System and Method for Localizing Cardiac Arrhythmia Sources Using Multi-Pole Sensors

Abstract

Atrial fibrillation is the most common heart rhythm disorder and affects 2.3 million Americans. Ectopic beats from the pulmonary veins may trigger atrial fibrillation. To resolve this, a non-pharmacological ablation therapy called pulmonary vein isolation, which uses radiofrequency energy to cauterize the atrial tissue in the pulmonary vein's antrum, terminates atrial fibrillation and restores sinus rhythm. Unfortunately, this therapy remains suboptimal with long-term success rates of only 40% to 60%. The main issue is that this therapy fails to eliminate atrial fibrillation drivers outside the pulmonary veins. Their targeted elimination is key to improving outcome after atrial fibrillation ablation. Detection and ablation of the rotors has a very significant impact on the successful termination of atrial fibrillation.

The technology is a data-driven probabilistic algorithm that guides the movement of a conventional multi-pole diagnostic catheter in the atria and uses the recorded electrograms at each site to gradually develop a mask, which can reveal the location of the atrial fibrillation source in the atria. Thus, this system can be used to develop an atrial fibrillation ablation target map. The ablation target map reveals the locations of any atrial fibrillation sources in the atria. The method can be a software add-on to the 3-D mapping system in any of the existing atrial fibrillation mapping systems.

FAU is seeking partners to advance this technology into the marketplace through licensing or development partnerships.

Benefit

Market Application

Publications

Atrial fibrillation source area probability mapping using electrogram patterns of multipole catheters