Apparatus and method for navigating a catheter

摘要

The invention relates to a navigation system for guiding a catheter in a patient's vascular system, where the spatial position of the catheter and its orientation are continually measured by a locating device. The resulting trajectory (T₀) of the catheter contains movement artefacts on account of the heartbeat. In order to suppress said movement artefacts, the electrocardiogram (ECG) is recorded in parallel, and the position and orientation signals are suppressed during phases of strong heart movement (QRS peak). Preferably, extrapolation of the compensated trajectory (T_c) is carried out in the gaps arising as a result of signal suppression.