Method and apparatus for catheter navigation and location and mapping in the heart

• US 7,263,397 B2
• Filed: 04/06/2004
• Issued: 08/28/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: St. Jude Medical (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: St. Jude Medical (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Inventors: Hauck, John A., Schweitzer, Jeff A., Cotner, Holly, Afonso, Valtino, Callaghan, Frank, Schultz, John, Craven, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Cohen; Lee S.
• Application Number:
  US10/819,027
• Publication Number:
  US 20040254437A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,239 Days
• Field of Search: 600/374, 600/509
• US Class Current: 600/374
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2053 Tracking an applied voltage gradient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2072 Reference field transducer attached to an instrument or patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/046 in a matrix array
• 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 5/065 Determining position of the probe employing exclusively positioning means located on or in the probe, e.g. using position sensors arranged on the probe
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1076 for measuring dimensions inside body cavities, e.g. using catheters A61B3/1005 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/287 Holders for multiple electrodes, e.g. electrode catheters for electrophysiological study [EPS]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7207 of noise induced by motion artifacts
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3625 External stimulators
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3702 Physiological parameters A61N1/365 takes precedence; evoked response A61N1/371

Abstract

A medical system for finding and displaying the location of electrodes within the body. The electrodes may be used to measure the voltage on the heart wall and display this as an activation map on a geometry representing the heart chamber.

Claims

1. A method to collect and present cardiac medical information to a physician comprising:

applying a set of surface patch electrodes to said patient;

positioning an intracavitary electrode on a catheter placed in a heart of said patient;

injecting current between pairs of said set of surface patch electrodes, defining driven electrode axes;

measuring the voltage present on the intracavitary electrode due to the applied currents;

resolving the location of the intracavitary electrode along each of the axes based upon the measured voltage on the intracavitary electrode;

collecting multiple intracavitary electrode locations;

selecting the exterior most locations and creating a shell based upon the exterior most locations generating a surface geometry; and

presenting the surface geometry as an image to the physician.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

measuring voltage on the intracavitary electrode generated by the heart creating EP data;

projecting the EP data on the surface geometry; and

displaying the location of said intra-cardiac electrode on said image.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein:

said EP data includes the peak to peak value of the voltage measurement.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein:

said EP data includes a time value related to relative timing of the voltage measurement and a pre-selected fiducial time.