Patent ID: 11950833
Assignee: ST. JUDE MEDICAL, CARDIOLOGY DIVISION, INC.
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A | IPC A

Claim 7:
8. A system for use with a medical device configured for insertion within a patient, comprising:
a signal generator configured to apply a drive signal to one or more pairs of electrodes located on the medical device;
a measurement circuit configured to measure responses of the electrode pairs to the drive signal;
a contact assessment module configured to generate bipolar electrode complex impedance (BECI) values for each of the electrode pairs, determine a baseline BECI value representing a minimum BECI value measured during a collection period, measure, subsequently measure a BECI value generated in response to the applied drive signals over a given interval, measure a peak-to-peak value associated with the measured BECI values over the given interval, and determine a contact status based on a combination of the baseline BECI value, the measured BECI value, and the peak-to-peak value associated with the measured BECI values; and
a display for displaying proximities of the electrodes relative to the tissue based on outputs received from the contact assessment module.