Non-invasive localization and treatment of focal atrial fibrillation
First Claim
1. A method for treating fibrillation in a heart of a patient, the patient having an accessible body surface, the method comprising:
- measuring the fibrillation from the body surface;
locating an arrhythmogenic region of the heart in response to the measured fibrillation; and
directing treatment at or near the arrhythmogenic region so that the fibrillation is inhibited.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Devices, systems, and methods for localizing and/or treating arrhythmias of a patient'"'"'s heart, which are particularly useful for localizing focal atrial fibrillation, allow locating arrhythmogenic regions of a chamber of the heart using heart cycle signals measured from a body surface of the patient. Non-invasive localization of the ectopic origin or exit site allows focal, circular, and/or perimeter treatment to be directed so as to inhibit complex arrhythmias without having to rely on wide-spread and time consuming sequential searches and/or on massively invasive simultaneous electrocardial sensors. The invention recognizes that effective localization of these complex arrhythmias can be significantly enhanced by techniques and structures which separate heart cycle signals originating from differing chambers and/or regions of the heart tissue.
27 Citations
23 Claims
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1. A method for treating fibrillation in a heart of a patient, the patient having an accessible body surface, the method comprising:
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measuring the fibrillation from the body surface;
locating an arrhythmogenic region of the heart in response to the measured fibrillation; and
directing treatment at or near the arrhythmogenic region so that the fibrillation is inhibited. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method for treating arrhythmia in a heart of a patient, the patient having an accessible body surface, the heart having a left atrium, a left ventricle, a right atrium, and a right ventricle, heart signals at the body surface including atrial signals superimposed with ventricular signals, the atrial and ventricular signals being separable by a signal separator, a database having information regarding a plurality of known cycles, each known cycle having an associated known arrhythmogenic region, the method comprising:
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sensing signals during an arrhythmia-initiation cycle or an atrial premature beat cycle from the body surface;
separating the atrial signals from the sensed signals with the signal separator;
locating an arrhythmogenic region of an arrhythmogenic atrium of the heart by comparing the separated signals to the database; and
directing a treatment at or near an ectopic site or an exit site within the arrhythmogenic region so that the arrhythmia is inhibited.
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18. A system for treating arrhythmia in a heart of a patient, the patient having an accessible body surface and the heart having an atrium and a ventricle, wherein a sensor array is coupled to the body surface for sensing heart cycle signals, the heart signals including atrial signals superimposed with ventricular signals, the atrial and ventricular signals being separable by a signal separator, and wherein a database has information regarding a plurality of known cycles, each known cycle having an associated known arrhythmogenic region, the system comprising:
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a processor coupled to the database, the processor deriving an arrhythmogenic region of the atrium from the heart cycle signals by separating the atrial or ventricular signals with the signal separator and comparing the separated signals to the database; and
a probe for directing treatment at or near an ectopic origin or exit site within the arrhythmogenic region so that the arrhythmia is inhibited.
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19. A kit for use with a sensor array to treat fibrillation in an atrium of a heart of a patient, the patient having an accessible body surface, the sensor array coupleable to the body surface for sensing heart cycle signals, the kit comprising:
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a processor coupleable with the sensor array, the processor generating an output in response to sensed heart cycle signals from the array; and
instructions for locating an arrhythmogenic region of the atrial fibrillation by sensing the heart cycle signals from the body surface when no intracardiac probe is present in the heart, and for comparing the output of the processor with the database. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22)
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23. A system for localizing an arrhythmia, the system comprising:
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an input for body surface signals;
a processor coupled to the input, the processor deriving an arrhythmogenic region of a heart in response to the body surface signals; and
an output graphically indicating the arrhythmogenic region.
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Specification