Catheter with cryogenic and electrical heating ablation

• US 7,896,870 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2007
• Issued: 03/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medtronic CryoCath LP (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Medtronic CryoCath LP (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Carroll, Sean, Arless, Steven G., Milder, Fredric L., Wittenberger, Dan, Abboud, Marwan
• Primary Examiner(s): Peffley; Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): HUPCZEY, JR, RONALD JAMES
• Application Number:
  US11/768,259
• Publication Number:
  US 20070299432A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,268 Days
• Field of Search: 606 20- 26, 606/100, 606/101, 606/104, 606/105, 128/898
• US Class Current: 606/21
• 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 18/18 by applying electromagnetic radiation, e.g. microwaves radiation therapy A61N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00243 cardiac
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/0212 using an instrument inserted into a body lumen, e.g. catheter
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/0268 with restriction of flow

Abstract

A catheter includes a cryoablation tip with an ablation assembly for heating tissue. The cryoablation tip may be implemented with a cooling chamber and have an RF electrode at its distal end. The electrode may be operated to warm cryogenically-cooled tissue, or the coolant may be controlled in combination with an RF treatment regimen to enhance the lesion size, speed or placement of multi-lesion or single lesion cycles. In one embodiment a microwave energy source operates to extend beyond the thermal conduction depth, or penetrate the ice ball and be absorbed in tissue beyond an ice boundary, thus extending a dimension of treatment. Also, the cooling and application of RF energy can be controlled to position the ablation region away from the surface contacted by the electrode thereby leaving surface tissue unharmed while ablating at depth or to provide an ablation band of greater uniformity with increasing depth.

Claims

1. A method of treating tissue comprising:

providing a catheter including a tissue freezing assembly and a tissue heating assembly;

and a controller operative for selectively regulating cryogenic cooling energy with heat ablation energy

operating said tissue freezing assembly and said tissue heating assembly simultaneously; and

ablating tissue with the simultaneous operation of the tissue freezing assembly and the tissue heating assembly, wherein each of the tissue freezing assembly and tissue heating assembly ablate tissue.

2. A method of treating a cardiac tissue area using multiple ablation techniques, the method comprising:

providing a treatment energy generation station supplying at least two different forms of treatment energy to one or more energy treatment devices;

coupling one or more energy treatment devices to the treatment energy generation station;

simultaneously supplying cryogenic fluid and a second type of energy to selected one or more energy treatment devices, and

ablating the target tissue area both cryogenically and with the second type of energy using the selected one or more energy treatment devices.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the one or more energy treatment devices are probes.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the one or more energy treatment devices are catheters.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein the one or more energy treatment devices are capable of both cryoablation and radiofrequency ablation.

6. The method of claim 2 wherein the treatment energy generation station includes a radiofrequency signal generator that supplies radiofrequency energy to the one or more energy treatment devices.