ABLATION DEVICE AND METHOD FOR ELECTROPORATING TISSUE CELLS

• US 20140066913A1
• Filed: 09/06/2012
• Published: 03/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Ablation Frontiers LLC (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Medtronic Ablation Frontiers LLC (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: SHERMAN, Marshall L.
• Granted Patent: US 9,113,911 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/20
• 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 2018/00214 Expandable means emitting energy, e.g. by elements carried thereon
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00577 Ablation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00613 Irreversible electroporation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/0075 Phase
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00994 combining two or more different kinds of non-mechanical energy or combining one or more non-mechanical energies with ultrasound
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/0212 using an instrument inserted into a body lumen, e.g. catheter
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/1467 using more than two electrodes on a single probe

Abstract

A method and system for producing deep lesions without the production of high heat. The method generally includes ablating target tissue cells with a device in communication with an energy generator programmable to ablate tissue using heat energy, electroporation, or a combination thereof. The system generally includes a medical device having a plurality of electrodes at a distal end, and an energy generator in communication with the plurality of electrodes, the generator programmable to deliver alternating current energy between approximately 100 volts RMS and approximately 2000 volts RMS or greater. The generator is further programmable to deliver energy in unipolar mode, bipolar mode, and a combination thereof.

Claims

1. A method for ablating tissue, comprising:

treating target tissue cells using a medical device, the medical device being configured to selectively deliver energy at a voltage at which tissue electroporation occurs, energy at a voltage at which heat ablation occurs, or a voltage between the voltage at which tissue electroporation occurs and the voltage at which heat ablation occurs.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the medical device is configured to reduce the temperature of the tissue cells to a temperature at which cryoablation occurs.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the energy is alternating current radiofrequency energy.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the electroporation is irreversible.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the radiofrequency energy has a frequency of between approximately 20 kHz and approximately 1 MHz.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the radiofrequency energy is delivered at between approximately 500 volts RMS and approximately 3000 volts RMS.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the ablation energy is at least one of laser energy, ultrasound energy, radiofrequency energy, microwave energy, and thermal energy.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein a voltage at which heat ablation occurs is applied to target tissue cells before applying a voltage at which electroporation occurs.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the medical device includes a plurality of electrodes and radiofrequency energy is delivered to each of the plurality of electrodes, the energy delivered to each of the plurality of electrodes being either at in-phase angle or out-of-phase angle relative to the energy delivered to adjacent electrodes.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the energy delivered to each of the plurality of electrodes is at an out-of-phase angle between adjacent electrodes, the phase angle being determined at least in part by the desired voltage to be applied to the target tissue.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the surface temperature of the target tissue remains below a threshold temperature at which unintended tissue damage occurs.

12. A method of ablating tissue, comprising:

positioning a medical device in contact with an area of target tissue, the medical device including a plurality of electrodes in communication with a radiofrequency generator, the generator programmable to deliver energy in at least one of bipolar mode and combination of unipolar mode and bipolar mode;

delivering alternating current radiofrequency energy from the medical device at between approximately 500 volts RMS to approximately 3000 volts RMS to an area of target tissue; and

delivering alternating current radiofrequency energy from the medical device at between approximately 100 volts RMS to approximately 150 volts RMS to the area of target tissue.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising delivering alternating current radiofrequency energy at a voltage between approximately 150 volts RMS and approximately 500 volts RMS.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the energy delivered to each of the plurality of electrodes is delivered at either an in-phase angle or out-of-phase angle relative to the energy delivered to adjacent electrodes.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein energy delivered to each of the plurality of electrodes is at an out-of-phase angle between adjacent electrodes, the phase angle being determined at least in part by the desired voltage to be applied to the target tissue.

17. The system of claim 13, further comprising one or more sensors at the distal end of the medical device.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the energy generator is programmable to deliver between approximately 100 volts RMS and approximately 150 volts RMS during a first treatment cycle and between approximately 500 volts RMS and approximately 3000 volts RMS during a second treatment cycle.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the energy generator is programmable to deliver energy to the plurality of electrodes in at least one of unipolar mode, bipolar mode, and combination thereof.

16. A system for ablating tissue, comprising:

a medical device having a plurality of electrodes at a distal end of the device; and

an energy generator in communication with the plurality of electrodes, the generator programmable to deliver between approximately 100 volts RMS and approximately 3000 volts RMS.