Ablation devices with sensor structures
First Claim
Patent Images
1. Apparatus for cardiac treatment comprising:
- (a) a catheter having proximal and distal ends;
(b) an expansible ablation device including one or more balloons mounted to said catheter at or adjacent the distal end thereof, said ablation device having a collapsed condition and an expanded condition, said balloon ablation device being operative to ablate cardiac tissue in proximity to the ablation device when the ablation device is in said expanded condition, said catheter and said ablation device in said expanded condition defining a port open on the distal side of said one or more balloons and a continuous passageway extending between said port and the proximal end of the catheter, said catheter being steerable so that the orientation of said expandable ablation device relative to the heart can be selectively varied; and
(c) an elongated sensor probe having proximal and distal ends, a main portion, an open hoop region, and a limb portion coupling the main portion to the hoop region, wherein the limb portion extends radially away from the main portion and extends proximally from a distal end of the main portion, said sensor probe including one or more electrodes disposed adjacent the distal end of the sensor probe, said passageway and said ablation device being constructed and arranged so that said sensor probe can be removably positioned in said passageway with the distal end of said sensor probe projecting out of said ablation device through said port, wherein the distal end of the sensor probe has an unconstrained curvature relative to the hoop region, and the hoop region has an unconstrained curvature in a plane orthogonal to the curvature of the distal end, resulting in an unconstrained configuration in which the hoop region is curved in the distal direction, towards the distal end of the main portion, and the distal end of the sensor probe is angled such that it lies closer to the distal end of the main portion than a juncture between the hoop region and the limb portion.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A cardiac ablation device, including a steerable catheter (10) and an expandable ablation element (18) incorporating one or more balloons (20, 22) at the distal end of the catheter, has a continuous passageway (28, 30) extending through it from the proximal end of the catheter to the distal side of the expandable ablation element. A probe (72) carrying electrodes is introduced through this passageway and deploys, under the influence of its own resilience, to a structure incorporating a loop (82) which is automatically aligned with the axis of the expandable ablation device, so that minimal manipulation is required to place the sensor probe.
145 Citations
43 Claims
-
1. Apparatus for cardiac treatment comprising:
-
(a) a catheter having proximal and distal ends; (b) an expansible ablation device including one or more balloons mounted to said catheter at or adjacent the distal end thereof, said ablation device having a collapsed condition and an expanded condition, said balloon ablation device being operative to ablate cardiac tissue in proximity to the ablation device when the ablation device is in said expanded condition, said catheter and said ablation device in said expanded condition defining a port open on the distal side of said one or more balloons and a continuous passageway extending between said port and the proximal end of the catheter, said catheter being steerable so that the orientation of said expandable ablation device relative to the heart can be selectively varied; and (c) an elongated sensor probe having proximal and distal ends, a main portion, an open hoop region, and a limb portion coupling the main portion to the hoop region, wherein the limb portion extends radially away from the main portion and extends proximally from a distal end of the main portion, said sensor probe including one or more electrodes disposed adjacent the distal end of the sensor probe, said passageway and said ablation device being constructed and arranged so that said sensor probe can be removably positioned in said passageway with the distal end of said sensor probe projecting out of said ablation device through said port, wherein the distal end of the sensor probe has an unconstrained curvature relative to the hoop region, and the hoop region has an unconstrained curvature in a plane orthogonal to the curvature of the distal end, resulting in an unconstrained configuration in which the hoop region is curved in the distal direction, towards the distal end of the main portion, and the distal end of the sensor probe is angled such that it lies closer to the distal end of the main portion than a juncture between the hoop region and the limb portion. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
-
-
17. A sensor probe comprising:
-
(a) an elongated tubular metallic shaft section having proximal and distal ends; (b) a elongated distal section having proximal and distal ends including a metallic wire core and a polymeric covering overlying said wire core, one or more electrodes overlying said polymeric covering, said distal section having an unconstrained shape including a main portion, a hoop region, and a limb portion coupling the main portion to the hoop region, wherein the limb portion extends radially away from the main portion and extends proximally from a distal end of the main portion, said hoop region having said one or more electrodes thereon, wherein the distal section in the unconstrained shape includes an opening in the hoop region, and the hoop region has a curvature in the distal direction and the distal end of the distal section is angled such that it lies closer to the distal end of the main portion than a juncture between the hoop region and the limb portion; and (c) one or more electrical conductors extending within said shaft section, said electrical conductors being electrically connected to said electrodes. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
-
-
21. A method of cardiac ablation comprising the steps of:
-
(a) advancing an apparatus including a catheter and an expansible ablation device incorporating one or more balloons into a subject while said ablation device is in a collapsed condition until the ablation device is disposed in a chamber of the subject'"'"'s heart; (b) expanding the ablation device to an expanded condition by inflating said one or more balloons; (c) while said ablation device is in said expanded condition, positioning the ablation device in a desired disposition relative to the heart by selectively steering said catheter so as to bring the ablation structure to a desired orientation relative to the heart; (d) actuating the ablation device to apply energy in a loop-like region in a predetermined spatial relationship to said ablation device and thereby ablate tissue in said region to form a lesion; (e) while said ablation device is in said expanded condition, retracting the ablation device in the proximal direction, and advancing a sensing probe through a passageway in said catheter and said ablation device so that a distal tip of said sensing probe projects out of a port on said ablation device, said sensing probe further including a main portion, a hoop region, and a limb portion coupling the main portion to the hoop region, wherein the limb portion extends radially from the main portion and extends proximally from a distal end of the main portion; (f) advancing the sensing probe out of the port, wherein the tip has an unconstrained curvature relative to the hoop region in a first radial direction, and the hoop region has an unconstrained curvature in a plane orthogonal to the curvature of the tip, such that as the hoop region is advanced out of the port, the hoop region forms a ring or hoop shape and the tip and hoop region are disposed on the same side of the ablation device, wherein as the limb portion is advanced through the port, the hoop region swings down over the distal end of the main portion and encircles the main portion proximal of the distal end of the main portion; (g) advancing the ablation device distally until the hoop region of the sensing probe abuts the ablation device, and further advancing the ablation device until the hoop region contacts tissue of the subject adjacent said ablation device and said ablation device at least partially positions the hoop region relative to the heart; and (h) detecting electrical signals in the subject using said sensing probe. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
-
-
31. A probe including a probe body having an undeployed condition and a deployed condition, and one or more functional elements disposed along said probe body, said probe body being elongated and flexible in said undeployed condition, said probe body in said deployed condition including:
-
(a) a base portion extending in a distal direction to a distal end; (b) a limb extending from the distal end of said base portion in a radial direction transverse to said distal direction, said limb also extending in a proximal direction opposite to said distal direction, said limb having an outer end remote from said base portion; (c) an open hoop region extending from said outer end of said limb around said base portion to a tip, said hoop including one or more of said functional elements, wherein the tip has an unconstrained curvature relative to the remainder of the hoop region, wherein the probe is configured such that when in an unconstrained, deployed condition, the hoop region has a curvature in the distal direction, towards the distal end of the base portion, and the tip of the hoop region is angled such that it lies closer to the distal end of the base portion than a juncture between the hoop region and the limb. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43)
-
Specification