Patents by Inventor Steven J. Fraasch
Steven J. Fraasch 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).
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Publication number: 20190350647Abstract: A medical device may include an electrosurgical hand piece. The electrosurgical hand piece may have a housing with a proximal end, a distal end, and a chamber proximate the proximal end. The chamber may be configured to releasably retain and electrically couple with a power source. The electrosurgical hand piece may also include a treatment delivery element configured to releasably couple to the distal end of the housing. The treatment delivery element may be configured to communicate with the power source and deliver biphasic pulsed field ablation. The medical device may also include a charging element which may charge the power source using inductive charging or near-field (RF) wireless charging.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 21, 2019Publication date: November 21, 2019Inventors: Steven V. Ramberg, Daniel S. Cheek, Steven J. Fraasch, Brian Howard, John D. Norton
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Patent number: 10182742Abstract: A method and system for assessing electrode-tissue contact before the delivery of ablation energy. The system may include a control unit programmed to determine a difference between a maximum impedance magnitude at a low frequency for a given electrode and an absolute minimum impedance magnitude at the low frequency across all electrodes, determine a difference between a maximum impedance magnitude at a high frequency for a given electrode and an absolute minimum impedance magnitude at the high frequency across all electrodes, and determine a difference between a maximum impedance phase at the high frequency for a given electrode and an absolute minimum impedance phase at the high frequency across all electrodes. Differences may be correlated to one another using a linear model, the results determining electrode-tissue contact status. The results may be displayed in a graphical format for easy communication to the user.Type: GrantFiled: April 2, 2015Date of Patent: January 22, 2019Assignee: Medtronic Ablation Frontiers LLCInventors: Catherine R. Condie, Steven J. Fraasch, Marshall L. Sherman, Trenton Jay Rehberger, Corinne Weyrauch
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Patent number: 10143399Abstract: A method and system for assessing electrode-tissue contact before the delivery of ablation energy. The method may generally include determining a difference between a maximum impedance magnitude at a low frequency for a given electrode and an absolute minimum impedance magnitude at the low frequency across all electrodes, determining a difference between a maximum impedance magnitude at a high frequency for a given electrode and an absolute minimum impedance magnitude at the high frequency across all electrodes, and determining a difference between a maximum impedance phase at the high frequency for a given electrode and an absolute minimum impedance phase at the high frequency across all electrodes. These differences may be correlated to one another using a linear model, the results of which determining whether the given electrode is in contact or not in contact with tissue.Type: GrantFiled: April 2, 2015Date of Patent: December 4, 2018Assignee: Medtronic Ablation Frontiers LLCInventors: Catherine R. Condie, Marshall L. Sherman, Corinne Weyrauch, Steven J. Fraasch, Trento Jay Rehberger
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Publication number: 20180303543Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: April 24, 2017Publication date: October 25, 2018Inventors: Mark T. STEWART, Brian T. HOWARD, Steven J. FRAASCH
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Publication number: 20180228528Abstract: Systems and methods to confirm safe delivery of treatment energy to a patient by identifying a presence of a fault in an energy delivery pathway and identifying a location of the fault within the device. The system includes a processing unit configured to calculate blood impedances external to the device based on known impedance characteristics of the device, and then to calculate impedances within the device during energy delivery based on the calculated blood impedances. The processing unit prevents the delivery of energy in an energy delivery pathway that is determined to be compromised. The processing unit is also configured to compare times for two different frequencies to travel a predetermined distance, the difference in the times corresponding to a location of a fault within the energy delivery pathway.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 14, 2017Publication date: August 16, 2018Inventors: Steven J. FRAASCH, Catherine R. CONDIE, Trenton J. REHBERGER, Mark T. STEWART, Qin ZHANG
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Publication number: 20180221078Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: February 8, 2017Publication date: August 9, 2018Inventors: Brian T. HOWARD, Steven J. FRAASCH, Mark T. STEWART, John VANDANACKER
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Publication number: 20180214195Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: January 27, 2017Publication date: August 2, 2018Inventors: Steven J. FRAASCH, Catherine R. CONDIE, Brian T. HOWARD, Louis JACOB, Paul S. LAM, Trenton J. REHBERGER, Mark T. STEWART, Qin ZHANG
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Publication number: 20170095290Abstract: Methods and systems for combining ablation therapy with navigation of the ablation device. An ablation system may be configured for use with one of two methods to prevent loss of navigation signals during ablation energy delivery. In the first method, ablation energy signals are filtered from the navigation signal. In the second method, the delivery of ablation energy is sequenced with the delivery of navigation energy such that ablation energy and navigation energy are not delivered at the same time and navigation signals received by the system are time-division multiplexed to reconstruct the navigation signals and determine a location of the device within the patient.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 27, 2016Publication date: April 6, 2017Inventors: Marshall L. SHERMAN, Catherine R. CONDIE, Trenton J. REHBERGER, Steven J. FRAASCH, Mark T. STEWART
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Publication number: 20170035499Abstract: A method for ablating tissue by applying at least one pulse train of pulsed-field energy. The method includes delivering a pulse train of energy having a predetermined frequency to cardiac tissue, the pulse train including at least 60 pulses, an inter-phase delay between 0 ?s and 5 ?s, an inter-pulse delay of at least 5 ?s, and a pulse width of 5 ?s.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 4, 2016Publication date: February 9, 2017Inventors: Mark T. STEWART, Steven J. FRAASCH
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Publication number: 20160287136Abstract: A method and system for assessing electrode-tissue contact before the delivery of ablation energy. The system may include a control unit programmed to determine a difference between a maximum impedance magnitude at a low frequency for a given electrode and an absolute minimum impedance magnitude at the low frequency across all electrodes, determine a difference between a maximum impedance magnitude at a high frequency for a given electrode and an absolute minimum impedance magnitude at the high frequency across all electrodes, and determine a difference between a maximum impedance phase at the high frequency for a given electrode and an absolute minimum impedance phase at the high frequency across all electrodes. Differences may be correlated to one another using a linear model, the results determining electrode-tissue contact status. The results may be displayed in a graphical format for easy communication to the user.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 2, 2015Publication date: October 6, 2016Inventors: Catherine R. CONDIE, Steven J. FRAASCH, Marshall L. Sherman, Trenton Jay REHBERGER, Corinne WEYRAUCH
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Publication number: 20160287137Abstract: A method and system for assessing electrode-tissue contact before the delivery of ablation energy. The method may generally include determining a difference between a maximum impedance magnitude at a low frequency for a given electrode and an absolute minimum impedance magnitude at the low frequency across all electrodes, determining a difference between a maximum impedance magnitude at a high frequency for a given electrode and an absolute minimum impedance magnitude at the high frequency across all electrodes, and determining a difference between a maximum impedance phase at the high frequency for a given electrode and an absolute minimum impedance phase at the high frequency across all electrodes. These differences may be correlated to one another using a linear model, the results of which determining whether the given electrode is in contact or not in contact with tissue.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 2, 2015Publication date: October 6, 2016Inventors: Catherine R. CONDIE, Marshall L. Sherman, Corinne WEYRAUCH, Steven J. FRAASCH, Trenton Jay REHBERGER
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Patent number: 8428744Abstract: This disclosure describes techniques for reducing, and possibly eliminating, adverse effects caused by signals induced on an inductive antenna of an implanted medical device by varying magnetic fields from a source of interference, such as the gradient magnetic fields applied during an MRI procedure. For example, the implantable medical device includes an inductive antenna that receives signals via inductive coupling, a filter circuit that attenuates signals induced on the inductive antenna by varying magnetic fields generated from a source of interference and substantially passes signals induced on the inductive antenna by varying magnetic fields generated by an expected source and a telemetry module that processes the signals from the filter circuit.Type: GrantFiled: July 23, 2009Date of Patent: April 23, 2013Assignee: Medtronic, Inc.Inventors: Christopher C. Stancer, Steven J. Fraasch, Anthony C. French, Kent E. Samuelson, Farren L. Forcier
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Publication number: 20110191053Abstract: A system, method, and apparatus for obtaining a record of logic level transitions within a signal, and for accurately determining a voltage-time pair exhibited by the signal. To achieve these ends, a front-end device may be mated to a real-time sampling system, such as an oscilloscope. The front-end device effectively permits the oscilloscope to observe signals exhibiting greater data rates than otherwise possible without the front-end device.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 11, 2011Publication date: August 4, 2011Applicant: GIGAMAX TECHNOLOGIES, INC.Inventors: John David Hamre, Peng Li, Steven J. Fraasch
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Publication number: 20110022123Abstract: This disclosure describes techniques for reducing, and possibly eliminating, adverse effects caused by signals induced on an inductive antenna of an implanted medical device by varying magnetic fields from a source of interference, such as the gradient magnetic fields applied during an MRI procedure. For example, the implantable medical device includes an inductive antenna that receives signals via inductive coupling, a filter circuit that attenuates signals induced on the inductive antenna by varying magnetic fields generated from a source of interference and substantially passes signals induced on the inductive antenna by varying magnetic fields generated by an expected source and a telemetry module that processes the signals from the filter circuit.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 23, 2009Publication date: January 27, 2011Inventors: Christopher C. Stancer, Steven J. Fraasch, Anthony C. French, Kent E. Samuelson, Farren L. Forcier
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Patent number: 7688927Abstract: A clock recovery system includes a rough clock generator, which yields a rough clock signal, based upon logic level transitions exhibited by a data signal. The rough clock signal is supplied to a phase locked loop having an adjustable order of frequency response, an adjustable corner frequency, an adjustable natural frequency, and/or an adjustable damping factor. The clock recovery system includes control parameters that, when properly adjusted, suppress non-ideal effects of components within the clock recovery system, and also permit the frequency response of the phase locked loop to be returned to a desired response.Type: GrantFiled: December 20, 2005Date of Patent: March 30, 2010Assignee: Gigamax Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Steven J. Fraasch, Russell E. Cook, Jr., Jan B Wilstrup, Peng Li
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Patent number: 7305312Abstract: A system, method, and apparatus for obtaining a record of logic level transitions within a signal, and for accurately determining a voltage-time pair exhibited by the signal. To achieve these ends, a front-end device may be mated to a real-time sampling system, such as an oscilloscope. The front-end device effectively permits the oscilloscope to observe signals exhibiting greater data rates than otherwise possible without the front-end device.Type: GrantFiled: January 10, 2006Date of Patent: December 4, 2007Assignee: Wavecrest CorporationInventors: John David Hamre, Peng Li, Steven J. Fraasch