Catheter apparatus for treatment of heart arrhythmia
First Claim
1. A catheter apparatus of the type used in the treatment of heart arrhythmia comprising:
- a catheter shaft having a main body and a coaxial tip section joined to the main body, the tip section having a tip distal end and being rotatable about a central axis and deflectable such that the tip section can be selectively curved away from the main body;
a mapping and ablation catheter slidably disposed within the catheter shaft, the mapping and ablation catheter having a catheter distal portion, the catheter distal portion being a pre-stressed curve whereby the mapping and ablation catheter curves as the catheter distal portion is extended axially from the catheter shaft and when the catheter distal portion is fully extended from the catheter shaft, all of the curve is substantially coplanar with a plane substantially perpendicular to the central axis at the tip distal end; and
a control mechanism coupled to both the catheter shaft and the mapping and ablation catheter whereby the control mechanism controls, with respect to the central axis, selective rotation and selective deflection of the tip section and controls selective axial movement of the mapping and ablation catheter with respect to the catheter shaft.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A catheter apparatus is provided for use in the treatment of heart arrhythmia having a catheter shaft, a mapping and ablation catheter disposed within the shaft, and a control mechanism coupled to both the shaft and catheter. The catheter shaft includes a main body and a coaxial tip section joined to the main body. The tip section can be rotated about a central axis and curved away from the central axis in a controlled manner. The mapping and ablation catheter can be extended outward from the catheter shaft where it is able to take the form of a pre-stressed curve. The control mechanism controls axial rotation of the tip section, the degree of deflection of the tip section and longitudinal movement of the mapping and ablation catheter with respect to the catheter shaft. Preferably, the mapping and ablation catheter forms a pre-stressed loop when it is fully extended from the catheter shaft.
In another aspect of this invention, it provides a method for treatment of a heart arrhythmia having the steps of (1) obtaining cardiac image data from a medical imaging system, (2) creating a 3D model from this cardiac image data, (3) registering the 3D model to an interventional system, (4) positioning a catheter apparatus within a chamber of the heart, (5) displaying the catheter apparatus over the registered 3D model on the interventional system, (6) navigating the catheter apparatus within the heart guided by the registered 3D model, and (7) having the catheter apparatus ablate heart tissue at select locations.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. A catheter apparatus of the type used in the treatment of heart arrhythmia comprising:
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a catheter shaft having a main body and a coaxial tip section joined to the main body, the tip section having a tip distal end and being rotatable about a central axis and deflectable such that the tip section can be selectively curved away from the main body; a mapping and ablation catheter slidably disposed within the catheter shaft, the mapping and ablation catheter having a catheter distal portion, the catheter distal portion being a pre-stressed curve whereby the mapping and ablation catheter curves as the catheter distal portion is extended axially from the catheter shaft and when the catheter distal portion is fully extended from the catheter shaft, all of the curve is substantially coplanar with a plane substantially perpendicular to the central axis at the tip distal end; and a control mechanism coupled to both the catheter shaft and the mapping and ablation catheter whereby the control mechanism controls, with respect to the central axis, selective rotation and selective deflection of the tip section and controls selective axial movement of the mapping and ablation catheter with respect to the catheter shaft. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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Specification