Abstract: Described embodiments include an apparatus that includes a flexible electrically-insulating substrate, including an inner surface and an outer surface, and shaped to define (i) multiple narrower channels passing between the inner surface and the outer surface, and (ii) one or more wider channels passing between the inner surface and the outer surface. The apparatus further includes an outer layer of an electrically-conducting metal covering at least part of the outer surface, an inner layer of the electrically-conducting metal covering at least part of the inner surface, a plating layer of the electrically-conducting metal that plates the wider channels such as to connect the outer layer to the inner layer, and respective columns of the electrically-conducting metal that fill the narrower channels such as to connect the outer layer to the inner layer. Other embodiments are also described.

Abstract: Performing an initial ablation of tissue using an electrode in a probe distal end to apply a first power and estimating an overall thickness of the tissue based on measurements during the ablation of parameters of a change of temperature of the probe distal end, the first power, an irrigation rate for irrigating the tissue and a contact force applied by the probe distal end to the tissue. The method also includes in response to the estimated thickness, computing at least one of a second power required and a second time period for ablation to complete ablation of the tissue. The method further includes performing a subsequent ablation of the tissue using the computed at least one of the second power and the time period for ablation.

Abstract: Described embodiments include apparatus that includes a catheter and a tip electrode, at a distal end of the catheter, shaped to define a plurality of fluid apertures. A structure, within the tip electrode, is configured such that fluid passed distally through a lumen of the catheter flows in a longitudinal direction through a space between the structure and an inner surface of the tip electrode, prior to exiting through the fluid apertures. Other embodiments are also described.

Abstract: A system includes a catheter, a pulse generator and a controller. The catheter is configured for insertion into a body of a patient, and includes at least a first electrode, a second electrode and a third electrode, which are disposed at a distal end of the catheter and are configured to contact tissue within the body. The pulse generator is configured to apply one or more bipolar ablation pulses between the first and second electrodes, for ablating the tissue in contact with the first and second electrodes. The controller is configured to: (i) control the pulse generator to apply the one or more bipolar ablation pulses between the first and second electrodes, (ii) receive a signal indicative of a voltage, measured between the third electrode and a reference during application of the ablation pulses, and (iii) issue a notification in response to detecting that the voltage violates a predefined criterion.

Abstract: A medical probe includes a shaft and an expandable flexible distal-end assembly. The shaft is configured for insertion into a cavity of organ of a patient. The expandable flexible distal-end assembly, which is fitted at a distal-end of the shaft, includes a flat flexible backing sheet, including irrigation channels, and two flexible substrates having respective arrays of electrodes disposed thereon, the substrates attached one on either side of the backing sheet.

Abstract: An electrical connector assembly includes a female connector, which includes a female connector housing defining a cavity having an hourglass shape and a first array of electrically-conductive pins disposed within the cavity. The electrical connector assembly further includes a male connector that includes a male connector housing having an hourglass-shaped protrusion dimensioned to be inserted into and fit tightly within the cavity and a second array of electrically-conductive sockets, which are contained within the protrusion and are dimensioned and aligned so that upon insertion of the protrusion into the cavity, each of the pins is introduced into and makes electrical contact with a respective one of the sockets.

Abstract: A medical apparatus includes a probe configured for insertion into a body of a patient and including a plurality of electrodes configured to contact tissue within the body. An electrical signal generator applies bipolar trains of pulses having a voltage amplitude of at least 200 V and having a duration of each of the bipolar pulses less than 20 ?s between at least one pair of the electrodes in contact with the tissue, thereby causing irreversible electroporation of the tissue between the at least one pair of the electrodes. One or more electrical sensors sense an energy dissipated between the at least one pair of the electrodes during the trains of the pulses. A controller controls electrical and temporal parameters of the trains of the pulses applied by the electrical signal generator, responsively to the one or more electrical sensors, so that the dissipated energy satisfies a predefined criterion.

Abstract: A method includes emitting an ultrasound beam, having a predefined field of view (FOV), from an array of ultrasound transducers in a catheter in an organ of a patient. Echo signals are received in the array, in response to the ultrasound beam. A position of a target object is estimated within the FOV. When the estimated position of the target object violates a centering condition, the FOV of the ultrasound beam is automatically modified to re-meet the centering condition.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a catheter introducer for compressing a distal end assembly of a catheter for insertion into a sheath includes a compression conduit having a truncated conical-form cavity, and including a distal and proximal opening, the proximal opening being configured to receive the distal end assembly, the cavity tapering from the proximal to the distal opening so that successive portions of the distal end assembly are compressed as the catheter is advanced distally, a distal connector connected to the distal opening, and configured to be reversibly coupled to the sheath and provide passage for the compressed portions of the distal end assembly into the sheath, and a proximal retainer disposed adjacent to the proximal opening and including opposing surfaces to at least partially prevent compression of portions of the distal end assembly while more distally disposed portions of the distal end assembly are compressed in the compression conduit.

Abstract: A catheter is disclosed comprising: a connector including a plurality of first contacts and one or more second contacts; a shaft including a plurality of electrodes, each electrode being coupled to a different one of the plurality of first contacts; a memory coupled to at least one of the second contacts, wherein the memory is configured to: store a pinout map identifying an order in which the plurality of electrodes is coupled to the plurality of first contacts; and provide the pinout map to an external device via one or more of the second contacts after the connector is coupled to the external device.

Abstract: A method includes receiving a 3D image of a portion of an organ including a cavity, the image comprising voxels having respective values. A wall of the cavity is identified in the image, by (i) positioning virtual solid objects inside respective sub-volumes of the cavity, (ii) moving the virtual solid objects inside the cavity according to a predefined rule of motion, (iii) while the virtual solid objects move inside the cavity, adapting the traversed voxels to predefined value indicative of the interior of the cavity, (iv) responsively to detecting that a virtual solid object comes into contact with the wall, rolling the virtual solid object over the wall, and adapting a surface of the virtual solid object with the values of the voxels over which the surface rolls, and (v) converting adapted voxel values that are lower than a threshold voxel value into the predefined value indicative of the interior.

Abstract: A catheter having a catheter shaft that has a more uniform construction throughout a length of the catheter shaft and is able to provide more than one deflection curvature. The catheter shaft includes a flexible outer tubular member, and a less flexible inner tubular member extending through the outer tubular member in a proximal section of the catheter shaft, wherein the inner tubular member is afforded longitudinal movement relative to the outer tubular member. The catheter also includes at least one puller wire extending through the inner tubular member to deflect a distal deflection section of the catheter shaft, wherein the longitudinal movement of the inner tubular member relative to the outer tubular member enables an operator to select and set a deflection curvature of the distal deflection section.

Abstract: In one embodiment, an apparatus for calibrating a probe that includes an image sensor and a magnetic field sensor, includes a jig configured to hold the probe, a magnetic field generator configured to generate at least one magnetic field having a predefined direction in alignment with the jig, an optical target aligned with the jig so that the image sensor in the probe is able to capture an image of the optical target while the probe is held in the jig, and processing circuitry configured to receive from the probe a signal output by the magnetic field sensor in response to the at least one magnetic field and the image captured by the image sensor while the probe is held in the jig, and to calibrate an alignment of the image sensor relative to the magnetic field sensor responsively to the received signal and the received image.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a catheter assembly for use in a medical procedure to conduct electrophysiological mapping. The catheter assembly includes a catheter having an end effector with a tip member. One or more insert-molded microelectrodes are located in the tip member of the end effector for conducting electrophysiological mapping. The insert-molded microelectrodes include a microelectrode and a composite that isolates the microelectrode from contact with the tip member.

Abstract: A system for visualizing one or more bubbles formed by a catheter, the system includes a fluid container, a pulse generator, a schlieren imaging assembly, and a processor. The fluid container is configured to: (i) contain a fluid, and (ii) receive into the fluid the catheter having one or more electrodes. The pulse generator is configured to apply one or more pulses to at least one of the electrodes. The schlieren imaging assembly is configured to acquire schlieren images of the bubbles occurring in the fluid when applying the one or more pulses, and the processor is configured to visualize the bubbles using the schlieren images.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides systems, apparatuses and methods that identify end expirium data based on catheter movement data.

Abstract: Variations of integral navigation controls may be used in conjunction with a medical instrument to provide navigation functions for an image guided surgery (IGS) system that is in communication with the integral navigation controls. In some variations, a medical instrument with integrated navigation wheels allows movement of a cursor of the IGS system along the x and y axis by scrolling the wheel, or allows selection, zooming, or other controls by combined clicking and/or scrolling of wheels, and may be sterilized or discarded along with the device. In some other variations, a control overlay may be temporarily attached to the medical instrument to provide additional controls, such as buttons or a pointing stick, and then removed and sterilized or discarded after a procedure. In each variation, inputs may be communicated via wire or wirelessly to an IGS system to provide navigation of images during a surgical procedure.

Abstract: A method, consisting of providing a metal wire having a wire diameter and an end, and positioning a conductor at a distance from the end of the wire. The method further includes creating an electrical discharge between the conductor and the end, while setting the distance and an electrical potential of the discharge, so as to create a bead of a predefined size on the end. The method also includes assembling the wire with the created bead into an invasive probe, so that the bead is positioned at an outer surface of the probe.

Abstract: A method including processing electrocardiograph (ECG) signals taken over a heartbeat received over a plurality of channels, selecting a subset of the ECG signals captured at a point in time with a window of interest (WOI) around reference annotations and having a morphology pattern within the WOI, storing the morphology patterns, receiving continuous sets of ECG signals taken over a plurality of heartbeats over the plurality of channels and having a morphology pattern within the WOI, performing a correlation between the stored morphology patterns of the ECH signals and the morphology patterns of the continuous sets of ECH signals for each heartbeat, generating a correlation coefficient that is a measure of a goodness of fit between geometries of the ECG signals and the continuous sets of ECG signals and identifying each heartbeat having a correlation coefficient that exceeds a threshold coefficient as having been caused by an arrhythmia.

Abstract: A technique is described herein. The technique includes receiving endpoint location data and spline tangent data from a pair of position sensors mounted on opposite ends of a distal tip of a catheter, wherein said distal tip includes a plurality of flexible splines and a plurality of electrodes disposed on each of the flexible splines and wherein said endpoint location data and spline tangent data is received while said distal tip is positioned within a heart chamber; based on said endpoint location data and spline tangent data, calculating Bezier curve control points; based on the Bezier curve control points, determining estimated positions of said plurality of electrodes; and updating an electro-anatomical map of said heart chamber that is rendered on a display based on the estimated positions determined.