Balloon catheter having ablation and return electrodes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12558154-B2
Application number	US-202016994428-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 14, 2020
Priority date	Aug 14, 2020
Publication date	Feb 24, 2026
Grant date	Feb 24, 2026

Abstract

A catheter includes an expandable frame for insertion into an organ of a patient, one or more first electrodes, and a second electrode. The one or more first electrodes are disposed on the expandable frame at one or more first positions for placing in contact with a target tissue of the organ, and are configured to perform one or both of: (i) sensing one or more electrical signals from the target tissue, and (ii) applying one or more ablation pulses to the target tissue. The second electrode is disposed within an internal volume of the expandable frame, at a second position that is not in contact with the target tissue while the one or more first electrodes contact the target tissue, and is configured to serve as a return or common electrode for the electrical signals.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A catheter, comprising:
an expandable frame for insertion into an organ of a patient, the expandable frame extending along an axis of the catheter and comprising an inflatable balloon that is inflatable with a saline solution; a flexible printed circuit board wrapped around the inflatable balloon and comprising first electrical traces that are parallel to the axis and second electrical traces that are orthogonal to the first electrical traces and extend in a circumferential direction of the inflatable balloon, the circumferential direction being orthogonal to and extending around the axis; a plurality of first electrodes, which (i) are disposed on the flexible printed circuit board at a plurality of first positions along the circumferential direction of the inflatable balloon, (ii) are each configured to be in contact with a target tissue of the organ, and (iii) are each configured to perform one or both of: (i) sensing one or more unipolar electrical signals from the target tissue, and (ii) applying one or more unipolar ablation pulses to the target tissue, each second electrical trace (i) extending across at least three first electrodes of the plurality of first electrodes and (ii) intersecting the plurality of first electrical traces in the circumferential direction; and a second electrode, which is disposed within an internal volume of the expandable frame, at a second position that is not in contact with the target tissue while the plurality of first electrodes contact the target tissue, and is configured to serve as a return or common electrode to sense the one or more unipolar electrical signals from the target tissue or apply the one or more unipolar ablation pulses to the target tissue, the second electrode being disposed within the inflatable balloon, and the saline solution being configured to conduct one or both of: (i) the one or more unipolar electrical signals sensed from the target tissue, and (ii) the one or more unipolar ablation pulses applied to the target tissue.

2 . The catheter according to claim 1 , and comprising an ablation power source, which is electrically connected to the catheter and is configured to apply the one or more unipolar ablation pulses to at least one first electrode of the plurality of first electrodes.

3 . The catheter according to claim 1 , wherein the organ comprises a patient heart, and wherein the one or more unipolar electrical signals comprise one or more unipolar intra-cardiac electrical signals sensed from the organ.

4 . The catheter according to claim 1 , wherein the organ comprises a patient heart, and wherein the one or more unipolar ablation pulses comprise one or more unipolar radiofrequency (RF) ablation pulses applied to the patient heart.

5 . The catheter according to claim 1 , wherein the second electrode is coupled to a catheter shaft at the second position.

6 . The catheter according to claim 1 , further comprising a third electrode at a third position that is not in contact with the target tissue while the plurality of first electrodes contact the target tissue, the third electrode serving as an additional return electrode for the one or more unipolar electrical signals.

7 . The catheter according to claim 6 , wherein the third electrode is disposed on a catheter shaft out of the internal volume of the inflatable balloon.

8 . The catheter according to claim 1 , each respective first electrical trace extending along a respective first electrode of the plurality of first electrodes such that the respective first electrode comprises portions disposed on opposing lateral sides of the respective first electrical trace in the circumferential direction.

9 . A method for producing a catheter, the method comprising:
receiving an expandable frame for insertion into an organ of a patient, the expandable frame extending along an axis and comprising an inflatable balloon that is inflatable with a saline solution; receiving a flexible printed circuit board that comprises first electrical traces and second electrical traces; disposing on the flexible printed circuit board, at a plurality of first positions along a circumferential direction of the inflatable balloon, a plurality of first electrodes for placing in contact with a target tissue of the organ, each of the plurality of first electrodes performing one or both of: (i) sensing one or more unipolar electrical signals from the target tissue, and (ii) applying one or more unipolar ablation pulses to the target tissue; wrapping the flexible printed circuit board around the inflatable balloon such that the first electrical traces are parallel to the axis and the second electrical traces that are orthogonal to the first electrical traces and extend in the circumferential direction, the circumferential direction being orthogonal to and extending around the axis when the flexible printed circuit board is wrapped around the inflatable balloon, each second electrical trace (i) extending across at least three first electrodes of the plurality of first electrodes and (ii) intersecting the plurality of first electrical traces in the circumferential direction, and each respective first electrical trace extending along a respective first electrode of the plurality of first electrodes such that the respective first electrode comprises portions disposed on opposing lateral sides of the respective first electrical trace in the circumferential direction; and disposing within an internal volume of the expandable frame, at a second position that is not in contact with the target tissue while the one or more first electrodes contact the target tissue, a second electrode that serves as a return or common electrode to sense the one or more unipolar electrical signals from the target tissue or apply the one or more unipolar ablation pulses to the target tissue, the second electrode being disposed within the inflatable balloon, and the saline solution being configured to conduct one or both of: (i) the one or more unipolar electrical signals sensed from the target tissue, and (ii) the one or more unipolar ablation pulses applied to the target tissue.

10 . The method according to claim 9 , and comprising electrically connecting to the catheter, an ablation power source for applying the one or more unipolar ablation pulses to at least one of the first electrodes of the plurality of first electrodes.

11 . The method according to claim 9 , wherein disposing the plurality of first electrodes comprises coupling the plurality of first electrodes to the expandable frame.

12 . The method according to claim 9 , wherein disposing the plurality of first electrodes comprises producing the plurality of first electrodes in the expandable frame.

13 . The method according to claim 9 , wherein disposing the second electrode comprises coupling the second electrode to a catheter shaft at the second position, which is within the internal volume of the expandable frame.

14 . The method according to claim 9 , and comprising disposing at a third position that is not in contact with the target tissue while the plurality of first electrodes contact the target tissue, a third electrode that serves as an additional return electrode for the one or more unipolar electrical signals.

15 . The method according to claim 14 , wherein disposing the third electrode at the third position comprises disposing the third electrode on a catheter shaft out of the internal volume of the expandable frame.

16 . A catheter, comprising:
an expandable frame for insertion into an organ of a patient, the expandabl

Assignees

• Biosense Webster Israel Ltd

Inventors

• Govari Assaf
• Beeckler Christopher Thomas
• Keyes Joseph Thomas
• Herrera Kevin Justin

Classifications

• A61B2018/1253

  monopolar · CPC title

• A61B2018/00577

  Ablation · CPC title

• A61B2018/00267

  having a basket shaped structure · CPC title

• A61B2018/0022

  Balloons · CPC title

• A61B18/1206

  Generators therefor · CPC title