Active detection of sensor transition from covered to exposed

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9724014-B2
Application number	US-201313797014-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 12, 2013
Priority date	Mar 12, 2013
Publication date	Aug 8, 2017
Grant date	Aug 8, 2017

Abstract

An introducer may comprise a shaft and a proximal electrode. The shaft may have a proximal end portion and an interior lumen, the interior lumen configured to receive a catheter therethrough. The proximal electrode may be coupled with the proximal end portion and may be configured to act as an electrical source or sink so as to create an electrical field within the interior lumen. A position of an electrode coupled with the catheter may be determined according to the electrical field.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising: an electronic control unit (ECU), wherein the ECU comprises a processor; and an exterior coaxial elongate medical device coupled with the ECU and configured to be coupled with an interior coaxial medical device having an interior electrode, the exterior coaxial elongate medical device comprising: a shaft having a proximal end portion, a distal end portion, and an interior lumen, said interior lumen configured to receive the interior coaxial medical device therethrough; a proximal electrode coupled with said proximal end portion, said proximal electrode configured to act as a first electrical source or sink; and a distal electrode coupled with said distal end portion, said distal electrode configured to act as a second electrical sink or source, respectively, so as to enable, together with the first electrical source or sink, creation of an electrical field within said interior lumen between said first electrical source or sink and said second electrical sink or source; wherein a position of the interior electrode may be determined, by the ECU, according to said electrical field.

2. A system of claim 1 , wherein said proximal end portion is coupled with an exterior fluid lumen, wherein said proximal electrode is coupled with said exterior fluid lumen.

3. A system of claim 1 , wherein said interior lumen comprises a fluid lumen, and wherein said proximal electrode and said distal electrode are configured to create the electrical field within said fluid lumen.

4. A system of claim 1 , wherein said proximal electrode is disposed within said proximal end portion of said shaft.

5. A system of claim 1 , wherein said shaft comprises a body having an impedance that is significantly higher than the impedance of a body of a patient.

6. A method of determining the relative positions of an interior electrode coupled with an interior coaxial medical device and a shaft of an exterior coaxial medical device, the method comprising: driving an electrical current between a proximal electrode coupled with a proximal end of the interior coaxial medical device and a distal electrode so as to create an electrical field within an interior lumen of the exterior coaxial medical device, at least a portion of the interior coaxial medical device disposed within the interior lumen; measuring, by an electronic control unit (ECU), an electrical potential with the interior electrode according to the electrical field, wherein the ECU comprises a processor; and determining, by the ECU, whether the interior electrode is within the shaft of the exterior coaxial medical device according to the measured electrical potential.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein said determining comprises comparing the measured electrical potential to an electrical potential threshold.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein a measured electrical potential above the electrical potential threshold indicates that the interior electrode is within the shaft of the exterior coaxial medical device and a measured electrical potential below the electrical potential threshold indicates that the interior electrode is not within the shaft of the exterior coaxial medical device.

9. The method of claim 6 , wherein the interior electrode is a first interior electrode and the interior coaxial medical device further includes a second interior electrode, wherein said measuring comprises measuring a voltage across the first interior electrode and the second interior electrode.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein said determining, by the ECU, comprises comparing the measured voltage to a measured voltage threshold.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein a magnitude of the measured voltage above the measured voltage threshold indicates that at least one of the first interior electrode and the second interior electrode is within the shaft of the exterior coaxial medical device and a magnitude of the measured voltage below the measured voltage threshold indicates that at least one of the first interior electrode and the second interior electrode is not within the shaft of the exterior coaxial medical device.

12. The method of claim 6 , wherein the distal electrode is disposed within an interior of a body of a patient.

13. The method of claim 6 , wherein the distal electrode is disposed on the exterior of a body of a patient.

14. The method of claim 6 , wherein the distal electrode is coupled with the interior coaxial medical device.

15. An electronic control unit (ECU) for determining the position of an interior electrode coupled with an interior coaxial medical device relative to a distal end opening of a shaft of an exterior coaxial medical device, the exterior coaxial medical device including an interior lumen configured to receive the interior coaxial medical device and a proximal electrode, the ECU configured to: drive an electrical current between the proximal electrode and a distal electrode so as to enable creation of an electrical field within the interior lumen of the exterior elongate medical device between the proximal electrode and the distal electrode, wherein the proximal electrode is configured to act as a first electrical source or sink and the distal electrode is configured to act as a second electrical sink or source, respectively; measure an electrical potential with the interior electrode; and determine a position of the interior electrode relative to the distal opening of the exterior elongate medical device shaft according to said measured electrical potential.

16. The ECU of claim 15 , wherein the ECU is configured to determine the position by comparing the measured electrical potential to an electrical potential threshold.

17. The ECU of claim 16 , wherein the ECU is configured one or more of indicate that the interior electrode is distal of the distal end opening of the exterior coaxial medical device shaft if the measured electrical potential is below the electrical potential threshold and indicate that the interior electrode is proximal of the distal end opening of the exterior coaxial medical device if the measured electrical potential is above the electrical potential threshold.

18. The ECU of claim 15 , wherein the interior electrode is a first interior electrode and the ECU is configured to measure a voltage across the first interior electrode and a second interior electrode coupled with the interior coaxial medical device.

19. The ECU of claim 18 , wherein the ECU is configured to compare a magnitude of the measured voltage to a voltage threshold and further configured to one or more of indicate that one or more of the first interior electrode and the second interior electrode is distal of the distal end opening of the exterior coaxial medical device if the measured voltage magnitude is greater than the voltage threshold and indicate that one or more of the first interior electrode and the second interior electrode is proximal of the distal end opening of the exterior coaxial medical device if the measured voltage magnitude is less than the voltage threshold.

Assignees

• St Jude Medical Atrial Fibrillation Div Inc

Inventors

• Hill Anthony D
• Deno D Curtis
• Balachandran Ram
• Eliason Braden

Classifications

• A61B2034/2053

  Tracking an applied voltage gradient · CPC title

• A61B2090/0811

  for the position of a particular part of an instrument with respect to the rest of the instrument, e.g. position of the anvil of a stapling instrument · CPC title

• A61B5/065 Primary

  Determining position of the probe employing exclusively positioning means located on or in the probe, e.g. using position sensors arranged on the probe · CPC title

• A61B5/063

  using impedance measurements · CPC title

• A61M2025/0166

  Sensors, electrodes or the like for guiding the catheter to a target zone, e.g. image guided or magnetically guided · CPC title