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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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.
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Citations
29 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, 21, 22, 23)
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17. A system for localizing fibrillation in a heart of a patient, the patient having an external body surface, the system comprising:
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an at least two-dimensional array of sensors for measuring the fibrillation from the body surface by sensing heart cycle signals while no intracardiac probe is present in the heart;
a processor configured to locate an arrhythmogenic region of the heart in response to the measured fibrillation such that the arrhythmogenic region can be determined using the sensed heart cycle signals prior to intracardiac access. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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Specification