摘要:
A steerable catheter control mechanism (30) for manipulating a pair of catheter control wires (18, 20) comprises a slider mechanism (32) coupled to the proximal ends of the control wires (18, 20) and displaceable along a linear path to place a selected one of said wires in tension without placing the other of said wires in compression.
摘要:
A device, and method for performing cardiac ablations includes a therapeutic instrument, for example, an ablation catheter (10), to which is mounted a flexible, and braided electrode (14). The electrode configuration is selected so that it has a desired surface area for proper heat convection properties. RF energy (26) is delivered to the electrode to heat, thereby ablate local heart tissue, with the electrode having good convection abilities to protect against coagulation, embolisms, and other undesirable effects of ablation procedures.
摘要:
A thumb wheel mechanism (5) includes a thumb wheel (20) with upper and lower surfaces, the lower surface including a bore (16) with a ball (18) connected to it, and an handle half (10) with upper and lower surfaces, the upper surface including a divot (12), the thumb wheel lower surface being aligned with the handle half upper surface so that the ball rests in the divot of the handle half upper surface when the thumb wheel mechanism is in the neutral position, thereby minimizing the compression load on the thumb wheel mechanism.
摘要:
A steerable catheter control mechanism comprises a rotatable driver and a deflection device responsive to the driver to selectively secure a pair of control wires. The control wires are positioned such that rotation of the driver reduces the effective deflection device radius while loading a selected wire in tension, thereby maintaining a relatively constant torque acting on the driver and minimizing operator fatigue. The deflection device is also responsive to the driver to selectively place one of the control wires in tension while maintaining the other wire in a static state thereby minimizing control wire fatigue.
摘要:
A snap-fit assembly for the distal tip of a catheter is provided. The assembly includes a thermally insulative core and a thermally conductive ablation electrode arranged to interlock with one another by snapping the two together. The core has a proximal end which is shaped to readily fit within the distal tip of an ablation catheter and includes a head which temporarily compresses as it is inserted into the ablation electrode. A method of making the distal tip assembly is also provided.
摘要:
A device, and method for performing cardiac ablations includes a therapeutic instrument, for example, an ablation catheter (10), to which is mounted a flexible, and braided electrode (14). The electrode configuration is selected so that it has a desired surface area for proper heat convection properties. RF energy (26) is delivered to the electrode to heat, thereby ablate local heart tissue, with the electrode having good convection abilities to protect against coagulation, embolisms, and other undesirable effects of ablation procedures.
摘要:
Catheters for mapping and/or ablation are disclosed. In one embodiment, the catheter comprises a handle, a flexible shaft, a tip assembly, and a cable. The handle includes an actuator and is attached, at its distal end, to the proximal end of the flexible shaft. The flexible shaft has a longitudinal axis that extends along a length of the shaft. The proximal end of the tip assembly is attached to the distal end of the shaft and includes a fixed bend of approximatley ninety degrees relative to the longitudinal axis of the shaft. The distal end of the tip assembly includes an arcuate curve having a diameter. The arcuate curve is oriented in a plane that is approximatley perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the shaft. The cable is attached to the actuator and the distal end of the tip assembly, and extends through the shaft. The cable is adapted to change the diameter of the arcuate curve in response to movement of the actuator.
摘要:
The system and methods of the invention gauge the amount or quality of the contact between body tissue and one or more electrodes supported on a catheter. In further aspects, the invention concerns methods for controlling power delivery to particular electrodes on a catheter in response to tissue contact data derived from that electrode or other electrodes during the ablation procedure. The invention monitors and processes information concerning the number of pulses of pulsed radio-frequency energy that are delivered during an ablation procedure. The amount or quality of tissue contact is gauged by comparing the number of pulses delivered to a particular electrode during the interval to either the number of pulses delivered to at least one other electrode of the plural electrodes or data derived during the ablation procedure. The system and method can provide a display of the gauge of tissue contact among the various electrodes and also can automatically control distribution of pulsed RF energy in response to the gauge of tissue contact.
摘要:
A handle for use with a catheter, the handle including a housing, a cable, and a guide. The housing has a proximal end, a distal end, and a longitudinal axis that extends from the proximal end of the housing to the distal end of the housing. The cable is disposed in the housing and extends through the proximal end of the housing. A portion of the cable that is disposed in the housing is movable, under compression, in a first direction that is substantially aligned with the longitudinal axis of the housing. The guide is disposed in the housing and is adapted to prevent the portion of the cable from moving in a second direction that is transverse to the first direction when the portion of the cable is moved in the first direction. The handle is suitable for use with an electrophysiology catheter having an elongated shaft.
摘要:
A medical device in one embodiment includes an electrode (12) which is connected to a flexible, tubular, movable member, such as a catheter shaft or an outer sheath, which is slidably extended over a guide wire, flexible shaft, or other tubular member. A displacement mechanism (20) is connected to the movable member, and may be actuated one or more times to displace the movable member in successive, predetermined increments, for creating a linear lesion or for performing diagnostic functions.