460medical, Inc.

Washington University

Luxcath, LLC

Access Business Group International LLC

Philips IP Ventures B.v.

Safetyminded Holdings, Inc.

Kenneth C Armstrong

Terrance J Ransbury

Omar Amirana

Narine Sarvazyan

Marco A Mercader

Cinnamon Larson

Matthew W Kay

James Bowen

Joshua K Schwannecke

Matthew J Norconk

Joshua B Taylor

Colin J Moore

Neil W Kuyvenhoven

Dale R Liff

Robert D Gruich

Arthur W Kelley

Jason L Amistadi

Robert M Smith

Darrel Eugene Self

Charles Mack Gouge

James H Bowen

Systems, catheter and methods for treating Atrial Fibrillation (AF) are provided, which are configure to illuminate a heart tissue having a lesion site; obtain a mitochondrial nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide hydrogen (NADH) fluorescence intensity from the illuminated heart tissue along a first line across the lesion site; create a 2-dimensional (2D) map of the depth of the lesion site along the first line based on the NADH fluorescence intensity; and determine a depth of the lesion site at a selected point along the first line from the 2D map, wherein a lower NADH fluorescence intensity corresponds to a greater depth in the lesion site and a higher NADH fluorescence intensity corresponds to an unablated tissue. The process may be repeated to create a 3 dimensional map of the depth of the lesion.

Systems and methods for determining lesion depth using fluorescence imaging

Catheter for visualizing ablated tissue comprises a catheter body; a distal tip positioned at a distal end of the catheter body, the distal tip defining a illumination cavity, the distal tip having one or more openings for exchange of light energy between the illumination cavity and tissue; a light directing member disposed within the illumination cavity, the light directing member being configured to split light energy received from a light source into multiple beams and to such beams to the tissue through the corresponding more openings in the distal tip.

Systems and methods for lesion formation and assessment

Systems and methods for visualizing ablated tissue are disclosed. In some embodiments, a system for imaging tissue comprising: a catheter having a distal end and a proximal end; an inflatable balloon disposed about the distal end of the catheter; and an optical housing extending from the distal end of the catheter into the balloon, the optical housing being configured to position inside the balloon a light source for illuminating a tissue outside the balloon and a camera for imaging the illuminated tissue.

Systems and methods for visualizing ablated tissue

Ablation and visualization systems and methods to access quality of contact between a catheter and tissue are provided. In some embodiments, a method for monitoring tissue ablation of the present disclosure comprises advancing a distal tip of an ablation catheter to a tissue in need of ablation; illuminating the tissue with UV light to excite NADH in the tissue, wherein the tissue is illuminated in a radial direction, an axial direction, or both; determining from a level of NADH fluorescence in the illuminated tissue when the distal tip of the catheter is in contact with the tissue; and delivering ablation energy to the tissue to form a lesion in the tissue.

Systems and methods for assessment of contact quality

Ablation visualization and monitoring systems and methods are provided. In some embodiments, such methods comprise applying ablation energy to a tissue to form a lesion in the tissue, illuminating the tissue with a light to excite NADH in the tissue, wherein the tissue is illuminated in a radial direction, an axial direction, or both, monitoring a level of NADH fluorescence in the illuminated tissue to determine when the level of NADH fluorescence decreases from a base level in the beginning of the ablating to a predetermined lower level, and stopping ablation of the tissue when the level of NADH fluorescence reaches the predetermined lower level.

Systems and methods for lesion assessment

Systems and methods for determining tissue type

A communication system that uses keyed modulation to encode fixed frequency communications on a variable frequency power transmission signal in which a single communication bit is represented by a plurality of modulations. To provide a fixed communication rate, the number of modulations associated with each bit is dynamic varying as a function of the ratio of the communication frequency to the carrier signal frequency. In one embodiment, the present invention provides dynamic phase-shift-keyed modulation in which communications are generated by toggling a load at a rate that is a fraction of the power transfer frequency. In another embodiment, the present invention provides communication by toggling a load in the communication transmitter at a rate that is phase locked and at a harmonic of the power transfer frequency. In yet another embodiment, the present invention provides frequency-shift-keyed modulation, including, for example, modulation at one of two different frequencies.

System and method of providing communications in a wireless power transfer system

Growing community of inventors

Cary, NC, United States of America

Kenneth C Armstrong