Abstract: An irrigated tip electrode design includes a shell generally surrounding a plug which jointly define a chamber that is fed with fluid by a lumen. The fluid is distributed to the outer surface of the tip electrode through fluid passages. The chamber is advantageously isolated from a region of the tip electrode occupied by electrical and/or electromagnetic components in the tip electrode. Lumens occupied by the these components terminate in blind holes that have no communication with the chamber. A method of fabricating includes providing a shell configured from a rod to provide an open interior cavity, sealing and partially filling the cavity with a plug to form a chamber, then forming fluid passages between the cavity and an outer surface of the tip electrode, and providing a lumen through which fluid can enter the chamber and exit therefrom through the fluid passages.

Abstract: A method for attaching a ring electrode to the shaft of the tip section of a catheter comprises passing an electrode lead wire through a lumen in the catheter and out an exit hole in the tip section. The portion of the electrode lead wire extending out of the exit hole is stripped of non-conductive coating and wrapped around the shaft and secured in a clove hitch arrangement. The wrapped electrode lead wire is pulled tight while the material of the shaft is heated to embed the electrode lead wire in the shaft so that its outermost surface is generally flush with the surface of the shaft. The exit hole is sealed and a ring electrode, having a flared skirt is slipped over the shaft to a position over the wrapped electrode lead wire and exit hole. It is then swaged to reduce its outer diameter to about that of the outer diameter of the shaft of the tip section to thereby create a low ohmic connection with the electrode lead wire.

Abstract: An irrigated tip electrode design includes a shell generally surrounding a plug which jointly define a chamber that is fed with fluid by a lumen. The fluid is distributed to the outer surface of the tip electrode through fluid passages. The chamber is advantageously isolated from a region of the tip electrode occupied by electrical and/or electromagnetic components in the tip electrode. Lumens occupied by the these components terminate in blind holes that have no communication with the chamber. A method of fabricating includes providing a shell configured from a rod to provide an open interior cavity, sealing and partially filling the cavity with a plug to form a chamber, then forming fluid passages between the cavity and an outer surface of the tip electrode, and providing a lumen through which fluid can enter the chamber and exit therefrom through the fluid passages.

Abstract: An irrigated tip electrode design includes a shell generally surrounding a plug which jointly define a chamber that is fed with fluid by a lumen. The fluid is distributed to the outer surface of the tip electrode through fluid passages. The chamber is advantageously isolated from a region of the tip electrode occupied by electrical and/or electromagnetic components in the tip electrode. Lumens occupied by the these components terminate in blind holes that have no communication with the chamber. A method of fabricating includes providing a shell configured from a rod to provide an open interior cavity, sealing and partially filling the cavity with a plug to form a chamber, then forming fluid passages between the cavity and an outer surface of the tip electrode, and providing a lumen through which fluid can enter the chamber and exit therefrom through the fluid passages.

Abstract: A steerable irrigated tip catheter is provided. The catheter includes a catheter body, a control handle at the proximal end of the catheter body, and a tip section at the distal end of the catheter body. The tip section comprises a segment of flexible tubing with a tip electrode fixedly attached to its distal end. The tip electrode has a fluid passage in fluid communication with a lumen in the tip section. The fluid passage comprises at least one transverse passage or is formed by interconnecting pores of the tip electrode. An infusion tube extends through the catheter body and tip section and is anchored at its distal end in the proximal end of the fluid passage in the tip electrode. In use, fluid can flow through the infusion tube, into the fluid passage in the tip electrode and through the tip electrode to the outer surface of the tip electrode.

Abstract: A multi-directional electrode catheter comprising an elongated tubular catheter body, a catheter tip section at the distal end of the catheter body and a control handle at the proximal end of the catheter. The catheter body may have a central lumen, and four off-axis lumens symmetrically positioned about the central lumen. A puller wire extends from the central handle through each off-axis lumen and is anchored to the tip section at a selected location. Within each off-axis lumen in the catheter body, there is provided a compression coil in surrounding relation to the puller wire. The compression coil is fixedly attached to the catheter body at its distal and proximal ends. At its proximal end, each puller wire is attached to a movable piston in the control handle. Moreover, each piston is controlled by an operator using a slidable button fixedly attached to each piston.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of controlling cardiac fibrillation, tachycardia, or cardiac arrhythmia by the use of an electrophysiology catheter having a tip section that contains at least one stimulating electrode, the electrode being stably placed at a selected intravascular location. The electrode is connected to a stimulating means, and stimulation is applied across the wall of the vessel, transvascularly, to a sympathetic or parasympathetic nerve that innervates the heart at a strength sufficient to depolarize the nerve and effect the control of the heart.

Abstract: An RF ablation system comprises irrigated split tip electrode catheter, an RF generator and a signal processor. The catheter comprises four orthogonally arranged electrodes at the distal tip. The catheter is used to map the electrical activity of a heart chamber to locate site(s) of aberrant electrical pathways to be ablated. Once an ablation site has been located, the signal processor activates the RF generator to transmit a low level RF current to each electrode member of the split tip electrode. The signal processor receives signals indicative of the impedance between each electrode member and one or more surface indifferent electrodes and determines which electrode members are associated with the highest impedance. Such electrode members are those in greatest contact with the myocardium. The signal processor then automatically activates the RF generator to transmit an RF ablation current to the electrode members in contact with the myocardium to create a lesion.

Abstract: An RF ablation system comprises irrigated split tip electrode catheter, an RF generator and a signal processor. The catheter comprises four orthogonally arranged electrodes at the distal tip. The catheter is used to map the electrical activity of a heart chamber to locate site(s) of aberrant electrical pathways to be ablated. Once an ablation site has been located, the signal processor activates the RF generator to transmit a low level RF current to each electrode member of the split tip electrode. The signal processor receives signals indicative of the impedance between each electrode member and one or more surface indifferent electrodes and determines which electrode members are associated with the highest impedance. Such electrode members are those in greatest contact with the myocardium. The signal processor then automatically activates the RF generator to transmit an RF ablation current to the electrode members in contact with the myocardium to create a lesion.

Abstract: An RF ablation system comprises irrigated split tip electrode catheter, an RF generator and a signal processor. The catheter comprises four orthogonally arranged electrodes at the distal tip. The catheter is used to map the electrical activity of a heart chamber to locate site(s) of aberrant electrical pathways to be ablated. Once an ablation site has been located, the signal processor activates the RF generator to transmit a low level RF current to each electrode member of the split tip electrode. The signal processor receives signals indicative of the impedance between each electrode member and one or more surface indifferent electrodes and determines which electrode members are associated with the highest impedance. Such electrode members are those in greatest contact with the myocardium. The signal processor then automatically activates the RF generator to transmit an RF ablation current to the electrode members in contact with the myocardium to create a lesion.

Abstract: A bi-directional catheter comprises an elongated body, a tip section and a control handle. The body has at least one lumen extending therethrough. The tip section is mounted at the distal end of the catheter body and has at least two diametrically-opposed off-axis lumens. The first off-axis lumen is smaller than the second off-axis lumen. The control handle is mounted at the proximal end of the catheter body and comprises at least two moveable members longitudinally movable between first and second positions. The catheter further comprises first and second puller wires. The proximal end of each puller wire is connected to an associated movable member of the control handle. Each puller wire extends from the control handle through a lumen of the catheter body. The first puller wire extends into the first lumen in the tip section, and the second puller wire extends into the second lumen in the tip section. The distal end of each puller wire is anchored to the tip section.

Abstract: A bi-directional electrode catheter comprising an elongated tubular catheter body, a catheter tip section at the distal end of the catheter body and a control handle at the proximal end of the catheter. The tip section comprises two pair of generally diametrically opposed off-axis lumens. Two pair of puller wires extend from the handle, through the catheter body, and into the off-axis pair of lumens of the tip section, where they are anchored in the tip section at different locations along the length of the tip section. Compression coils extend through the catheter body in surrounding relation to the puller wires. At their proximal ends, the puller wires are attached to movable pistons in the control handle. Each piston is controlled by an operator using a slidable button fixedly attached to each piston. Movement of selected buttons results in deflection of the tip section into a generally planar “U”- or “S”-shaped curve.

Abstract: A bidirectional steerable catheter comprises a catheter body, a tip section and a control handle. The catheter body has a tubular wall, proximal and distal ends, and at least one lumen extending therethrough. The tip section comprises flexible tubing having proximal and distal ends and at least one lumen extending therethrough. The proximal end of the tip section is fixedly attached to the distal end of the catheter body. The control handle is mounted at its distal end to the proximal end of the catheter body. The control handle comprises a housing having proximal and distal ends. A distal piston is mounted in the distal end of the housing and fixedly attached to the proximal end of the catheter body. The distal piston is slidably movable relative to the housing. First and second proximal pistons are mounted in the housing proximal to the distal piston. Each of the proximal pistons is slidably movable relative between proximal and distal positions to the housing.

Abstract: An irrigated split tip electrode catheter is provided having a composite tip electrode comprising multiple electrode elements adjacent to each other. A central irrigation channel extends into the composite tip electrode which branches into transverse irrigation channels in each electrode element. An infusion tube extends from a Luer hub at the proximal end of the catheter through the catheter body and into the central irrigation channel of the composite tip electrode. A temperature sensor preferably a thermocouple may be provided for each electrode element. In use, a cooling fluid is passed into and through the infusion tube and through each of the electrode elements to cool the electrode elements and the interface between the electrode elements and the myocardium or blood so as to prevent the formation of coagulum.

Abstract: An electrode catheter for cardiac electrophysiology is provided. An elongated body suitable for intravascular insertion and forming an axial lumen is provided. A tip electrode defines an axial hole extending inward from a distal end of the tip electrode and is directly mounted to a distal end of the elongated body on a proximal end of the tip electrode. An eye electrode is located within the axial hole substantially concentric to and electrically insulated from the tip electrode. Electrode lead wires run through the axial lumen. One of the electrode lead wires is electrically connected to the eye electrode and another of the electrode lead wires is electrically connected to the tip electrode.

Abstract: A multi-directional electrode catheter comprising an elongated tubular catheter body, a catheter tip section at the distal end of the catheter body and a control handle at the proximal end of the catheter. The catheter body may have a central lumen, and four off-axis lumens symmetrically positioned about the central lumen. A puller wire extends from the central handle through each off-axis lumen and is anchored to the tip section at a selected location. Within each off-axis lumen in the catheter body, there is provided a compression coil in surrounding relation to the puller wire. The compression coil is fixedly attached to the catheter body at its distal and proximal ends. At its proximal end, each puller wire is attached to a movable piston in the control handle. Moreover, each piston is controlled by an operator using a slidable button fixedly attached to each piston.

Abstract: A steerable catheter having an irrigated tip comprises a catheter body having an outer wall, proximal and distal ends, and a single lumen extending therethrough. A control handle is fixedly attached to the proximal end of the catheter body. A tip section comprising a flexible tubing having proximal and distal ends and at least two lumens extending therethrough is fixedly attached to the distal end of the catheter body. A tip electrode is fixedly attached to the distal end of the tip section. The tip electrode has at least one fluid passage in fluid communication with a lumen in the tip section. An infusion tube having proximal and distal ends extends through the lumen in the catheter body. The distal end of the infusion tube is in open communication with the proximal end of the fluid passage in the tip electrode such that fluid can flow through the infusion tube, into the fluid passage in the tip electrode to the outer surface of the tip electrode.

Abstract: An electrode catheter comprising a tubular body with a distal section having a flexible tubular portion, wherein the flexible tubular distal section is covered by at least one spirally wrapped flat ribbon electrode. Each spirally wrapped flat ribbon electrode has an associated lead wire that can be connected to a source of energy for ablation or connected to a recording system to produce electrophysiologic signals for diagnosis. The preferred catheter is steerable by use of a puller wire connected to the distal section and connected to a handle with means for controlling the movement of the puller wire. In a preferred embodiment, the spirally wound flat ribbon electrode is partially masked with a polyurethane or latex mask.

Abstract: A multi-directional electrode catheter comprising an elongated tubular catheter body, a catheter tip section at the distal end of the catheter body and a control handle at the proximal end of the catheter. The catheter body may have a central lumen, and four off-axis lumens symmetrically positioned about the central lumen. A puller wire extends from the central handle through each off-axis lumen and is anchored to the tip section at a selected location. Within each off-axis lumen in the catheter body, there is provided a compression coil in surrounding relation to the puller wire. The compression coil is fixedly attached to the catheter body at its distal and proximal ends. At its proximal end, each puller wire is attached to a movable piston in the control handle. Moreover, each piston is controlled by an operator using a slidable button fixedly attached to each piston.

Abstract: A mapping catheter comprises a catheter body, a handle and a tip section. The catheter body has an outer wall, proximal and distal ends and at least one lumen extending therethrough. The handle is at the proximal end of the catheter body. The tip section comprises a flexible tubing having proximal and distal ends and at least one lumen extending therethrough. The proximal end of the flexible tubing is fixedly attached to the distal end of the catheter body. The tip section comprises an electromagnetic sensor for producing electrical signals indicative of the location of the electromagnetic sensor. The tip section further comprises a multi-element tip electrode mounted at the distal end of the tip section comprising a plurality of electrode members electrically isolated from one another and arranged such that, during use of the catheter within the heart, at least two different electrode members are capable of contacting the endocardium tissue at one time.