Abstract: A system includes an interface and a processor. The interface is configured to receive an electrogram acquired in a heart of a patient. The processor is configured to (i) estimate a level of injury current present in the electrogram, and (ii) based on the estimated level of injury current, decide whether to use the electrogram in a subsequent analysis.

Abstract: A guidewire, consisting of a flexible biocompatible tube, having a tube distal end, the tube containing an internal lumen and being configured to be inserted into an orifice of a body of a living subject. A planar resilient strip is inserted into the internal lumen, the strip having a strip proximal end and a strip distal end fixed to the tube distal end. A coil spring is fixed to the strip proximal end so that an axis of symmetry of the coil is coplanar with the strip, the coil spring containing a coil lumen. A wire is threaded through the coil lumen and has a termination fixed to the strip distal end, so that pulling on the wire causes the strip and the tube to bend.

Abstract: A medical apparatus includes a probe configured for insertion into a body of a patient and comprising an array of electrodes disposed along the probe and configured to contact tissue within the body. An electrical signal generator applies sequences of bipolar pulses over one or more trios of the electrodes, each trio including first, second and third neighboring electrodes, such that the second electrode is disposed between and adjacent to the first and third electrodes. While the probe contacts the tissue, the electrical signal generator applies the sequences of the bipolar pulses between the first and second electrodes during one or more first time intervals, and between the second and third electrodes during one or more second time intervals, and between the first and third electrodes during one or more third time intervals, wherein the first, second and third time intervals are mutually disjointed.

Abstract: A medical system is configured to receive electrical signals responsive to electrical activity in myocardial tissue at respective locations on from each electrode of a first portion of a plurality of electrodes at a distal end of a catheter, determine a geometric center of the first portion of the plurality of electrodes, determine a focus of an arrhythmia, and output an indication of a spatial relationship between the geometric center and the focus. The first portion of the plurality of electrodes includes at least three electrodes, and the plurality of electrodes includes a second portion of electrodes distinct from the first portion and not in contact with myocardial tissue. The focus is determined based at least in part on the electrical signals from the electrodes of the first portion of the plurality of electrodes. An associated method is also described.

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 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 catheter configured to be used in a medical procedure includes a shaft and electrically conductive splines. The splines can include an insulated portion and a non-insulated portion configured to electrically ablate tissue. The catheter can include one or more electrodes coupled to insulated portion(s) of the splines and configured to sense electrical signals in the tissue. The splines can be coupled to an apex, forming an expandable distal-end assembly. The catheter can include a bump stop coupled to the apex and configured to maintain a minimal distance between the apex and the distal tip of the shaft. An ablation system can include the catheter, a generator, and a processor configured to control ablation energy from the generator to the splines such that ablation energy is applied to a first spline without applying ablation energy to a second spline.

Abstract: An electrode location determiner for an electro-anatomical mapping system utilizing a distal assembly. The determiner includes a center of mass calculator, a tilt angle calculator and an electrode position updater. The center of mass calculator calculates a center of mass of the distal assembly from active current locations (ACL) locations of electrodes of the distal assembly. The tilt angle calculator receives output from a sensor having a sensor longitudinal axis aligned along a shaft longitudinal axis of a shaft to which the distal assembly is attached, checks whether or not the shaft longitudinal axis extends through the center of mass and, if not, calculates a tilt angle of the center of mass from the longitudinal axis and a line extending from a position of the sensor and the center of mass. The electrode position updater corrects the ACL locations according to the tilt angle.

Abstract: A medical probe includes a shaft, a basket assembly, a plurality of electrodes, and an irrigation source. The shaft is configured for insertion into an organ of a patient. The basket assembly is coupled at a distal end of the shaft, wherein the basket assembly includes a plurality of splines. The plurality of electrodes is fitted on a distal portion of the plurality of splines. The irrigation source is configured to deliver an irrigation fluid to the electrodes, wherein the irrigation source located proximally to the electrodes and distally to the distal end of the shaft.

Abstract: A system includes a display and a processor. The display is configured to present a rendering of at least part of a septum and a left atrium of a heart of a patient. The processor is configured to (a) identify in the rendering (i) the septum and (ii) a target anatomical location to be reached by a probe via the septum, (b) calculate a trajectory for the probe between the septum and the target anatomical location, including identifying over the septum an entrance location for the probe to cross the septum and reach the target anatomical location, and (c) present the entrance location to a user for penetrating the septum therein.

Abstract: Medical apparatus includes a probe including a distal part adapted for insertion into a body of a living subject and first and second magnetic transducers in the distal part of the probe. Control circuitry drives the first magnetic transducer to generate a first AC magnetic field at a first frequency and drives a magnetic field generator in proximity to the body to generate a second AC magnetic field within the body at a second frequency, calculates a disposition of the distal part of the probe by processing a first signal output by the second magnetic transducer at the first frequency, and calculates position coordinates of the distal part of the probe by processing a component of a second signal output by one of the first and second magnetic transducers at the second frequency while canceling from the second signal interference at the first frequency.

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: A medical visualization apparatus includes two or more imaging devices, two or more robotic arms, multiple magnetic sensors coupled with the imaging devices, and a processor. The two or more imaging devices are configured to acquire images of an organ of a patient. The two or more robotic arms are configured to move the respective imaging devices. The multiple magnetic sensors are configured to output, in response to a magnetic field of a position tracking system, signals indicative of positions and viewing directions of the imaging devices. The processor is configured to estimate a position and a viewing direction of each of the imaging devices based on the signals, and, using the estimated positions and viewing directions, combine the images of the organ acquired by the imaging devices into a virtual reality (VR) image of the organ, and present the VR image to a user on a VR viewer.

Abstract: A system includes a processor and a display. The processor is configured to: (i) produce an electroanatomic (EA) map of a surface of the organ, the EA map specifying a propagation vector-field (PVF) indicative of propagation of an electrophysiological (EP) wave over at least the surface, (ii) select at least a region of the organ, (iii) calculate a gaussian integral of the PVF along a perimeter of at least a closed contour indicative of the selected region, and (iii) produce at the region, a tag indicative of the LAS, in case the calculated gaussian integral meets a criterion. The display is configured to display the EA map and at least the tag over the EA map.

Abstract: A system includes an expandable distal-end assembly and a processor. The expandable distal-end assembly is coupled to a distal end of a shaft for insertion into a cavity of an organ of a patient, the assembly including one or more electrodes. The processor is configured to (i) receive location signals from each of a distal and proximal location of the distal-end assembly, (ii) receive location signals indicative of a relative orientational angle from one or more sensors that are located at the distal-end assembly and configured to output signals indicative of the change in the relative orientation, (iii) estimate angular position in the azimuthal plane of each of a plurality of splines extending from the proximal to distal end of the distal-end assembly, and (iv) estimate respective locations of one or more of the electrodes in three dimensional space based on the estimated angular position of each of the splines.

Abstract: A method including receiving, in an anatomical map of an organ, a position of a tag formed in the organ responsively to a medical procedure carried out at the position. A transparency level is dynamically altered in a sub-volume of the anatomical map of the organ surrounding the tag. The anatomical map is displayed using a first transparency level, and the sub-volume surrounding the tag is displayed using a second transparency level, different from the first transparency level.

Abstract: An apparatus (50) for generating ablation pulses includes a pulse generator (102), a power supply (104), a sensing circuit (110), and an energy storage power bank (108). The pulse generator is configured to generate ablation pulses for ablation of tissue. The power supply is configured to supply electrical power to the pulse generator. The sensing circuit is configured to sense a weakening of the electrical power supplied by the power supply to the pulse generator. The energy storage power bank is connected in parallel with the power supply, and is configured to supply to the pulse generator, responsively to an indication from the sensing circuit indicative of the weakening, additional current that augments a current supplied by the power supply.

Abstract: A phacoemulsification system includes a phacoemulsification probe, an aspiration tube and an irrigation tube. The aspiration tube is connectable to the phacoemulsification probe to aspirate a cataract from an eye. The irrigation tube is connectable to the probe and, in one embodiment, has at least one integrated compliant tube section at an end near the phacoemulsification probe. Each integrated compliant tube section is less than 1% of the length of the irrigation tube, has a section diameter larger than a tube diameter of the irrigation tube, and is more compliant than a cornea of the eye. In another embodiment, a compliant tube section is connectable to an end of the irrigation tube and to the probe and is formed of a material more compliant than the irrigation tube.

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.