Ablation system, methods, and controllers

• US 10,080,601 B2
• Filed: 07/06/2016
• Issued: 09/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: St. Jude Medical Cardiology Division Incorporated (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: St. Jude Medical Cardiology Division Incorporated (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Inventors: Brotz, Joseph Allen, Hein, John Eric, Froehlich, Raymond Vincent, Barnier, Joseph William
• Primary Examiner(s): TSE, YOUNG TOI
• Application Number:
  US15/203,564
• Publication Number:
  US 20160310201A1
• Time in Patent Office: 811 Days
• Field of Search: 375355, 375362, 375364, 375371, 327 9, 327 10, 327 33, 327 45, 327163, 327231-235, 713400, 713501, 713503
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/12 by passing a current through the tissue to be heated, e.g. high-frequency current
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/1206 Generators therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/1492 having a flexible, catheter-like structure, e.g. for heart ablation A61B18/1477 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00267 having a basket shaped structure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00577 Ablation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00654 with individual control of each of a plurality of energy emitting elements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00666 using a threshold value
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00702 Power or energy
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00714 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00779 Power or energy
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00797 measured by multiple temperature sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00892 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00898 Alarms or notifications created in response to an abnormal condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00988 Means for storing information, e.g. calibration constants, or for preventing excessive use, e.g. usage, service life counter
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 7/091 the phase or frequency detector using a sampling device H03L7/087 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 7/06 the synchronisation signals differing from the information signals in amplitude, polarity or frequency or length

Abstract

In a multi-electrode ablation system, method, and controller, a power supply is configured to be coupled to a plurality of electrodes, and a controller is coupled to the power supply. The controller is configured to couple an output voltage of the power supply to the plurality of electrodes, and for each electrode of the plurality of electrodes, measure a temperature associated with the electrode, and determine a thermal gain of each electrode of the plurality of electrodes.

Claims

1. A method of sampling a periodic, time invariant signal having a known frequency, the method comprising:

sampling the periodic, time invariant signal at a substantially fixed frequency during a first plurality of periods of the signal to collect a plurality of samples of the signal, wherein each sample includes a phase of the signal and an amplitude of the signal, wherein the substantially fixed frequency is selected to collect one or more samples during each period of the signal at a different phase of the signal than samples collected during an immediately prior period of the signal; and

combining the plurality of samples collected over the first plurality of periods of the signal as a function of the phase of the signal to produce a representation of a single period of the signal.

2. The method set forth in claim 1 wherein a first collected sample from during the first plurality of periods has a first phase, and wherein combining the plurality of samples collected over the first plurality of periods of the signal comprises combining the plurality of samples collected over a plurality of periods of the signal that ends with a period prior to a second plurality of periods in which the phase of the signal in a first collected sample of the second plurality of periods substantially equals the first phase in the first collected sample of the first plurality of periods.

3. The method set forth in claim 1 wherein the signal is an output voltage signal of an ablation generator.

4. The method set forth in claim 1 wherein the signal is a sinusoidal signal.

5. The method set forth in claim 1 wherein the signal has a frequency of approximately 480 kilohertz.

6. The method set forth in claim 1 wherein sampling the signal comprises sampling the signal at a sampling rate of approximately 1.6 megasamples per second.

7. The method set forth in claim 1 wherein sampling the signal comprises acquiring approximately three samples of the signal for each period of the signal.

8. A controller comprising:

a processor; and

a memory device, the memory device including instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

sample a periodic, time invariant signal at a substantially fixed frequency during a first plurality of periods of the signal to collect a plurality of samples of the signal, wherein each sample includes a phase of the signal and an amplitude of the signal, wherein the substantially fixed frequency is selected to collect one or more samples during each period of the signal at a different phase of the signal than samples collected during an immediately prior period of the signal; and

combine the plurality of samples collected over the first plurality of periods of the signal as a function of the phase of the signal to produce a representation of a single period of the signal.

9. The controller set forth in claim 8 wherein the memory device includes instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to combine the plurality of samples collected over the first plurality of periods of the signal by combining the plurality of samples collected over a plurality of periods of the signal that ends with a period prior to a second plurality of periods in which the phase of the signal in a first collected sample of the second plurality of periods substantially equals a first phase of the signal in a first collected sample of the first plurality of periods.

10. The controller set forth in claim 8 wherein the signal is an output voltage signal of an ablation generator.

11. The controller set forth in claim 8 wherein the signal is a sinusoidal signal.

12. The controller set forth in claim 8 wherein the signal has a frequency of approximately 480 kilohertz.

13. The controller set forth in claim 8 wherein the processor is configured to sample the signal at a sampling rate of approximately 1.6 megasamples per second.

14. The controller set forth in claim 8 wherein the processor is configured to acquire approximately three samples of the signal for each period of the signal.