C. R. Bard, Inc.

Boston Scientific Scimed, Inc.

Cathvision Aps

David P MacAdam

Gary S Falwell

Charles A Gibson

Steven J Burns

Nickolas G Davis

Paul J Wang

Dipen Shah

Shawn X Yang

Minoru Mashimo

Ding Sheng He

Dustin Dufour

Bruce Stoller

Pawel Kuklik

Harold Wodlinger

Stephen W Sagon

Sigge Nejst Larsen

Victor Shadbolt

Timothy Collins

Sylvain Fanier

Sheng He Ding

Darany Kuong

An electrophysiology system including signal channels each of which processes an electrophysiological signal along a signal path extending from an input port that receives the analog electrophysiological signal, via an adjustable gain element that amplifies the electrophysiological signal, and via an ADC element that converts the analog signal into a corresponding digital signal, to an output port. The system further includes a monitoring element that generates a monitoring signal representative of a DC component of the electrophysiological signal and a gain control element that generates a control signal responsive to the monitoring signal. The control signal controls the gain setting of the gain element to cause a decrease in gain, if an increase in the magnitude of the DC component is determined; and/or an increase in gain, if a decrease in the magnitude of the DC component is determined.

System and method for processing electrophysiological signals

An electrophysiology catheter, e.g., a coronary sinus catheter, for insertion into a cardiac vessel, such as the coronary sinus, includes a handle and a catheter shaft coupled at one end to the handle. The catheter shaft has a distal end and an anchor is associated with the catheter shaft and is movable between a deployed position and a collapsed position. In the deployed position, the anchor extends radially outward from an outer surface of the catheter shaft for contacting a wall and temporarily anchoring the catheter shaft within the coronary sinus. The catheter also includes an actuator for causing deployment and collapsing of the anchor upon manipulation of the actuator.

Means for securing a catheter into a vessel

The present invention encompasses apparatus and methods for mapping electrical activity within the heart. The present invention also encompasses methods and apparatus for creating lesions in the heart tissue (ablating) to create a region of necrotic tissue which serves to disable the propagation of errant electrical impulses caused by an arrhythmia.

Electrophysiology catheter for mapping and/or ablation

A catheter including control, localization, and/or fluid delivery features, and methods of using the same. One embodiment is directed to an electrophysiology catheter including a superelastic wire and a cable, and a method of controlling the catheter using the cable. Another embodiment is directed to an electrophysiology catheter including an adhesive to bias the orientation of the catheter. A further embodiment is directed to an electrophysiology catheter including adhesive and one or more cables, and a method of controlling the catheter using the one or more cables. Another embodiment is directed to a method including acts of injecting a fluid into the heart of a patient and adjusting the diameter of an arcuate curve of the catheter. Further embodiments are directed to a catheter having multiple position sensors on an arcuate curve of the catheter, or a position sensor associated with a movable electrode of the catheter.

Electrophysiology loop catheter

Method and apparatus for treating conductive irregularities in the heart, particularly atrial fibrillation and accessory path arrythmias. An ablative catheter is positioned relative to an inter-atrial electrical pathway, or a vicinity of accessory paths such as the coronary sinus or fossa ovalis, and actuated to form a lesion that partially or completely blocks electrical conduction in at least one direction along the pathway. Method and apparatus for assessing lesion quality are also described.

Methods and apparatus for forming cardiac lesions and assessing lesion quality

An apparatus for mapping and/or ablating tissue includes a braided conductive member that may be inverted to provide a ring-shaped surface. When a distal tip of the braided conductive member is retracted within the braided conductive member, the lack of a protrusion allows the ring-shaped surface to contact a tissue wall such as a cardiac wall. In an alternative configuration, the braided conductive member may be configured with the distal portion forming a proboscis that can be used to stably position the braided conductive member relative to a blood vessel, such as a ventricular outflow tract. The braided conductive member has a plurality of electronically active sites that may be accessed individually for stable mapping over a broad area for stable mapping or ablation to form broad and deep lesions.

Mapping and ablation method for the treatment of ventricular tachycardia

Systems and methods to assist in locating the focus of an atrial fibrillation include the association of atrial fibrillation cycle length values and statistics relating thereto with temporal locations on an electrogram of a given electrode, and/or the coordination of electrode locations with respective the spectral analyses of electrogram signals and further parameters and statistics relating thereto. Ablation therapy can proceed under guidance of such information.

High density atrial fibrillation cycle length (AFCL) detection and mapping system

Embodiments of the invention relate to a catheter having an ultrasound energy emitting region that is both rotatable about and slidable along the shaft of the catheter. One embodiment is directed to a catheter comprising an ultrasound transducer coupled to the shaft, and at least one actuator coupled to the handle and the ultrasound transducer that is adapted to move the ultrasound transducer both longitudinally along the shaft and circumferentially about the shaft. Another embodiment of the invention is directed to a catheter comprising an ultrasound transducer coupled to the shaft, and at least one actuator that is adapted to move the sheath both longitudinally along the shaft and circumferentially about the shaft to orient a window of the sheath in a desired position.

Methods and apparatus for configuring an ablation source of a catheter

Guidance to an operator to more accurately position electrodes upon a segmented heart model (SGM). The SGM is included in a map panel on a display screen. A catheter advanced into a beating heart supports one or more electrodes. During a single beat of the heart, an image is obtained with darkened portions corresponding to locations of the electrodes. The image is presented in the same map panel as the SGM. The current location of the electrodes is confirmed relative to the SGM, either manually or through automated software algorithms. EP data is captured that represents electrophysiological signals of the beating heart at the current location for each of the electrodes. A signal processing algorithm is applied to the captured EP data in view of the confirmed current location of the electrodes to result in a calculation that is mapped at the confirmed location of the electrodes.

System for relocating catheter-supported electrodes on segmented model

An electrophysiology (EP) system includes an interface for operator-interaction with the results of code executing therein. A template model can have channels positioned or repositioned thereupon by the user to define a set-up useful in rapid catheter positioning. Mapping operations can be performed without the requirement for precise catheter location determinations. A map module coordinates EP data associated with each selected channel and its associated position on the template model to provide this result, and can update the resulting map in the event that the channel or location is changed. Messaging and other dynamic features enable synchronized presentation of a myriad of EP data. Additional systems and methods are disclosed herein.

Rapid 3D mapping using multielectrode position data

In one aspect, a method for displaying closely proximate cardiac signals is provided and can include the steps of: (a) identifying one or more overlapping portions of a template signal and a data signal; (b) processing the overlapping portion so as to have a first color when displayed on a display; (c) processing the non-overlapping portion of the template signal to have a second color; (d) processing the non-overlapping portion of the data signal to have a third color; and (e) displaying the processed signals.

Growing community of inventors

Millbury, MA, United States of America

David P MacAdam