Abstract: The application provides a catheter positioning device for a catheter with a detection electrode. The device includes three pairs of excitation electrodes. The excitation electrode pairs are respectively lie on an X-axis, a Y-axis, and a Z-axis of a coordinate system. The device also includes a signal generator for providing excitation signals to the respective pairs of excitation electrodes. The device further includes a computing processing unit for measuring differential voltage indicative of impedance between the detection electrode and a first pair of excitation electrodes for determining an X coordinate of a position of the catheter, for measuring differential voltage indicative of impedance between the detection electrode and a second pair of excitation electrodes for determining a Y coordinate of the position, and for measuring differential voltage indicative of impedance between the detection electrode and a third pair of excitation electrodes for determining a Z coordinate of the position.

Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments of invasive and non-invasive systems for combined electrophysiological mapping and ablation of a patient's heart. An electrophysiological mapping system (EMS) is configured to operate in conjunction with a cardiac ablation system, which in an invasive embodiment may employ an ablation catheter configured for insertion inside the heart of the patient, and in a non-invasive embodiment may comprise a HIFU transducer. The EMS is programmed and configured to process ECG signals acquired from a patient's torso during the combined electrophysiological mapping and cardiac ablation procedure, and to produce on a display or monitor the real-time or near-real-time voxel-model-derived visual representation of one or more locations on the patient's heart where at least one scar has been created by the ablation device during the combined procedure.