Robotic surgical system and method for automated creation of ablation lesions
First Claim
1. A method of ablating tissue, comprising the steps of:
- analyzing areas of ablated tissue to identify at least a first ablated area and a second ablated area separated by a gap of unablated tissue;
robotically moving a catheter to a treatment area near a tissue surface, said catheter having an ablation electrode located near a distal end of the catheter;
monitoring proximity or degree of contact between the catheter and the tissue surface;
robotically advancing the catheter to contact a point in the first ablated area;
automatically robotically moving the catheter to a point in the second ablated area in a way that maintains contact between the catheter and the tissue surface, thereby defining a path along the gap between the first ablated area and the second ablated area;
activating the ablation electrode to ablate the tissue after the catheter reaches the point in the second ablated area; and
automatically robotically withdrawing the catheter along the path along the gap between the first ablated area and the second ablated area from the point in the second ablated area to the point in the first ablated area while the ablation electrode is active,thereby ablating the tissue along the path along the gap between the first ablated area and the second ablated area.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system for ablating tissue includes an ablation catheter for insertion into the body of a patient and a robotic controller for moving the catheter within the body. The robotic controller advances the catheter until the catheter contacts the tissue surface, maintains contact between the catheter and the tissue surface, and moves the catheter along a predetermined path to create a substantially continuous lesion of ablated tissue. A display device may be used to present a graphical representation of an area of tissue to be ablated. A user interface permits selection of a plurality of treatment points on the graphical representation. The interface is preferably coupled to the controller and catheter such that the controller may cause the catheter to automatically ablate tissue at and between the plurality of treatment points in response to the received user input.
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Citations
29 Claims
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1. A method of ablating tissue, comprising the steps of:
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analyzing areas of ablated tissue to identify at least a first ablated area and a second ablated area separated by a gap of unablated tissue; robotically moving a catheter to a treatment area near a tissue surface, said catheter having an ablation electrode located near a distal end of the catheter; monitoring proximity or degree of contact between the catheter and the tissue surface; robotically advancing the catheter to contact a point in the first ablated area; automatically robotically moving the catheter to a point in the second ablated area in a way that maintains contact between the catheter and the tissue surface, thereby defining a path along the gap between the first ablated area and the second ablated area; activating the ablation electrode to ablate the tissue after the catheter reaches the point in the second ablated area; and automatically robotically withdrawing the catheter along the path along the gap between the first ablated area and the second ablated area from the point in the second ablated area to the point in the first ablated area while the ablation electrode is active, thereby ablating the tissue along the path along the gap between the first ablated area and the second ablated area. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A method of ablating tissue, comprising the steps of:
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analyzing areas of ablated tissue to identify at least a first ablated area and a second ablated area separated by a gap of unablated tissue; robotically moving a catheter to a treatment area near a tissue surface within the first ablated area, said catheter having an ablation electrode and a contact sensor located near a distal end of the catheter; while monitoring the contact sensor for contact between the catheter and the tissue surface, advancing the catheter until the catheter contacts the tissue surface at a point in the first ablated area; automatically robotically moving the catheter from the point in the first ablated area, through the gap of unablated tissue, and to a point in the second ablated area while maintaining contact between the catheter and the tissue surface, thereby defining a path between the point in the first ablated area and the point in the second ablated area; activating the ablation electrode to ablate the tissue after reaching the point in the second ablated area; robotically moving the catheter from the point in the second ablated area, along the path between the point in the first ablated area and the point in the second ablated area, to the point in the first ablated area with the ablation electrode active, thereby ablating the tissue along the path between the point in the first ablated area and the point in the second ablated area. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8)
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9. A method of ablating tissue, comprising the steps of:
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analyzing, using an electrophysiology processor, areas of ablated tissue to identify at least a first ablated area and a second ablated area separated by a gap, the gap being characterized by tissue that has not been ablated; robotically moving a catheter to a point on a surface of the first ablated area, such that the catheter is in contact with the first ablated area; robotically moving the catheter to a point in the second ablated area along a path between the first ablated area and the second ablated area; activating an ablation electrode on the catheter to ablate the tissue after reaching the point in the second ablated area; and robotically moving the catheter from the point in the second ablated area, along the path between the first ablated area and the second ablated area, to the point on the surface of the first ablated area with the ablation electrode active. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11)
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12. A method of ablating tissue, comprising the steps of:
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receiving, from a probe and at an electrophysiology processor, measured electrophysiology information for a plurality of measurement points on a surface of a heart, the probe including a measurement device for measuring electrophysiology information; analyzing, using the electrophysiology processor, the measured electrophysiology information to identify areas with previously ablated tissue; generating a three-dimensional surface model of a portion of the heart; presenting a graphical representation of the three-dimensional surface model of the heart; superimposing on the graphical representation information to identify the areas with previously ablated tissue; receiving input from a user that identifies at least two target locations that define a predetermined path on the graphical representation of the three-dimensional model of the heart, whereby tissue along the path will be ablated, said predetermined path including tissue that has not been previously ablated; robotically moving an ablation electrode to one of the at least two target locations along the predetermined path; robotically moving the ablation electrode along the predetermined path defined by the at least two target locations; and robotically moving the ablation electrode along the predetermined path defined by the at least two target locations in reverse with the ablation electrode activated to ablate tissue along the predetermined path. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A robotic system for tissue ablation, comprising:
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an electrophysiology processor configured to analyze measured electrophysiology information from a cardiac surface and to identify, from the measured electrophysiology information, a first ablated area on the cardiac surface and a second ablated area on the cardiac surface, wherein the first ablated area and the second ablated area are separated by an unablated gap; and a robotic controller for moving a catheter within a patient'"'"'s body, wherein the robotic controller automatically; advances the catheter to an initial waypoint within the first ablated area; maintains contact between the catheter and the cardiac surface while moving the catheter to a final waypoint within the second ablated area along a lesion pathway that crosses the unablated gap; and withdraws the catheter from the final waypoint, along the lesion pathway;
to the initial waypoint. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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Specification