Apparatus for treating cardiac arrhythmias

• US 5,480,422 A
• Filed: 09/23/1994
• Issued: 01/02/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Biosense, Inc. (Cardinal Health, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Biosense, Inc. (Cardinal Health, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ben-Haim, Shlomo
• Primary Examiner(s): MANUEL, GEORGE C
• Application Number:
  US08/311,594
• Time in Patent Office: 466 Days
• Field of Search: 128/642, 128/660.03, 128/702, 128/710, 607/2, 607/115, 607/116, 607/119, 607/122
• US Class Current: 607/122
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/00 Surgical instruments, devices or methods for transferring non-mechanical forms of energy to or from the body eye surgery A61F9/007; ear surgery A61F11/00
• 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 18/14 Probes or electrodes therefor
• 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 18/18 by applying electromagnetic radiation, e.g. microwaves radiation therapy A61N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/20 using laser
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/24 with a catheter A61B18/26, A61B18/28 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00044 Sensing electrocardiography, i.e. ECG
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00243 cardiac
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2051 Electromagnetic tracking systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2063 Acoustic tracking systems, e.g. using ultrasound
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/378 using ultrasound
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/20 Surgical navigation systems; Devices for tracking or guiding surgical instruments, e.g. for frameless stereotaxis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/06 Devices, other than using radiation, for detecting or locating foreign bodies for removing same A61B17/50 ; determining position of probes within or on the body of the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/062 using magnetic field
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/352 Detecting R peaks, e.g. for synchronising diagnostic apparatus; Estimating R-R interval
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/363 Detecting tachycardia or bradycardia
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6843 Monitoring or controlling sensor contact pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6885 Monitoring or controlling sensor contact pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/06 for high-frequency therapy
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3621 : for treating or preventing abnormally high heart rate
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3627 : for treating a mechanical deficiency of the heart, e.g. congestive heart failure or cardiomyopathy
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/403 : for thermotherapy, e.g. hyperthermia

Abstract

This invention concerns an apparatus and method for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias. More particularly, this invention is directed to a method for ablating a portion of an organ or bodily structure of a patient, which comprises obtaining a perspective image of the organ or structure to be mapped; advancing one or more catheters having distal tips to sites adjacent to or within the organ or structure, at least one of the catheters having ablation ability; sensing the location of each catheter'"'"'s distal tip using a non-ionizing field; at the distal tip of one or more catheters, sensing local information of the organ or structure; processing the sensed information to create one or more data points; superimposing the one or more data points on the perspective image of the organ or structure; and ablating a portion of the organ or structure.

Claims

1. An apparatus for treating cardiac arrhythmias, which comprises:

(a) means for positioning the distal tip of each of one or more catheters at a site adjacent to or within a patient'"'"'s heart;

(b) means for sensing location information at the site;

(c) means for sensing local information concerning the heart'"'"'s electrical activity at the site;

(d) means for processing sensed information from means (b) and (c) to create one or more data points;

(e) means for repeating the functions of means (a), (b), (c) and (d) one or more times to create sufficient data points for a map of the heart'"'"'s electrical pathways; and

(f) means for ablating a portion of the heart, whose electrical pathways cause said arrhythmias.

28. The apparatus of claim 1, 5, 10, 14, 18, or 23, wherein sensing location information is achieved using a non-ionizing field.

2. The apparatus of 1 which additionally comprises means for transmitting said data points or said map to receiving means.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 which further comprises means for projecting said data points or said map received by receiving means onto an image receiving means.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 which yet further comprises means for superimposing the location of a mapping/ablation catheter distal tip on said projected data points or map on said image receiving means.

5. An apparatus for treating cardiac arrhythmias, which comprises:

(a) means for obtaining a perspective image of a patient'"'"'s heart;

(b) means for positioning the distal tip of each of one or more catheters at a site adjacent to or within the heart;

(c) means for sensing location information at the site;

(d) means for sensing local information concerning the heart'"'"'s electrical activity at the site;

(e) means for processing sensed information from means (c) and (d) to create one or more data points;

(f) means for repeating the functions of means (b), (c), (d) and (e) one or more times to create sufficient data points for a map of the heart'"'"'s electrical pathways;

(g) means for superimposing said data points from means (e) or map from means (f) on the perspective image of the heart; and

(h) means for ablating a portion of the heart, whose

electrical pathways cause said arrhythmias.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 which additionally comprises means for transmitting said data points or map and said perspective image to receiving means.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 which further comprises means for superimposing the location of a mapping/ablation catheter distal tip on the perspective image of the organ or bodily structure.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 which additionally comprises means for projecting said data points or said map and said perspective image received by receiving means onto an image receiving means.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 which yet further comprises means for superimposing the location of a mapping/ablation catheter distal tip on said projected data points or map and said perspective image on the said image receiving means.

10. An apparatus for treating cardiac arrhythmias, which comprises:

(a) means for positioning the distal tip of each of one or more reference catheters at a site adjacent to or within a patient'"'"'s heart;

(b) means for positioning the distal tip of each of one or more mapping/ablation catheters at a site adjacent to or within the heart;

(c) means for sensing location information at each site;

(d) means for sensing local information concerning the heart'"'"'s electrical activity at a site with each mapping/ablation catheter distal tip;

(e) means for processing sensed information from means (c) and (d) to create one or more data points;

(f) means for repeating the functions of means (b), (c), (d), and (e) one or more times to create sufficient data points for a map of the heart'"'"'s electrical pathways; and

(g) means for ablating a portion of the heart, whose electrical pathways cause said arrhythmias.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 which additionally comprises means for transmitting said data points or said map to receiving means.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 which further comprises means for projecting said data points or said map received by receiving means onto an image receiving means.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 which yet further comprises means for superimposing the location of a mapping/ablation catheter distal tip on said projected data points or map on said image receiving means.

14. An apparatus for treating cardiac arrhythmias, which comprises:

(a) means for positioning the distal tip of each of one or more reference catheters at a site adjacent to or within a patient'"'"'s heart;

(b) means for positioning the distal tip of each of one or more mapping/ablation catheters at a site adjacent to or within the heart;

(c) means for sensing location information at each site;

(d) means for determining relative location of the mapping/ablation catheter distal tip relative to reference catheter distal tips;

(e) means for sensing local information concerning the heart'"'"'s electrical activity at a site with each mapping/ablation catheter distal tip;

(f) means for processing sensed information from means (d) and (e) to create one or more data points;

(g) means for repeating the functions of means (b), (c), (d) and (e) one or more times to create sufficient data points for a map of the heart'"'"'s electrical pathways; and

(h) means for ablating a portion of the heart, whose electrical pathways cause said arrhythmias.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 which additionally comprises means for transmitting said data points or said map to receiving means.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 which further comprises means for projecting said data points or said map received by receiving means onto an image receiving means.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 which yet further comprises means for superimposing the location of a mapping/ablation catheter distal tip on said projected data points or map on said image receiving means.

18. An apparatus for treating cardiac arrhythmias, which comprises:

(a) means for obtaining a perspective image of a patient'"'"'s heart;

(b) means for positioning the distal tip of each of one or more reference catheters at a site adjacent to or within the heart;

(c) means for positioning the distal tip of each of one or more mapping/ablation catheters at a site adjacent to or within the heart;

(d) means for sensing location information at each site;

(e) means for sensing local information concerning the heart'"'"'s electrical activity at a site with each mapping/ablation catheter distal tip;

(f) means for processing sensed information from means (d) and (e) to create one or more data points;

(g) means for repeating the functions of means (b) , (c), (d), (e) and (f) one or more times to create sufficient data points for a map of the heart'"'"'s electrical pathways;

(h) means for superimposing said data points from means (f) and (g) on the perspective image of the heart; and

(i) means for ablating a portion of the heart, whose electrical pathways cause said arrhythmias.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 which additionally comprises means for transmitting said data points or map and said perspective image to receiving means.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 which further comprises means for superimposing the location of a mapping/ablation catheter distal tip on the perspective image of the organ or bodily structure.

21. The apparatus of claim 19 which further comprises means for projecting said data points or map and said perspective image received by receiving means onto an image receiving means.

22. The apparatus of claim 21 which yet further comprises means for superimposing the location of a mapping/ablation catheter distal tip on said projected data points or map on said image receiving means.

23. An apparatus for treating cardiac arrhythmias, which comprises:

(a) means for obtaining a perspective image of the heart;

(b) means for positioning the distal tip of each of one or more reference catheters at a site adjacent to or within the heart;

(c) means for positioning the distal tip of each of one or more mapping/ablation catheters at a site adjacent to or within the heart;

(d) means for sensing location information at each site;

(e) means for determining relative location of each mapping/ablation catheter distal tip relative to reference catheter distal tips;

(f) means for sensing local information concerning the heart'"'"'s electrical activity at a site with each mapping/ablation catheter distal tip;

(g) means for processing sensed information from means (e) and (f) to create one or more data points;

(h) means for repeating the functions of means (b), (c), (d), (e), (f), and (g) one or more times to create sufficient data points for a map of the heart'"'"'s electrical pathways;

(i) means for superimposing said data points from means (g) and (h) on the perspective image of the heart; and

(j) means for ablating a portion of the heart, whose electrical pathways cause said arrhythmias.

24. The apparatus of claim 23 which additionally comprises means for transmitting said data points or map and said perspective image to receiving means.

25. The apparatus of claim 24 which further comprises means for superimposing the location of a mapping/ablation catheter distal tip on the perspective image of the organ or bodily structure.

26. The apparatus of claim 24 which further comprises means for projecting said data points or map and said perspective image received by receiving means onto an image receiving means.

27. The apparatus of claim 26 which yet further comprises means for superimposing the location of a mapping/ablation catheter distal tip on said projected data points or map on said image receiving means.