a proximal end and a distal end, wherein the distal end of the irrigant delivery lumen comprises a single exit port at the distal tip of the distal region of the device, and wherein the irrigant delivery lumen exit port is coaxially aligned with the directional therapeutic or diagnostic component, and wherein irrigant exits the irrigant delivery lumen at the exit port;
- a fluid pump operably configured to supply a fluid to the irrigant delivery lumen;
- at least one pressure sensor configured to measure fluid backpressure in the irrigant delivery lumen;
- and
- a processor or circuitry capable of reporting increases in fluid backpressure during manipulation of the medical device, wherein the processor is configured to determine that the directional therapeutic or diagnostic component is rotationally aligned with and upon the target tissue based upon the at least one pressure sensor sensing a peak fluid backpressure from the exit port.
3 more elements
An ablation catheter apparatus comprising:
- an elongated catheter body extending longitudinally between a proximal portion and a distal portion along a longitudinal axis;
- the distal portion comprising at least one directional ablator or diagnostic component and a single irrigant outflow port directionally coaxially aligned with the at least one directional component;
- an irrigant delivery lumen disposed within the catheter body and terminating at the irrigant outflow port;
- at least one pressure monitoring element, wherein the at least one pressure monitoring element senses irrigant fluid backpressure caused by varying tissue blockage of the outflow port;
- and a processor or circuitry operably connected to the at least one pressure monitoring element, wherein the processor is configured to determine that the directional therapeutic or diagnostic component is rotationally aligned with and upon the target tissue based at least in part upon the at least one pressure sensor sensing a peak fluid backpressure from the irrigant outflow port.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.