Method for ablating body tissue
First Claim
1. A method for ablating cardiac tissue, said method comprising:
- advancing a treatment catheter through a patient'"'"'s vasculature into an atrium of a heart, the treatment catheter comprising an ultrasound emitter disposed near a distal end thereof;
positioning the ultrasound emitter to face heart tissue within the left atrium and outside of a pulmonary vein;
ablating the heart tissue with ultrasound energy from the ultrasound emitter to form a first lesion outside of a pulmonary vein while rotating the ultrasound emitter about a first rotation axis, wherein the first lesion encircles the ostia of the pulmonary vein,wherein the first lesion is formed without direct contact between the ultrasound emitter and the heart tissue, and wherein the ablating step is performed with the ultrasound energy being directed distally from a distally facing surface of the ultrasound emitter, andwherein the ultrasound energy is initially directed at an inner wall of the heart;
sensing a gap distance with a sensor coupled to the treatment catheter, the gap distance extending between the ultrasound emitter and the heart tissue;
based on the sensed gap distance, controlling re-positioning of the ultrasound emitter position by adjusting the gap distance between the ultrasound emitter and the heart tissue while maintaining the gap therebetween within an ablation window length, wherein adjusting comprises proximal or distal axial movement of the ultrasound emitter relative to the heart tissue;
cooling the ultrasound emitter with fluid wherein the fluid flows past the ultrasound emitter and exits the treatment catheter; and
providing a separation between the ultrasound emitter and blood in the atrium to prevent the blood from coagulating on the ultrasound emitter, wherein the separation comprises the fluid.
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Abstract
A tissue ablation system for treating fibrillation in a patient comprises a steerable interventional catheter having an energy source that emits a beam of energy to ablate tissue thereby creating a conduction block for aberrant electrical pathways. The system also includes a handle disposed near a proximal end of the interventional catheter and has an actuation mechanism for steering the interventional catheter. A console allows the system to be controlled and provides power to the system, and a display pod is electrically coupled with the console. The display pod has a display panel to display system information to a user and allows the user to control the system. A catheter pod is releasably coupled with the handle electrically and mechanically, and also electrically coupled with the display pod.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. A method for ablating cardiac tissue, said method comprising:
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advancing a treatment catheter through a patient'"'"'s vasculature into an atrium of a heart, the treatment catheter comprising an ultrasound emitter disposed near a distal end thereof; positioning the ultrasound emitter to face heart tissue within the left atrium and outside of a pulmonary vein; ablating the heart tissue with ultrasound energy from the ultrasound emitter to form a first lesion outside of a pulmonary vein while rotating the ultrasound emitter about a first rotation axis, wherein the first lesion encircles the ostia of the pulmonary vein, wherein the first lesion is formed without direct contact between the ultrasound emitter and the heart tissue, and wherein the ablating step is performed with the ultrasound energy being directed distally from a distally facing surface of the ultrasound emitter, and wherein the ultrasound energy is initially directed at an inner wall of the heart; sensing a gap distance with a sensor coupled to the treatment catheter, the gap distance extending between the ultrasound emitter and the heart tissue; based on the sensed gap distance, controlling re-positioning of the ultrasound emitter position by adjusting the gap distance between the ultrasound emitter and the heart tissue while maintaining the gap therebetween within an ablation window length, wherein adjusting comprises proximal or distal axial movement of the ultrasound emitter relative to the heart tissue; cooling the ultrasound emitter with fluid wherein the fluid flows past the ultrasound emitter and exits the treatment catheter; and providing a separation between the ultrasound emitter and blood in the atrium to prevent the blood from coagulating on the ultrasound emitter, wherein the separation comprises the fluid. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification