Stereotaxis, Inc.

Other

Peter R Werp

Rogers C Ritter

Walter M Blume

Francis M Creighton

Bevil J Hogg

Roger Noel Hastings

Raju R Viswanathan

Jeffrey M Garibaldi

Andrew F Hall

Gareth T Munger

John M Lasala

Michael John Eng

Ilker Tunay

Ashwini K Pandey

Michael A Lawson

Matthew A Howard

Charles Wolfersberger

Torrey Munger

William Penny

C Ritter Rogers

An apparatus and method for interventional navigation within a subject's body is provided in which a medical device having at least one electrostrictive element is adapted to cause the distal end of the medical device to bend in a given direction for improving navigation. The medical device may further comprise at least one magnetically responsive element on the distal end, which may be oriented in the approximate direction of a magnetic field that is applied to the subject's body. At least one method for navigating a medical device though a subject's body is provided, by changing the direction of an applied magnetic field to align a magnetically responsive element on the distal end for orienting the distal end, and by applying a voltage to at least one electrostrictive element disposed in the distal portion of the device for causing the distal end to change orientation from that achieved by application of the magnetic field alone.

Electrostriction devices and methods for assisted magnetic navigation

An apparatus and method for interventional navigation within a subject's body is provided in which a medical device having at least one electrostrictive element is adapted to cause the distal end of the medical device to bend in a given direction for improving navigation. The medical device may further comprise at least one magnetically responsive element on the distal end, which may be oriented in the approximate direction of a magnetic field that is applied to the subjects body. At least one method for navigating a medical device though a subject's body is provided, by changing the direction of an applied magnetic field to align a magnetically responsive element on the distal end for orienting the distal end, and by applying a voltage to at least one electrostrictive element disposed in the distal portion of the device for causing the distal end to change orientation from that achieved by application of the magnetic field alone.

The movement of a catheter through a medium, which may be living tissue such as a human brain, is controlled by mechanically pushing a flexible catheter having a magnetic tip through the medium and applying a magnetic field having a magnitude and a direction that guides the mechanically-pushed catheter tip stepwise along a desired path. The magnetic field is controlled in a Magnetic Stereotaxis System by a processor using an adaptation of a PID (proportional, integral, and derivative) feedback method. The magnetic fields are applied by superconducting coils, and the currents applied through the coils are selected to minimize a current metric.

Method and apparatus for magnetically controlling motion direction of mechanically pushed catheter

A magnetic navigation system for orienting a magnetically responsive device in an operating region in a subject has at least two magnet units and a support for mounting the at least two magnet units for movement relative to the subject, the support supporting the at least two magnet units adjacent the operating region in the subject at locations to apply a magnetic field to the operating region. Each magnet unit includes sing a magnet and a positioner for selectively changing the position of the magnet. The system also includes a control for operating the positioners of each magnet unit to selectively change the positions of the magnets to maintain the magnetic field direction applied to the operating region by the magnets as the locations of the magnet units relative to the operating region change. The system is adapted for implementing a method of navigating according to the present invention in which the magnets in the magnet units are selectively rotated and pivoted to maintain the appropriate magnetic field direction projected by the magnets to maintain the device direction as the magnet units move on the support about the operating region.

Magnetic navigation system

A method of turning a medical device, having a magnetically responsive element associated with its distal end, at an operating point within an operating region inside a patient's body from an initial direction to a desired final direction, through the movement of at least one external source magnet. The at least one external source magnet is moved in such a way as to change the direction of the distal end of the magnetic medical device from the initial direction to the desired final direction without substantial deviation from the plane containing the initial direction and the desired final direction.

Method for safely and efficiently navigating magnetic devices in the body

Method and apparatus for magnetically controlling motion direction of a mechanically pushed catheter

An electrophysiology catheter includes a tube having a proximal end, a distal end, and a lumen therebetween. The tube is preferably comprised of multiple sections of different flexibility, arranged so that the flexibility of the catheter increases from the proximal end to the distal end. There is a first generally hollow electrode member at the distal end. At least one magnetically responsive element is disposed at least partially in the hollow electrode, for orienting the distal end of the catheter with an externally applied magnetic field. Multiple magnets can be distributed over the distal portion of the device. The end electrode can have openings for delivering irrigating fluid, and/or a sleeve can be provided around the tube to create an annular space for the delivering of irrigating fluid. A temperature sensor can be provided to control the operation of the catheter. A localization coil can also be included to sense the position and orientation of the catheter.

Electrophysiology catheter

An apparatus and method for locating a magnetic implant in a surgical application using the field of a source magnet for the implant guiding field. The source magnet is an electromagnet having a separate calibrated magnetic field component in addition to the guiding field, so that both the magnitude and orientation of the magnetic field as a function of position around the magnet are known. A magnetic implant is provided with a sensor, such as a three-axis Hall effect sensor, to provide an indication of the magnitude and orientation of an applied magnetic field when the implant is surgically implanted in a patient. After implantation, the source magnet is energized with a current having a modulated component. The modulated component is received and filtered from the signal received from the Hall effect sensor in the implant, and provided to a processor that computes the location of the implant.

Device for locating magnetic implant by source field

A magnetically navigable atherectomy device includes a cutting head, a flexible drive shaft having a proximal and a distal end, with the cutting device on the distal end, and a magnet associated with the cutting head, the magnet of sufficient size to allow the cutting head to be oriented by an externally applied magnetic field. The magnet may be a portion of the cutting head made from a magnetically permeable or permanent magnetic material, a portion of the drive shaft made from a magnetically permeable or permanent magnetic material; a separate magnet between the cutting head and the drive shaft, a portion a magnet on a sheath covering the drive shaft. Alternatively a guide wire can provided with a magnetic material on its distal end. Through the application of a magnetic field and/or a magnetic gradient, the artherectomy device can be guided to the location of the atheromatous material in the body. Once at the site of atheromatous material, through the application of a magnetic field or magnetic gradient, the device can be manipulated into proximity to the atheromatous material to remove the material.

Growing community of inventors

St. Louis, MO, United States of America

Peter R Werp