Vein occlusion assessment using temperature
AssigneeMedtronic CryoCath LP
InventorsDan Wittenberger, Rachid Mahrouche
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A medical system, comprising an ablation catheter is disclosed. The ablation catheter includes an elongate shaft with a proximal end, a distal end and a lumen disposed between the proximal end and the distal end. The ablation catheter also includes an expandable element in fluid communication with the lumen, a first temperature sensor operable to measure a first temperature; and a second temperature sensor operable to measure a second temperature. The first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor are longitudinally separated from each other by at least a portion of the expandable element.
Claims9
A medical system for occluding a blood vessel, comprising:
- an ablation catheter including:
- an elongate shaft with a proximal end, a distal end and a lumen disposed between the proximal end and the distal end;
- an expandable element in fluid communication with the lumen;
- a first temperature sensor operable to measure a first temperature;
- a second temperature sensor operable to measure a second temperature, the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor being longitudinally separated from each other by at least a portion of the expandable element;
- and
- a control unit operable to deliver a continuous flow of refrigerant to the expandable element and to determine a state of occlusion of the blood vessel based on a difference between the first temperature and the second temperature, the control unit including a processor that is programmed to deliver the continuous flow of refrigerant at a first flow rate during a positioning of the expandable element proximate an ostium of the blood vessel after the expandable element is inflated and to deliver the continuous flow of refrigerant at a second flow rate once the control unit determines the state of occlusion is that the blood vessel is occluded by the expandable element.
A medical system, comprising:
- an ablation catheter including:
- an elongate shaft with a proximal end, a distal end and a lumen disposed between the proximal end and the distal end;
- an expandable element in fluid communication with the lumen;
- a first temperature sensor operable to measure a first temperature;
- and
- a second temperature sensor operable to measure a second temperature, the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor being longitudinally separated from each other by at least a portion of the expandable element;
- and
- a control unit operable to:
- deliver a continuous flow of refrigerant to the expandable element;
- determine an extent of occlusion by the expandable element in a blood vessel when the expandable element is inserted within the blood vessel and inflated, the determining being based at least in part on a temperature differential between the first temperature and the second temperature, the control unit being operable to deliver the continuous flow of refrigerant to the expandable element at between approximately 1,000 and approximately 3,000 standard cubic centimeters per minute during the determining and being operable to deliver the continuous flow of refrigerant to the expandable element at between approximately 6,200 and approximately 7,200 standard cubic centimeters per minute when the control unit determines the blood vessel is fully occluded.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.