The disclosed technology includes a catheter for electrophysiology applications. The catheter can comprise a shaft extending along a longitudinal axis to a distal end and an end effector coupled to the distal end of the shaft. The end effector can include a plurality of loop members. Each loop member of the plurality of loop members can include a corresponding stress distribution node positioned at a distal portion of the respective loop member and a plurality of electrodes affixed to the plurality of loop members.

The present disclosure is directed to measuring impedance across a plurality of electrode pairs. The disclosed systems and methods may simultaneously provide drive signals between electrode pairs and then sense the voltage signals that develop at the electrodes. Digital signal processing may be used to synchronously demodulate the voltage signal at each electrode to determine impedances at the electrodes. Each electrode pair may be driven at a unique frequency to allow for significantly increasing a number of electrode pairs and/or increasing drive current magnitudes. Synchronous demodulation allows the unique frequencies to be detected independent of each other while minimizing crosstalk. Typically, the drive frequencies are made orthogonal by setting the drive frequencies at harmonics of a common base frequency and measuring a response over an integer number of cycles. In an embodiment, quadrature demodulation may occur providing a real component for resistive impedance and an imaginary component for reactive impedance.

A catheter includes a body having a proximal region that extends along a longitudinal axis, a distal region predisposed into a loop via shaping wire, and a neck region between the proximal and distal regions. The loop is disposed in a plane generally orthogonal to the longitudinal axis. An activation wire is coupled to the distal region and to an actuator in a manner that allows a user to adjust the radius of the loop. The activation and shaping wires are contained within a tube-shaped constraint, such as a spring coil, within the neck in order to the neck from nodding when the activation wire is activated.

The present invention relates to an ablation equipment (100) to treat target regions of tissue (41) in organs (44), comprising an ablation catheter (1) and a single power source (4);

said ablation catheter (1) comprising: a catheter elongated shaft (13) comprising at least an elongated shaft distal portion (17); said catheter elongated shaft (13) comprising a flexible body (207) to navigate through body vessels (208);
said ablation catheter (1) further comprising a shaft ablation assembly (20) disposed at said elongated shaft distal portion (17); said shaft ablation assembly (2) comprising at least a plurality of electrodes (127, 113 or 114) fixedly disposed at said elongated shaft distal portion (17);
all electrodes of said at least a plurality (127, 113 or 114) being electrically powered by said single power source (4) through an electric signal (S) to deliver both non-thermal energy for treating the tissue (41) and thermal energy for ablating the tissue (41);
wherein
said single power source (4), when requested, changes continuously said electric signal (S) in order to power the said least a plurality of electrodes (127, 113 or 114) to deliver from a non-thermal energy to a thermal energy, and vice versa, or to deliver at the same time a combination of thermal energy and non-thermal energy.

A catheter is presented herein which includes inductive coils which conform to the curved surface of a tubular catheter body and collectively can function as a three axis sensor during an intravascular and/or intracardiac treatment. The inductive coils can be fabricated on a flexible circuit substrate and affixed to the tubular catheter body. The catheter can include a distal portion that can be moved into a circular shape (“lasso”) when within vasculature or the heart. The inductive coils can be positioned around the circular shape such that a position and orientation of the distal portion can be determined in three dimensions when the distal portion is within a known fluctuating magnetic field.

Embodiments of the present disclosure include a method for determining a shape of a catheter. The method can include receiving a plurality of impedance measurements from a plurality of electrodes disposed on a flexible tip portion of the catheter. The method can include receiving a magnetic position measurement from a magnetic position sensor disposed on a shaft of the catheter. The method can include determining a relationship between each of the plurality of electrodes disposed on the flexible tip portion of the catheter, based on the impedance measurements received from the plurality of electrodes. The method can include predicting a shape of the flexible tip portion of the catheter, based on the determined relationship between each of the plurality of electrodes disposed on the flexible tip portion of the catheter. The method can include determining a shape of the catheter, based on the magnetic position measurement and the predicted shape of the flexible tip portion.

A catheter with an electrode assembly has a functional electrode located at a first position on the electrode assembly and a shunting electrode located proximal to the first position. Irrigation fluid carried by the catheter may be electrically coupled with a patient's blood through the shunting electrode. The shunting electrode may be used to reduce noise in an electrocardiogram signal that results from the pump used to supply the irrigation fluid.

A catheter includes a catheter body and a distal tip section that includes an elongated member that extends along a longitudinal axis. An anchor mechanism can be disposed along an outer surface of the elongated member and/or within the elongated member in a first configuration. In a second configuration, the anchor mechanism can be configured to extend radially outward with respect to the longitudinal axis to surround at least a portion of the distal tip section.

A catheter has a distal assembly with at least one loop with ring electrodes. A single continuous puller wire for bidirectional deflection is pre-bent into two long portions and a U-shape bend therebetween. The U-shape bend is anchored at a distal end of a deflectable section which is reinforced by at least one washer having at least two holes, each hole axially aligned with a respective lumen in the deflectable section. Each hole is centered with a lumen so that each puller wire portion therethrough is straight and subjected to tensile force only. A proximal end of the support member is flattened and serrated to provide a better bonding to the distal end of the deflectable section.

Featured are intravaginal devices and methods of using the devices to observe the state of an individual's pelvic floor muscles in order to diagnose, treat, or prevent pelvic floor disorders (e.g., pelvic organ prolapse and incontinence) and their accompanying symptoms and methods of using the devices to treat or prevent vaginal disorders (e.g., skin laxity) in a subject using an energy transmitter (e.g., a radiofrequency transmitter). Also featured are algorithms to detect pelvic floor movements and physiological indicia from sensor data.