Abstract: A method includes emitting an ultrasound beam from an array of ultrasound transducers in a catheter placed in a blood pool in an organ. Echo signals reflected in response to the ultrasound beam are received in the array. Distinction is made in the echo signals between (i) first spectral signal components having Doppler shifts characteristic of blood and (ii) second spectral signal components having Doppler shifts characteristic of tissue of the organ. The first spectral signal components are suppressed relative to the second spectral signal components in the echo signals. An ultrasound image of at least a portion of the organ is reconstructed from the echo signals having the suppressed first spectral signal components. The reconstructed image is displayed to a user.

Abstract: A method includes, receiving: (i) a selected three-dimensional (3D) section that has been ablated in a patient organ in accordance with a specified contour, and (ii) a dataset, which is indicative of a set of lesions formed during ablation of the selected 3D section. The selected 3D section is transformed into a two-dimensional (2D) map, and checking, on the 2D map, whether the set of lesions covers the specified contour.

Abstract: A system for identifying vortices in a vector map including multiple vectors, the system includes a processor and an output device. The processor is configured to: (i) define one or more closed loops on the vector map, and (ii) for each closed loop, identify a plurality of the vectors that cross the closed loop, calculate a vector sum of the identified vectors, and decide based on the vector sum whether a vortex is located inside the closed loop. The output device is configured to indicate one or more identified vortices to a user.

Abstract: Tools used within a surgical area may be equipped with sensors that allow them to be tracked within the magnetic field of an image guided surgery (IGS) system. The IGS system may be configured to detect various movement patterns of the tools, which may be mapped to and associated with corresponding actions or inputs to the IGS system. In one example, a registration probe may be moved along the x-axis and y-axis, with detected movements identified and received by the IGS system as movements of a mouse cursor on a display of the IGS system. In another example, the registration probe may be moved in a circular pattern, or quickly moved along any of the x-axis, y-axis, or z-axis, with each being configured to cause the IGS system to zoom a display, change a view, record video, or other actions.

Abstract: An electro-anatomical map is generated from first position information that defines an initial map surface. Second position information is acquired and used to determine an updated map surface. A difference between the initial and updated map surfaces corresponds to a change in the map. A first tenting analysis volume is determined based on at least part of the updated map surface. Third position information is acquired and used to define a second tenting analysis volume. The change in the map is identified as potentially corresponding to tenting in accordance with whether the first tenting analysis volume fails to overlap a predetermined amount with the second tenting analysis volume.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a system includes a balloon catheter configured to be inserted into a body-part of a living subject, the balloon catheter comprising an insertion tube having a distal tip, a force sensor connected to the distal tip, and an inflatable balloon including a proximal portion connected to the force sensor so that the force sensor is disposed between the distal tip of the insertion tube and the inflatable balloon, and multiple electrodes disposed around an outer surface of the balloon, and configured, when the balloon is inflated, to contact tissue at respective locations in the body-part, wherein the force sensor is configured to output at least one force signal indicative of a magnitude and a direction of a force applied by the balloon on the tissue when the balloon is inflated.

Abstract: A method includes positioning an expandable balloon, coupled to a distal end of a catheter, at a target location within an organ of a patient, the expandable balloon including multiple electrodes and one or more sensors in proximity to each electrode, wherein the one or more sensors are configured each to measure a characteristic of blood. The expandable balloon is expanded at the target location. A fluid is flowed through an inner lumen of the catheter and into the blood in a vicinity of each electrode. A dependence of the characteristic of blood on time is measured, via the one or more sensors, in proximity to each electrode. Using a processor, it is determined whether or not each electrode is in physical contact with tissue, based on the measured dependence of the characteristic of blood. An indication of whether or not each electrode is in physical contact with tissue is outputted to a user.

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 system includes an indifferent electrode, electrical switching circuitry, and a processor. The indifferent electrode, which is configured for placement on a body of a patient, includes multiple electrically-conducting sub-electrodes that are electrically-insulated from one another. The electrical switching circuitry is configured to receive a control signal that specifies a selected subset of the sub-electrodes, and in response to electrically connect the selected subset, so as to close an electrical circuit passing through the body of the patient. The processor is configured to determine a required surface area of the indifferent electrode, select the subset of the sub-electrodes that together have the required surface area, and instruct the electrical switching circuitry to electrically connect the selected subset of the sub-electrodes.

Abstract: A catheter includes: (a) a shaft for insertion into a heart of a patient, (b) an expandable distal-end assembly, which is coupled to the shaft and is configured to make contact with tissue of the heart, (c) at least first and second electrocardiogram (ECG) electrodes, which are coupled to an outer surface of the expandable distal-end assembly, and when placed in contact with the tissue, are configured to sense ECG signals in the tissue, and (d) a reference electrode, which is positioned within an inner volume of the distal-end assembly, and in an expanded position of the distal-end assembly, the reference electrode: (i) has no physical contact with the tissue, and (ii) is positioned at a first distance from the first ECG electrode and at a second distance from the second ECG electrode, and the difference between the first and second distances is smaller than a predefined threshold.

Abstract: A system trains a set of machine-learning models to predict which atrial fibrillation patients would respond to which treatments using ablation lines. The models identify an ablation line treatment for a patient based on atrial fibrillation-related features associated with the patient. The models estimate reconnection probabilities for ablation sites associated with at least one ablation line treatment. The models identify patient atrial fibrillation predictors associated with the patient, based on demographics and heart component dimension parameters associated with the patient, and use the at least one ablation line treatment, reconnection probabilities, patient atrial fibrillation predictors, and patient demographics to predict whether the patient would not respond to pulmonary vein isolation only treatment.

Abstract: A system comprising a processor and memory storing instructions configured to cause the system to: receive 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, calculate an average local activation time, determine: a first section of two sections having a smaller average LAT value, and a second section of the two sections having a higher average value, determine a first representative location in the first section, and a second representative location in the second section, calculate a propagation vector indicative of propagation of an EP wave that has generated the EP signals, determine if a re-entering EP wave is detected, and calculate an additional propagation vector for the re-entering EP wave.

Abstract: An irreversible electroporation (IRE) method includes placing multiple electrodes of a catheter in contact with tissue of an organ. Bipolar IRE pulses are generated. The tissue is ablated by applying the bipolar IRE pulses to pairs of the electrodes, in accordance with an order in which successive activations of a given electrode-pair are interleaved with activation of at least one other electrode-pair, and are spaced in time by at least a predefined duration.

Abstract: A system for use with ultrasound transducers on a catheter and connected to different respective channels includes circuitry and a processor. The circuitry is configured to receive a signal, which includes transduction of ultrasound reflections, over any given one of the channels, and to receive respective noise-signals, which include less transduction of ultrasound reflections than the signal, over a group of others of the channels. The processor is configured to receive the signal and the noise-signals from the circuitry, and to reduce noise in the signal, by, based on the noise-signals, computing, for the given channel, one or more noise-estimation functions, each of which is applicable to a respective subset of the noise-signals so as to return an estimate of noise received over the given channel while the subset of the noise-signals were received, using the noise-estimation functions, computing an estimated-noise signal, and subtracting the estimated-noise signal from the signal.

Abstract: A method is provided. The method is implemented by a mapping engine. The method includes receiving biometric data of at least a portion of an anatomical structure from at least a catheter and analyzing the biometric data based on an automatic tagging operation, a time weighted local activation time assignment operation, or a discrimination operation. The method also includes determining scar tissue of the portion of the anatomical structure based on the analyzing of the biometric data.

Abstract: An end effector for a catheter including a flexible circuit including a plurality of electrodes is herein disclosed. The flexible circuit is positioned at least partially within an insulative material. In some examples, the end effector includes a framework spaced from the flexible circuit and one or more position sensing loops.

Abstract: The disclosed technology includes an end effector comprising a plurality of spines extending along a longitudinal axis to define a basket assembly, the plurality of spines configured to bow radially outward from the longitudinal axis to define a radius of curvature with respect to the longitudinal axis and to transition between an expanded configuration and a collapsed configuration. Each spine of the plurality of spines can include a section extending radially outward from the radius of curvature defined by a remainder of each spine. The end effector can further include at least one electrode disposed on the section for each spine of the plurality of spines.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a current source, an electronic circuit and a circuit board. The current source is configured to flow an electrical current having a selected frequency between a pair of electrodes coupled to a medical probe. The electronic circuit is configured to measure a single-ended voltage relative to ground that is formed on at least one of the electrodes in the pair in response to the electrical current, and, based on the measured voltage, to assess physical contact between the at least one of the electrodes and tissue. The circuit board includes the current source and the electronic circuit, and includes a layout that produces, at the selected frequency, a predefined capacitance between the current source and ground, thus forming a reference for measurement of the single-ended voltage.

Abstract: In one example, a medical system includes a display, a console including a plurality of ports configured to be coupled with the catheters via respective cables, the catheters having respective first electrical channel profiles, the ports having respective second electrical channel profiles, and processing circuitry configured to receive user input selecting respective ones of the catheters to be used in a medical procedure. find a connection configuration with which to couple the respective ones of the catheters with ones of the ports, responsively to the respective first electrical channel profiles of the respective ones of the catheters and the respective second electrical channel profiles of the ports, and render the connection configuration to the display.

Abstract: A system includes a medical instrument, a position sensor, and a processor. The medical instrument includes a handle and a head, the head being configured for insertion into an organ of a patient and having a feature that is rotationally-asymmetric about a longitudinal axis of the medical instrument. The position sensor, which is disposed on the head and is configured to generate signals in response to an externally-applied magnetic field. The processor is configured to receive the signals generated by the position sensor on the head, and estimate, based on the received signals, a roll angle of the rotationally-asymmetric feature of the head.