Surgery – Instruments – Electrical application
Patent
1998-07-17
2000-09-05
Dvorak, Linda C. M.
Surgery
Instruments
Electrical application
607102, 606 34, 600 40, A61B 1818
Patent
active
06113595&
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a device for the high-frequency, particularly radio-frequency and/or microwave, catheter ablation of endomyocardial tissue and to a corresponding ablation catheter.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The thermal obliteration of dysrhythmia sites in the surface of the cardiac muscle has proved successful in the treatment of cardiac dysrhythmias, particularly disorders caused by endomyocardial tissue. An ablation catheter was inserted in a controlled manner into the patient's heart and a local coagulation was performed using an essentially point electrode in the surface of the muscle, i.e. in the area of the tissue responsible for the conduction system. In doing so, a coagulation scar down to a depth of 3 to 5 mm was usually generated by a high-frequency generator with frequencies of 300 kHz to 700 kHz. This method does, however, suffer from the drawback that in order to carry out treatment, the ablation catheter must be re-placed several times in the area of the treatment site and that in consequence, the treatment process is time-consuming and labor-intensive.
BACKGROUND OF THE PRIOR ART
WO 93/08755 describes such a catheter for punctiform catheter ablation.
A catheter comprising a plurality of expandable electrodes is known from EP-A-0 499 491 A2, but the use of thermal sensors is not described therein.
The invention is based upon the object of simplifying the catheter ablation of endomyocardial tissue and of reducing the amount of time and treatment necessary for this purpose.
This object is solved in a surprisingly simple manner by a high-frequency catheter ablation device according to claim 1 and by a high-frequency ablation catheter according to for the first time in the surface of the cardiac muscle in a single application.
The linear arrangement of the electrodes also makes it possible to ensure that a zonal rather than just a punctiform interruption of the conduction system is obtained and hence the effect of defects can be more reliably ruled out than was the case with previous treatment techniques. The patient's discomfort is considerably reduced by the shorter treatment period, to which tremendous importance is attached particularly in the case of high-risk patients, rendering the device according to the invention suitable for emergency intensive-care and in-patient treatment.
It has proved advantageous to use high-frequency generators with powers of up to 200 Watt and more or commercially available high-frequency ablation apparatus together with the devices according to the invention. The invention is not, however, restricted to fixed powers of the high-frequency ablation apparatus in use and can be essentially used with any high-frequency ablation apparatus.
If the electrodes are each assigned several thermal sensors with which the operating temperatures of the electrodes can be detected, systematic and metered linear coagulation can be brought about by interaction with a control unit. For this purpose, the operating temperature of the particular electrode is detected and set or regulated by the control unit in terms of its temporal course and absolute level. The device according to the invention can be advantageously operated essentially in three different operating states.
These states are the unregulated, partially regulated and completely regulated operating states. In the unregulated operating state, the radio-frequency energy is applied to the particular electrode of the active catheter portion during predefinable intervals of time, preferably 10 mS respectively.
Very thin and highly elastic catheters can be used for this operating state, because it is possible to dispense with thermal sensors and hence the leads thereto are no longer necessary. The catheters used here are also inexpensive and an ECG unit with adjustable operating parameters that are known per se can be used to monitor them.
Although the temperature of the electrodes is detected in the partially regulated operating state, one temperature sensor is used at a time for more th
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Bip Acquisition Company Inc.
Dvorak Linda C. M.
Gibson Roy
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