Abstract: In one embodiment, a catheter manufacturing method includes forming flexible circuit strips with respective different symbols marked thereon, each strip including at least one respective electrode, attaching one end of each of the flexible circuit strips to a catheter coupler with the flexible circuit strips being ordered around a circumference of the catheter coupler responsively to the respective symbols of respective ones of the flexible circuit strips, and forming a distal end assembly of a catheter, the distal end assembly comprising the flexible circuit strips attached to the catheter coupler.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a shaft and an end effector at a distal end of the shaft. The end effector is sized to fit in an anatomical passageway within a subject's cardiovascular system. The end effector includes at least one electrode pair that is configured to contact cardiovascular tissue and thereby pick up electrocardiogram signals. Each electrode pair includes first and second electrodes spaced apart along a longitudinal axis from each other by a gap area located between the electrodes, the gap area having a gap length with respect to the longitudinal axis such that a length of one of the electrodes along the longitudinal axis is equal to or greater than the gap length; and a ratio of an area defined by the gap area to one electrode area is equal to or less than one.

Abstract: A method, including receiving a computerized tomography (CT) image of voxels of a subject's head, and analyzing the image to identify respective locations of the subject's eyes in the image, so defining a first line segment joining the respective locations. The method includes identifying a voxel subset overlaying bony sections of the head, lying on a second line segment parallel to the first line segment and on a third line segment orthogonal to the first line segment. A magnetic tracking system configured to measure positions on the subject's head is activated, and a probe, operative in the system, is positioned in proximity to the bony sections to measure positions of a surface of the head overlaying the bony sections. A correspondence between the positions and the voxel subset is formed, and a registration between the CT image and the magnetic tracking system is generated in response to the correspondence.

Abstract: An effector having a support frame with one or more corrugated struts is presented herein. Corrugation of a strut increases lateral stiffness of the strut and decreases axial bending stiffness of the strut compared to a linear, non-corrugated strut of similar thickness. Geometry of corrugations can be selected to provide conformal contact of the end effector to tissue while maintaining a desired spatial relationship between electrodes of the end effector. The geometry that can be selected can include amplitude of undulations, wavelength of undulations, and placement of a particular geometry within the end effector.

Abstract: Described embodiments include a system that includes a radiofrequency-current (RF-current) generator and a processor. The processor is configured to cause the RF-current generator to generate a plurality of pulses of RF current for application to tissue of a subject, each of the pulses having a power whose maximum value is greater than 80 W and a duration that is less than 10 s, and an intermission between successive ones of the pulses being less than 10 s. The processor is further configured to, while each one of the pulses is applied to the tissue, receive at least one signal that indicates a measured temperature of the tissue, and, in response to the measured temperature, control the power of the pulse. Other embodiments are also described.

Abstract: Methods, devices, and systems for acquiring the volume of a catheter are disclosed. The system may comprise a catheter and a processor. The processor may be configured to receive a voxel grid comprising a plurality of voxels and a plurality three-dimensional coordinates of a location of a catheter. The processor may render the catheter on a display using the three-dimensional coordinates, wherein the catheter rendering comprises a plurality of shaded pixels. The processor may identify coordinates of one or more voxels of the voxel grid which overlap with at least one shaded pixel and mark the voxels of the voxel grid which overlap with at least one shaded pixel. As such, a voxel trail may be created wherever a catheter moves. The voxel trail may be used to define an internal volume within which the catheter is positioned, such as a chamber of a heart, blood vessel, or valve.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a catheter apparatus is configured to be inserted into a body part of a living subject, and including an elongated deflectable element including a distal end, an expandable basket assembly disposed at the distal end and comprising a plurality of splines and a plurality of electrodes disposed on the splines, an irrigation channel disposed in the elongated deflectable element, and an inflatable balloon disposed in the expandable basket assembly and including a plurality of irrigation holes in fluid connection with the irrigation channel.

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 method, including receiving, from electrodes positioned within a heart, first signals from at least three of the electrodes indicating electrical activity in tissue with which the at least three of the electrodes engage, and second signals indicating locations of the at least three electrodes. The second signals are processed to compute the locations of the at least three electrodes and to determine a geometric center of the locations. Based on the signals, an electroanatomical map is generated for an area of the tissue including the geometric center, and an arrhythmia focus is determined in the map. A circle is presented, and within the circle, a region of the map is presented including the geometric center and the focus so that the geometric center on the map aligns with a center of the circle, the region within the circle indicating a spatial relationship between the geometric center and the focus.

Abstract: In an example, a method includes receiving a cardiac signal that is sensed by an electrode at a tissue location inside the heart. Fractionations are identified in the cardiac signal. The fractionations identified at the tissue location are compared between first and second cardiac cycles of the cardiac signal. Based on the comparing, a likelihood is estimated, that the tissue location is causing a stable arrhythmia. Based on the estimated likelihood, the tissue location is indicated to a user as likely to be causing the stable arrhythmia.

Abstract: A catheter that includes a mechanism for deflecting a distal portion of a catheter may include a deflection knob including a first thread, a rod including a second thread that is coupled to the first thread, and a puller wire that is connected to the rod. The rod may additionally include a pocket to which the puller wire may be connected via a joining feature that may be secured in the pocket and attached to a proximal end of the puller wire. The joining feature may include a first ferrule joined, e.g., crimped, to the proximal end of the puller wire and a second ferrule secured, e.g., bonded, in the pocket and joined, e.g., crimped, to the first ferrule.

Abstract: An irrigation balloon catheter includes one or more inner balloons inside of an irrigation balloon. The inner balloon(s) can be compliant with a volume that is dynamically adjustable for rapid inflation, rapid deflation, complete deflation, and/or irrigation flow adjustment. An inflator tool can be configured to inflate or deflate the inner balloon to adjust flow from the outer, irrigation balloon to affect temperature at electrodes of the irrigation balloon.

Abstract: A medical system includes a probe, an electro-optical measurement unit, and a processor. The probe is configured for insertion into a blood vessel of a brain, and includes two optical fibers, which include each an optical diffuser at distal ends thereof. One fiber is configured to guide an optical signal to a location along the blood vessel and to diffuse the optical signal so as to interact with a brain clot in the blood vessel. The other fiber is configured to collect the diffused optical signal that interacted with the brain clot at another location along the blood vessel. The electro-optical measurement unit is configured to transmit the optical signal to one optical fiber, and to receive and measure the diffused optical signal from the other optical fiber. The processor is configured to identify a composition of the brain clot by analyzing the measured diffused optical signal.

Abstract: A cerebrospinal-fluid-pressure-measuring device including a pressure gauge including a hollow cylindrical body for inserting through a skull and having a lower and upper end, and an inner surface, a membrane attached to the lower end and to move under a pressure of cerebrospinal fluid within the skull, and coils including a stationary coil disposed in the cylindrical body and connected to the inner surface so as to remain stationary, and a moving coil disposed in the cylindrical body and connected to the membrane so that the moving coil moves when the membrane moves under the pressure, one of the coils being configured as a transmitting coil and another of the coils being configured as a receiving coil, and a control unit to apply an input signal to the transmitting coil and receive an output signal from the receiving coil, and to generate an indication of the pressure.

Abstract: A balloon catheter has a central tube that is configured to both structurally support and inflate a balloon membrane. The central tube has a lumen and sidewall inflation ports that provide a path for inflating the balloon. The lumen of the central tube is obstructed by a distal end piece, nose piece, or other structure to prevent fluid from exiting a distal end of the central tube. The central tube is configured such that, during inflation, inflation media is allowed to pass through an elongated shaft of the catheter, into a proximal open end of the central tube, and through the inflation ports into the balloon. The central tube can slide longitudinally in relation to the shaft to longitudinally elongate and/or truncate the balloon.

Abstract: A catheter includes a shaft for insertion into an organ of a patient, and an expandable distal-end assembly, which is coupled to the shaft and to an apex of the catheter, and includes multiple splines. In at least a given spline among the multiple splines, at least sixty percent of a length of the given spline is non-insulated and is configured to make contact with tissue of the organ and to apply radiofrequency (RF) pulses to the tissue.

Abstract: A catheter includes a shaft for insertion into an organ of a patient, an expandable distal-end assembly, and one or more electrodes. The expandable distal-end assembly is coupled to the shaft and to an apex of the catheter, and includes multiple splines. In at least a given spline among the multiple splines, at least sixty percent of a length of the given spline is non-insulated and is configured to make contact with tissue of the organ and to apply radiofrequency (RF) pulses to the tissue. The one or more electrodes are coupled to at least one of (i) an insulated section of one or more of the splines, and (ii) the apex, and, when placed in contact with the tissue, the one or more electrodes are configured to sense electrical signals in the tissue.

Abstract: Medical apparatus includes a probe with a basket assembly at its distal end, including a plurality of resilient spines with multiple electrodes arrayed along a length of each of the spines. Processing circuitry is configured to acquire a first bipolar electrical signal from the tissue between first and second electrodes at first and second locations along a first spine of the basket assembly, and to acquire a second bipolar electrical signal from the tissue between the first electrode and a third electrode in a third location on a second spine of the basket assembly, and to interpolate, based on the first and second bipolar electrical signals, a vectorial electrical property of the tissue along an axis that passes through the first location and between the second and third locations.

Abstract: A catheter having an internal advancing mechanism that can advance stiffening wires or other devices, has a catheter with a catheter body, a tip section distal the catheter body, a device extending through at least the catheter body, and a control handle proximal the catheter body, where the control handle has an advancing mechanism with a threaded member, an adjustment member, and a guided member to which the device is connected, and the advancing mechanism is configured to advance and retract the device along the catheter body as controlled by a user. Each of the threaded member and the adjustment member has a generally cylindrical configuration. The threaded member has an outer surface configured with a helical guide channel. The adjustment member is configured to guide the guided member to move within the helical guide channel to advance and retract the device. The adjustment member can be rotatable over the threaded member by the user to control advancement and retraction of the device.