IRRIGATED ABLATION CATHETER WITH MULTIPLE SEGMENTED ABLATION ELECTRODES

• US 20100286684A1
• Filed: 05/07/2009
• Published: 11/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: St. Jude Medical (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: St. Jude Medical (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Inventors: Narciso, Irvin John, Nguyen, Tho Hoang, Tran, Thu Xuan, Do, Hanh Ngoc, de la Rama, Alan, HATA, Cary, Chen, Peter C.
• Granted Patent: US 11,395,694 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/33
• 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 2017/003 Steerable
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00867 shape memory effect for prostheses A61F2210/0014
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00029 open
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00404 Blood vessels other than those in or around the heart
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00434 Neural system
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00511 Kidney
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00839 Bioelectrical parameters, e.g. ECG, EEG
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/1467 using more than two electrodes on a single probe
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2218/002 Irrigation
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2201/12 Shape memory

Abstract

In one embodiment, an irrigated catheter ablation apparatus comprises an elongated body having a distal end, a proximal end, and at least one fluid lumen extending longitudinally therein; and a plurality of segmented ablation electrodes on a distal portion of the elongated body. The electrodes are spaced from the proximal end and from the distal end of the elongated body by electrically nonconductive segments. The electrodes are spaced from each other longitudinally by electrically nonconductive segments. For each electrode that is longitudinally disposed next to one of the nonconductive segments, an edge is formed between an electrode end of the electrode and a nonconductive segment end of the nonconductive segment. A plurality of elution holes are disposed adjacent to the edges. A plurality of ducts establish fluid communication between the elution holes and the fluid lumen.

Claims

1. An irrigated catheter ablation apparatus comprising:

an elongated body having a distal end, a proximal end, and at least one fluid lumen extending longitudinally therein;

a plurality of segmented ablation electrodes on a distal portion of the elongated body, the plurality of segmented ablation electrodes being spaced from the proximal end and from the distal end of the elongated body by electrically nonconductive segments, the plurality of segmented ablation electrodes being spaced from each other longitudinally by electrically nonconductive segments, such that for each segmented ablation electrode that is longitudinally disposed next to one of the electrically nonconductive segments, an edge is formed between an electrode end of the segmented ablation electrode and a nonconductive segment end of the electrically nonconductive segment;

a plurality of elution holes being disposed adjacent to the edges which are between the electrode ends of the segmented ablation electrodes and the nonconductive segment ends of the electrically nonconductive segments; and

a plurality of ducts establishing fluid communication between the elution holes and the at least one fluid lumen.

2. The irrigated catheter ablation apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the plurality of elution holes are disposed in the plurality of electrically nonconductive segments.

3. The irrigated catheter ablation apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the plurality of elution holes are disposed in the plurality of segmented ablation electrodes.

4. The irrigated catheter ablation apparatus of claim 3,

wherein the plurality of segmented ablation electrodes include at least one of a coil ring electrode having gaps in a coil to permit fluid flow therethrough or a ring electrode having gaps cut into the ring electrode to permit fluid flow therethrough.

5. The irrigated catheter ablation apparatus of claim 1,

wherein for each of the edges, at least one of the elution holes is disposed adjacent the edge.

6. The irrigated catheter ablation apparatus of claim 5,

wherein for each of the edges, more than one of the elution holes are spaced around a circumference adjacent the edge.

7. The irrigated catheter ablation apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a tip electrode disposed at the distal end of the elongated body, the tip electrode having a proximal end which meets a nonconductive segment end of one of the electrically nonconductive segments at a tip electrode edge; and

at least one tip electrode edge elution hole disposed adjacent to the tip electrode edge and being in fluid communication with the at least one fluid lumen.

8. The irrigated catheter ablation apparatus of claim 7, wherein the tip electrode is an ablation tip electrode.

9. The irrigated catheter ablation apparatus of claim 7,

wherein the at least one tip electrode edge elution hole is disposed in the tip electrode.

10. The irrigated catheter ablation apparatus of claim 1,

wherein at least some of the ducts are substantially perpendicular to the at least one fluid lumen.

11. The irrigated catheter ablation apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the distal portion of the elongated body includes a material which is preformed into a substantially closed loop having the plurality of longitudinally spaced segmented ablation electrodes and the electrically nonconductive segments.

12. The irrigated catheter ablation apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

one or more conducting wires coupled with and supplying RF energy to the plurality of segmented ablation electrodes, the RF energy being one of unipolar RF energy or bipolar RF energy.

13. The irrigated catheter ablation apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

one or more conducting wires coupled with the plurality of segmented ablation electrodes;

an energy source supplying energy via the one or more conducting wires to the plurality of segmented ablation electrodes; and

a controller configured to control the energy source to supply energy to the plurality of segmented ablation electrodes in one of an independent manner, a sequential manner, or a simultaneous manner.

14. The irrigated catheter ablation apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of temperature sensors disposed on and in contact with the plurality of segmented ablation electrodes at the electrode ends, the temperature sensors each substantially abutting the edge between one of the electrode ends of the segmented ablation electrodes and one of the nonconductive segment ends of the electrically nonconductive segments.

15. The irrigated catheter ablation apparatus of claim 13, further comprising:

one or more conducting wires coupled with the plurality of segmented ablation electrodes;

an energy source supplying energy via the one or more conducting wires to the plurality of segmented ablation electrodes; and

a controller configured to control the energy source to supply energy to the plurality of segmented ablation electrodes based on signals received from the plurality of temperature sensors so as to control temperatures of the plurality of segmented ablation electrodes.

16. A method of ablating tissue or denervating nerves with an irrigated catheter that includes an elongated body having a distal end, a proximal end, and at least one fluid lumen extending longitudinally therein;

a plurality of segmented ablation electrodes on a distal portion of the elongated body, the plurality of segmented ablation electrodes being spaced from the proximal end and from the distal end of the elongated body by electrically nonconductive segments, the plurality of segmented ablation electrodes being spaced from each other longitudinally by electrically nonconductive segments, such that for each segmented ablation electrode that is longitudinally disposed next to one of the electrically nonconductive segments, an edge is formed between an electrode end of the segmented ablation electrode and a nonconductive segment end of the electrically nonconductive segment;

the method comprising;

directing fluid through a plurality of elution holes disposed adjacent to the edges which are between the electrode ends of the segmented ablation electrodes and the nonconductive segment ends of the electrically nonconductive segments; and

supplying energy to the plurality of segmented ablation electrodes to ablate tissue or denervate nerves.

17. The method of claim 16,

wherein the fluid is directed through the plurality of elution holes which are disposed in the plurality of electrically nonconductive segments.

18. The method of claim 16,

wherein the fluid is directed through the plurality of elution holes which are disposed in the plurality of segmented ablation electrodes.

19. The method of claim 16,

wherein for each of the edges, the fluid is directed through at least one of the elution holes which is disposed adjacent the edge.

20. The method of claim 16,

wherein for each of the edges, the fluid is directed through a plurality of elution holes disposed around a circumference of the elongated body adjacent to the edge.

21. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

measuring temperatures of the plurality of segmented ablation electrodes at locations each substantially abutting the edge between one of the electrode ends of the segmented ablation electrodes and one of the nonconductive segment ends of the electrically nonconductive segments; and

controlling the energy supplied to the plurality of segmented ablation electrodes based on the measured temperatures so as to control the temperatures of the plurality of segmented ablation electrodes.

22. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

controlling the energy supplied to the plurality of segmented ablation electrodes in one of an independent manner, a sequential manner, or a simultaneous manner.

23. The method of claim 16, wherein the distal portion of the elongated body includes a material which is preformed into a substantially closed loop having the plurality of longitudinally spaced segmented ablation electrodes and the electrically nonconductive segments, the method further comprising:

placing the substantially closed loop around at least one vessel ostium in a chamber of a patient to ablate the tissue on a chamber wall of the chamber around the at least one vessel ostium.

24. The method of claim 23,

wherein the at least one vessel ostium comprises at least one pulmonary vein.

25. The method of claim 16, wherein the distal portion of the elongated body includes a material which is preformed into a substantially closed loop having the plurality of longitudinally spaced segmented ablation electrodes and the electrically nonconductive segments, the method further comprising:

placing the substantially closed loop within a vessel of a patient to denervate nerves within and around a vessel wall of the vessel.

26. The method of claim 25,

wherein the vessel comprises a renal artery or a renal vein.