Patents by Inventor Brian T. HOWARD

Brian T. HOWARD has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20190030328
    Abstract: A method, system, and device for electroporation. A system may include a medical device with a plurality of electrodes borne on an expandable element and an energy generator in communication with the electrodes. The energy generator may have processing circuitry configured to selectively deliver electroporation energy to at least one of the electrodes. The processing circuitry may determine whether an alert condition is present and, if so, cease the delivery of electroporation energy to one or more electrodes identified as the cause of the alert condition and/or prevent the delivery of electroporation energy to the one or more electrodes identified as the cause of the alert condition. The energy generator may also be configured to deliver electroporation energy in a sequence of a plurality of energy delivery patterns to enhance lesion formation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 28, 2017
    Publication date: January 31, 2019
    Inventors: Mark T. STEWART, Brian T. HOWARD
  • Publication number: 20190015152
    Abstract: Devices, systems, and methods for reverse irrigation of an ablation or treatment site. In one embodiment, a reverse irrigation device comprises at least one ablation electrode and at least one reverse irrigation port, the at least one reverse irrigation port being located at at least one of immediately proximate the at least one ablation electrode and on the at least one ablation electrode, the at least one reverse irrigation port being configured to be in fluid communication with a fluid removal component. A medical system may include an ablation system and a reverse irrigation system that are configured to operate synchronously such that the reverse irrigation system is activated to remove fluid from the ablation site during a period of time during which the ablation system is activated to deliver ablation energy through the at least one ablation electrode to the ablation site.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 17, 2017
    Publication date: January 17, 2019
    Inventors: Brian T. HOWARD, Steven V. RAMBERG
  • Publication number: 20180303543
    Abstract: A device, system, and method for delivering energy to tissue. In particular, the present invention relates to a system and method for enhancing lesion formation without arrhythmogenic effects within relatively thick target tissues, such as the ventricles of the heart. In one embodiment, charge-neutral pulses and non-charge-neutral pulses may be delivered to induce the formation of electrolytic compounds that enhance cell death at the treatment site. Additionally or alternatively, tissue at the treatment site may be heated to sub-lethal temperature before ablating the tissue.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 24, 2017
    Publication date: October 25, 2018
    Inventors: Mark T. STEWART, Brian T. HOWARD, Steven J. FRAASCH
  • Publication number: 20180250508
    Abstract: A method of delivering pulsed electrical energy to a target tissue region includes delivering a first therapeutic pulse, the delivering of the first therapeutic pulse includes delivering a first pulse for a first time period, the first pulse having a first voltage amplitude. A second pulse is delivered immediately after the first pulse for a second time period, the second pulse having a second voltage amplitude configured to electroporate the target tissue region, the second time period being less than the first time period. A third pulse is delivered without delay after the second pulse for a third time period, the third pulse having a third voltage amplitude being at least one from the group consisting of substantially the same as the first amplitude, larger than the first amplitude, and less than the first amplitude.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 3, 2017
    Publication date: September 6, 2018
    Inventor: Brian T. HOWARD
  • Publication number: 20180221078
    Abstract: A method of determining a pulsed field ablation waveform parameter for creating a desired lesion characteristic in cardiac tissue. The method of provides an electrosurgical generator configured to deliver electroporation pulses, the generator configured to: load predetermined waveform parameters (yi); load predetermined modeling data (xi); accept entry of a user inputted desired lesion characteristic (ui); and determine at least one corresponding pulsed field ablation waveform parameter based on (ui), (yi); and (xi).
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 8, 2017
    Publication date: August 9, 2018
    Inventors: Brian T. HOWARD, Steven J. FRAASCH, Mark T. STEWART, John VANDANACKER
  • Publication number: 20180214195
    Abstract: A system and method for the safe delivery of treatment energy to a patient, which includes verification of system integrity before, during, or after the delivery of treatment energy and provides several mechanisms for rapid termination of the delivery of potentially harmful energy to the patient when a fault condition in the device and/or system is identified. The system may include an energy generator having processing circuitry to determine if there is a fault condition in the system and to automatically terminate a delivery of treatment energy when the processing circuitry determines there is a fault condition. The method may generally include performing a series of pre-checks, synchronizing a treatment energy delivery to the proper segment of the heart's depolarization pattern, configuring the system for treatment energy delivery, delivering the treatment energy, and performing post-treatment evaluation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 27, 2017
    Publication date: August 2, 2018
    Inventors: Steven J. FRAASCH, Catherine R. CONDIE, Brian T. HOWARD, Louis JACOB, Paul S. LAM, Trenton J. REHBERGER, Mark T. STEWART, Qin ZHANG
  • Publication number: 20180214202
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices for enhancing the efficiency and efficacy of energy delivery and tissue mapping. One system includes a treatment element having a plurality of electrodes and an energy generator that is configured to deliver electric energy pulses to the electrodes in a variety of patterns. For example, electrodes may be arranged in closely spaced pairs. The energy generator may deliver mapping energy to each electrode in each pair individually to map tissue and may deliver ablation energy to the electrodes in each pair together, such that each pair is treated like a single electrode, to deliver ablation energy, such as bipolar ablation energy between adjacent pairs. One system includes at least one concave electrode, the configuration of which concentrates the energy and drives it deeper into the tissue. One system includes neutral electrodes between active electrodes, the energy generator selectively coupling the neutral electrodes to alter the ablation pattern.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 27, 2017
    Publication date: August 2, 2018
    Inventors: Brian T. HOWARD, Mark T. STEWART, Damijan MIKLAVCIC, Bushan K. PURUSHOTHAMAN, Jeremy M. STIMACK