CONTACT ASSESSMENT OF BALLOON CATHETERS

摘要

A medical apparatus and system for determining contact assessment includes a catheter having an elongate body having a proximal end, a distal end opposite the proximal end, and defining an injection lumen and an exhaust lumen, an expandable membrane defining a cooling chamber disposed at a point along the elongate body, the cooling chamber in fluid communication with the injection lumen and the exhaust lumen, and a contact assessment element which may be a temperature sensor located proximate the coolant return lumen for measuring an internal temperature of the chamber. The system may include the catheter, a console having a fluid supply, an exhaust path and at least one control mechanism operationally coupled to the temperature sensor for processing a temperature signal received from the temperature sensor. The apparatus and system can also have multiple electrodes to measure and process various impedances to determine contact assessment.

主权项

1. A medical system for assessing contact with an area of tissue, the medical system comprising:
a catheter including:
an elongate body having a proximal end, a distal end opposite the proximal end, and defining an injection lumen and an exhaust lumen;an expandable membrane defining a cooling chamber disposed at a point along the elongate body, the cooling chamber in fluid communication with the injection lumen and the exhaust lumen;a first electrode located distal to the expandable membrane; anda second electrode located proximal to the expandable membrane; and a console including at least one control mechanism operationally coupled to the first and second electrodes, the at least one control mechanism including a signal generator for providing an electrical current between the first and second electrodes and a signal processor programmed to calculate an impedance measurement between the first and second electrodes.