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Systems and methods for actively cooling ablation electrodes using diodes

  • US 5,800,432 A
  • Filed: 05/01/1995
  • Issued: 09/01/1998
  • Est. Priority Date: 05/01/1995
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A system for ablating body tissue exposed to a blood pool comprisinga catheter body having a distal end,an electrode having a thermal mass carried on the distal end for contact with tissue,a heat dispersing element carried outside the catheter body in a spaced apart relationship from the electrode for thermal conductive contact with the blood pool and not tissue contacted by electrode;

  • a diode carried within the catheter body, the diode having one region couple in thermal conductive contact with the electrode for conducting heat energy from the thermal mass of the electrode in response to current flow through the diode, the diode including another region coupled in thermal conductive contact with the heat dispersing element for conducting the heat energy to the heat dispersing element for dispersion by conductive cooling by the blood pool;

    a source of ablation energy coupled to the electrode for conveying ablation energy to the electrode for transmission by the electrode into tissue,a source of current coupled to the diode for conveying current through the diode, anda controller coupled to the source of ablation energy and to the source of current for operating the ablation energy source simultaneously with the current source to transmit ablation energy from the electrode into tissue simultaneous with the conduction of heat energy from the electrode into the blood pool by the diode.

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