Abstract: Disclosed are systems and methods for visualization of pulsed field ablation tags. In some implementations, a system includes a device, comprising a processor in communication with one or more sensors and a catheter comprising a plurality of electrodes. In some implementations, the processor is configured to: receive, via the one or more sensors, a position of each of the plurality of electrodes within a three-dimensional environment during a first ablation session; calculate, for the first ablation session, a first implicit function representing an energy field of the first ablation session from the received positions of each of the plurality of electrodes; and present, via a display, a first volumetric representation of the calculated first implicit function.

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 system including a medical probe having a tube with a distal end for insertion into a cardiac chamber, an electrode at the distal end that conveys energy to myocardial tissue, a temperature sensor at the distal end that outputs a signal indicating a temperature of the tissue, a channel contained within the tube that delivers fluid to the distal end, and a fluid port at the distal end and coupled to the channel. The system also includes a generator that applies a specified level of the energy to the electrode, a pump that forces the fluid into the channel at a controllable rate, and a processor that controls the rate responsively to the signal so that a difference between a specified temperature, which is no greater than 55° C., and the indicated temperature is no greater than ±2.5° C. while the generator applies a constant level of the energy.

Abstract: A medical probe includes a shaft and an expandable balloon. The shaft is configured for insertion into an organ of a patient. The expandable balloon is coupled to a distal end of the shaft, with the expandable balloon including: (a) an expandable membrane having an outer surface and an inner surface, wherein the expandable membrane is configured to be expanded from a collapsed shape to a balloon shaped member, (b) a plurality of electrodes disposed on the outer surface of the expandable membrane, (c) one or more wires connected to the plurality of electrodes, the wires extending from the distal end to the electrode, (d) and an expandable cover that encapsulates the wires between the expandable cover and the expandable membrane so that the wires are constrained between the cover and the expandable membrane but the electrodes are exposed to ambient environment.

Abstract: A distal-end assembly of a medical device, the distal-end assembly includes a flexible substrate and electrical conductors. The flexible substrate is configured to be coupled to a distal end of an insertion tube. The electrical conductors are disposed on the flexible substrate and are shaped to form: (i) one or more electrodes, configured to exchange electrical signals with a proximal end of the medical device, and (ii) one or more printed filters, which are disposed adjacently to at least one of the electrodes and are configured to filter signals in a predefined frequency range from the electrical signals exchanged between the at least one of the electrodes and the proximal end.

Abstract: Described embodiments include an apparatus that includes an expandable structure, configured for insertion into a body of a subject, and a plurality of conducting elements coupled to the expandable structure. Each of the conducting elements comprises a respective coil and has an insulated portion that is electrically insulated from tissue of the subject, and an uninsulated portion configured to exchange signals with the tissue, while in contact with the tissue. Other embodiments are also described.

Abstract: A system includes a display and a processor. The processor is configured to obtain a point cloud including multiple points representing different respective locations in a body of a subject, the points being labeled as corresponding to respective anatomical structures to which the locations, respectively, belong. The anatomical structures including a first structure and multiple second structures. The processor is further configured to compute a mesh including multiple triangles representing the anatomical structures, by applying a ball-pivoting algorithm to the point cloud with a constraint that none of the triangles include two of the points labeled as corresponding to different respective ones of the second structures. Other examples are also described.

Abstract: A method, including receiving a unipolar ECG signal from the location in the heart from a selected one electrode of a pair of electrodes, computing a local unipolar minimum derivative of the unipolar signal at a plurality of times of occurrences of the local unipolar minimum derivative, identifying candidate time of occurrences of the plurality of times of occurrences of the local unipolar minimum derivative as candidate annotations of the time of activation of the myocardium, extracting features for each of the candidate annotations, assigning a confidence level based on a feature value for each of the candidate annotations, eliminating candidate annotations that have a confidence level below a threshold and generating a local activation time map using the remaining candidate annotations.

Abstract: Methods and systems of catheterization include a flexible catheter adapted for insertion into a heart of a living subject. The catheter has a lumen for passing an electrically conductive fluid therethrough, which is propelled by a peristaltic pump. A fluid reservoir connected to the lumen supplies the fluid to the catheter. Electrocardiogram circuitry is connectable to the subject for monitoring electrical activity in the heart. An electrically conductive cable diverts induced charges in the fluid from the catheter electrodes, for example by shorting to a rotating element in the peristaltic pump.

Abstract: One embodiment includes a catheter apparatus, including an elongated deflectable element including a distal end, a coupler connected to the distal end, a pusher including a distal portion, and configured to be advanced and retracted through the deflectable element, a nose connector connected to the distal portion, and including a distal receptacle having an inner surface and a distal facing opening, and an expandable assembly including flexible polymer circuit strips, each strip including electrodes disposed thereon, the strips being disposed circumferentially around the distal portion of the pusher, with first ends of the strips being connected to the coupler and second ends of the strips including respective hinges entering the distal facing opening and connected to the inner surface of the distal receptacle, the strips being configured to bow radially outward when the pusher is retracted expanding the expandable assembly from a collapsed form to an expanded form.

Abstract: A catheter is responsive to external and internal magnetic field generators for generating signals representing position and pressure data, with a reduced number of sensing coil leads for minimizing lead breakage and failure. The catheter includes a flexible joint with pressure sensing and position coils, at least pair of a pressure sensing coil and a position coil are serially connected. Methods of calibrating a catheter for position and pressure sensing, and detecting magnetic field interference with one catheter by another catheter or other metal or ferrous object advantageously use signals between two sets of sensors as a “back up” or “error check”.

Abstract: Apparatus, including a probe having a proximal end and a distal end, the probe being configured to be inserted into an organ of a human patient and defining a probe axis. At least two conductors are positioned on the probe at the distal end. The apparatus includes at least two flexible conductive splines, each conductive spline having a first termination and a second termination, the first terminations being electrically connected together at a region on the probe axis beyond the distal end, each second termination being electrically connected to a respective one of the conductors, the splines being configured to bend into respective arcuate forms that encompass a volume. The apparatus also includes a processor configured to receive voltages induced on the splines via the conductors and to calculate a position and orientation of the volume in response to the received voltages.

Abstract: A method for performing ablative radiotherapy includes registering a first coordinate system of a tracking system for tracking a distal end of an intra-body catheter with a second coordinate system of a beam-directing system, tracking the location of a distal end of the catheter, receiving instructions from a user to ablate target tissue within the body with the beam-directing system and based on the registration and the tracking, aiming the beam-directing system at the target tissue so as to facilitate directing the therapeutic beams of radiation at the target tissue.

Abstract: A guidewire includes a metal wire, a first electrically-insulating layer, and a second electrically-insulating layer. The metal wire has a distal end. The first electrically-insulating layer covers the wire. The second electrically-insulating layer covers the distal end of the guidewire, wherein a breakdown voltage of the second electrically-insulating layer is larger than that of the first electrically-insulating layer.

Abstract: A method includes receiving a plurality of data points including electrophysiological (EP) values measured at respective positions in at least a portion of an organ of a patient. Some of the EP values are classified as outlier values in accordance with a defined criterion. A visual representation of at least the portion of the organ is derived from the plurality of data points. The visual representation represents the EP values with respective colors, and visualizes less than all the outlier values, by performing one or both of (a) identifying outlier values that deviate from respective neighboring EP values by less than a defined deviation, and representing the outlier values using colors that match the neighboring EP values, and (b) setting for the visual representation a mapping, which maps the EP values to the colors and which excludes at least some of the outlier values.

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: An apparatus includes a catheter having a flexible outer sheath and a flexible irrigation tube. The flexible outer sheath defines a first lumen. The flexible irrigation tube is positioned inside the first lumen and includes an inner layer and an outer coating layer. The inner layer is formed of a synthetic polymer compound and has a uniform cross-section with a hollow interior defining a second lumen. The outer coating layer is disposed around the inner layer. The outer coating layer is formed of a polymeric compound and includes first and second isomers. The first isomer is configured to carry a positive electric charge and the second isomer is configured to carry a negative electric charge.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a shaft assembly and an electrode assembly at a distal end of the shaft assembly. The electrode assembly includes a first conductive segment extending along a first angular range at the distal end of the shaft assembly. The first conductive segment is operable to apply RF energy to tissue at a first polarity. The electrode assembly further includes a second conductive segment angularly spaced apart from the first conductive segment. The second conductive segment extends along a second angular range at the distal end of the shaft assembly. The second conductive segment is operable to apply RF energy to tissue at a second polarity such that the first and second conductive segments are operable to apply bipolar RF energy to tissue.

Abstract: A medical system includes an ultrasound probe configured for insertion into an organ of a body, and a processor. The probe includes a two-dimensional (2D) ultrasound transducer array, and a sensor configured to output signals indicative of a position, direction and orientation of the 2D ultrasound transducer array inside the organ. The processor is configured to (a) using the signals output by the sensor, register multiple ultrasound images of a tissue region, acquired over a given time duration by the 2D ultrasound transducer array, with one another, (b) estimate, based on the ultrasound images acquired over the given time duration, three-dimensional displacements as a function of time for one or more locations in the tissue region, (c) estimate respective mechanical strains of the one or more locations in the tissue region, based on the three-dimensional displacements, and (d) present a time-dependent rendering of the mechanical strains to a user.

Abstract: Disclosed are systems and methods for visualization of pulsed field ablation tags. In some implementations, a system includes a device, comprising a processor in communication with one or more sensors and a catheter comprising a plurality of electrodes. In some implementations, the processor is configured to: receive, via the one or more sensors, a position of each of the plurality of electrodes within a three-dimensional environment during a first ablation session; calculate, for the first ablation session, a first implicit function representing an energy field of the first ablation session from the received positions of each of the plurality of electrodes; and present, via a display, a first volumetric representation of the calculated first implicit function.