ABLATION CATHETER

• US 20150157402A1
• Filed: 02/20/2015
• Published: 06/11/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Ablation Frontiers LLC (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Medtronic Ablation Frontiers LLC (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: KUNIS, Christopher G., ROMAN, Ricardo David, ASCONEGUY, Alexander J., FLAHERTY, J. Christopher, WERNETH, Randell L.
• Granted Patent: US 9,468,495 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/02 by cooling, e.g. cryogenic techniques devices for cooling specific reflex points of the body within cell-life limits A61H39/06
• 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 18/1815 using microwaves
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00029 open
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/0016 Energy applicators arranged in a two- or three dimensional array
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00214 Expandable means emitting energy, e.g. by elements carried thereon
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00267 having a basket shaped structure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00351 Heart
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00375 Ostium, e.g. ostium of pulmonary vein or artery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00577 Ablation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00791 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00821 measured by a thermocouple
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00839 Bioelectrical parameters, e.g. ECG, EEG
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/1435 Spiral
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/1467 using more than two electrodes on a single probe
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/1475 Electrodes retractable in or deployable from a housing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/1861 with an instrument inserted into a body lumen or cavity, e.g. a catheter
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 7/022 intracavitary

Abstract

Devices, systems and methods are disclosed for the mapping of electrical signals and the ablation of tissue. Embodiments include an ablation catheter that has an array of ablation elements attached to a deployable carrier assembly. The carrier assembly can be transformed from a compact, linear configuration to a helical configuration, such as to map and ablate pulmonary vein ostia.

Claims

1. A medical device, the device comprising:

an elongate body defining a lumen therethrough;

a shaft extending through the lumen, the shaft defining a longitudinal axis, a proximal portion, and a distal portion, the distal portion of the shaft defining a recess that is at least substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis;

an electrode array coupled to an inner surface of the lumen of the elongate body at a first end and coupled to the shaft at a second end, the shaft being slidingly disposed within the lumen alongside at least a portion of the electrode array, linear manipulation of the shaft causing the electrode array to transition from a first electrode array configuration to a second electrode array configuration; and

a spline defining a longitudinal axis, a proximal portion, and a distal portion, the spline being slidably disposed within the lumen at a first end and coupled to the shaft at a second end, linear manipulation of the first end of the spline within the lumen causing the spline to transition from a first spline configuration to a second spline configuration, the recess defined by the distal portion of the shaft being sized and configured to matably receive at least a portion of the distal portion of the spline when the spline is in the first spline configuration.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the first spline configuration is an at least substantially linear configuration.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the electrode array includes a plurality of carrier arms.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the plurality of carrier arms is in an at least substantially linear configuration when the electrode array is in the first electrode array configuration.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein each of the plurality of carrier arms is at least substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the shaft.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the spline is at least substantially parallel to each of the plurality of carrier arms when the electrode array is in the first electrode array configuration and the spline is in the first spline configuration.

7. The device of claim 3, the device further comprising one or more electrodes on at least one of the plurality of carrier arms.

8. The device of claim 7, the device further comprising one or more electrodes on the distal portion of the spline.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the electrode array and the spline are independently transitionable between the first and second configurations.

10. The device of claim 3, wherein the elongate body includes a proximal portion and a distal portion, advancement of the shaft within the lumen toward the distal portion of the elongate body causing the electrode array to transition to the first electrode array configuration.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein retraction of the shaft within the lumen toward the proximal portion of the elongate body causes the electrode array to transition to the second electrode array configuration.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein each of the carrier arms has an arcuate configuration when the electrode array is in the second electrode array configuration.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein advancement of the spline within the lumen toward the distal portion of the elongate body causes the spline to transition to the second spline configuration, the second spline configuration being an arcuate configuration.

14. A medical device, the device comprising:

an elongate body including a distal portion, a proximal portion, and a lumen therebetween;

a shaft extending through the lumen, the shaft including a longitudinal axis, a distal portion, and a proximal portion, the distal portion of the shaft defining a linear recess that is at least substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis;

an electrode array including a distal portion and a proximal portion, the proximal portion of the electrode array being coupled to an inner surface of the lumen and the distal portion of the electrode array being coupled to the distal portion of the shaft, the shaft being slidingly disposed within the lumen alongside at least a portion of the electrode array, advancement of the shaft within the lumen causing the electrode array to transition to an at least substantially linear configuration and retraction of the shaft within the lumen causing the electrode array to transition to an expanded configuration; and

a flexible spline including a distal portion and a proximal portion, the spline being slidably disposed within the lumen with the distal portion of the spline being coupled to the distal portion of the shaft, retraction of the spline within the lumen causing the spline to transition to an at least substantially linear configuration and advancement of the spline within the lumen causing the spline to transition to an expanded configuration, at least a portion of the distal portion of the spline being received within the recess when the spline is in the at least substantially linear configuration.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the electrode array includes a plurality of carrier arms.

16. The device of claim 14, wherein the electrode array has a maximum array when the electrode array is in the expanded configuration.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the spline has a maximum diameter that is approximately the same as the maximum diameter of the electrode array when the spline is in the expanded configuration.

18. A medical device, the device comprising:

an elongate body defining a distal portion, a proximal portion, and a lumen therebetween;

a shaft extending through the lumen, the shaft defining a distal portion, a proximal portion, a longitudinal axis, and a linear opening in the distal portion of the shaft that is at least substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the shaft;

an electrode array including a plurality of carrier arms and defining a distal portion and a proximal portion, the proximal portion of the electrode array being coupled to an inner surface of the lumen and the distal portion of the electrode array being coupled to the distal portion of the shaft, the shaft being slidingly disposed within the lumen alongside at least a portion of the electrode array, advancement of the shaft within the lumen causing the electrode array to transition to an at least substantially linear configuration and retraction of the shaft within the lumen causing the electrode array to transition to an expanded configuration, each of the plurality of carrier arms having an arcuate shape when the electrode array is in the expanded configuration;

one or more electrodes on at least one of the plurality of carrier arms;

a flexible spline including a distal portion and a proximal portion, the spline being slidably disposed within the lumen with the distal portion of the spline being coupled to the distal portion of the shaft, retraction of the spline within the lumen causing the spline to transition to an at least substantially linear configuration and advancement of the spline within the lumen causing the spline to transition to an expanded configuration with at least a portion of the distal portion of the spline exiting the lumen through the linear opening in the distal portion of the shaft; and

one or more electrodes on the distal portion of the spline.