To prevent unintended concentration of radially protruding arm members. An electrode catheter (1) includes a catheter body (10) and an electrode unit (100) attached to a distal-end portion (10a) of the catheter body. The electrode unit includes a plurality of arm members (110) in which a one-end portion (110a) in a longitudinal direction is supported by the catheter body and the other-end portion (110b) in a longitudinal direction radially protrudes from the distal-end portion of the catheter body, ring-shaped electrodes (120) attached to the arm members, and core wires (130) as regulating units that regulate actions of adjacent ones of the arm members.

An elongate medical device shaft may comprise an elongate body and an annular electrode disposed on the elongate body. The annular electrode may define a longitudinal axis and have an outer diameter. The outer diameter may be greater at an axial center of the electrode than at an axial end of the electrode. Additionally or alternatively, the elongate body may comprise three longitudinal sections having three wall thicknesses. The middle wall thickness may be less than the proximal and distal wall thicknesses and the distal wall thickness may be less than the proximal wall thickness. Additionally or alternatively, the shaft may comprise an inner cylindrical structure and an outer tube. The outer tube may comprise a first radial layer and a second radial layer that is radially-outward of the first radial layer, the first radial layer, second radial layer, and inner structure having different stiffnesses.

A method is provided. The method includes pacing, by electrodes of a catheter, a heart tissue with pulses. The method includes observing, by the electrodes, a period of electrophysiological repolarization for the heart tissue. The period of electrophysiological repolarization is caused by the pacing. The method also includes measuring, by the electrodes, an electrical signal within the heart tissue after the period of electrophysiological repolarization.

A catheter system to record and map electrical signals by cardiac tissues before, during, and/or after the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias in a group of patients. The system can include an elongated body; a distal electrode assembly comprising a proximal stem, a plurality of spines emanating from the stem; and a plurality of nonconductive spine covers, each surrounding a respective spine. Each spine can cover one or more tensile members of the respective spine cover. The system can be configured to achieve clinically improved performance and safety of catheter configurations as to accessibility into target areas of a beating heart.

A catheter adapted or high density mapping and/or ablation of tissue surface has a distal electrode matrix having a plurality of spines arranged in parallel configuration on which a multitude of electrodes are carried in a grid formation for providing uniformity and predictability in electrode placement on the tissue surface. The matrix can be dragged against the tissue surface upon deflection (and/or release of the deflection) of the catheter. The spines generally maintain their parallel configuration and the multitude of electrodes generally maintain their predetermined relative spacing in the grid formation as the matrix is dragged across the tissue surface in providing very high density mapping signals. The spines may have free distal ends, or distal ends that are joined to form loops for maintaining the spines in parallel configuration.

A device includes a handle, an expandable structure including a plurality of splines extending from a proximal hub to a distal hub, a first electrode on a first spline of the plurality of splines, an outer tube extending from the handle to the proximal hub, and a shaft extending through the outer tube from the handle to the distal hub. The expandable structure has a collapsed state and a self-expanded state. The handle is configured to retract the shaft. Retracting the shaft may expand the expandable structure outward of the self-expanded state.

A catheter system to record and map electrical signals by cardiac tissues before, during, and/or after the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias in a group of patients. The system can include an elongated body; a distal electrode assembly comprising a proximal stem, a plurality of spines emanating from the stem; and a plurality of nonconductive spine covers, each surrounding a respective spine. Each spine can cover one or more tensile members of the respective spine cover. The system can be configured to achieve clinically improved performance and safety of catheter configurations as to accessibility into target areas of a beating heart.

Disclosed herein are systems and methods for locating and identifying nerves innervating the wall of arteries such as the renal artery. The present invention identifies areas on vessel walls that are innervated with nerves; provides indication on whether energy is delivered accurately to a targeted nerve; and provides immediate post-procedural assessment of the effect of energy delivered to the nerve. The methods include evaluating a change in physiological parameters after energy is delivered to an arterial wall; and determining the type of nerve that the energy was directed to (sympathetic or parasympathetic or none) based on the evaluated results. The system includes at least a device for delivering energy to the wall of blood vessel; sensors for detecting physiological signals from a subject; and indicators to display results obtained using said method. Also provided are catheters for performing the mapping and ablating functions.

A method includes receiving multiple electrophysiological (EP) signals acquired by multiple electrodes of a multi-electrode catheter that are in contact with tissue in a region of a cardiac chamber, and respective tissue locations at which the electrodes acquired the EP signals. The region is divided into two sections. Using the EP signals acquired by the electrodes, local activation times (LAT) are calculated for the respective tissue locations, and found are: a first section of the two sections having a smaller average LAT value, and a second section of the two sections having a higher average value. Determined are a first representative location in the first section, and a second representative location in the second section. A propagation vector is calculated between the first and second representative locations, that is indicative of propagation of an EP wave that has generated the EP signals. The propagation vector is presented to a user.