Patent Description:
An ablation catheter is often used to ablate heart tissue to prevent electric signals from crossing the ablated tissue. Such a procedure is often performed to prevent atrial fibrillation (AF) often caused by erroneous signals and/or signal sources.

After an ablation procedure has been completed, the effectiveness of the ablation is often verified during a validation period. During the validation period, electrodes of a catheter are placed over areas of ablation and/or areas around the ablation to confirm that electrical signals do not pass through the ablation region. A positive outcome corresponds to the catheter's electrodes reading a flat electrical signal.

During the validation period, a signal graph is provided and includes signals of all catheter's electrodes. When using multi electrode catheters, the signal graph shows the detected signal per electrode. After an effective ablation, the signals detected from the ablation region are supposed to be flat or to show low electrical activity. However, it is often difficult to determine which electrode on the catheter corresponds to the detected signal on the signal graph. For example, a first electrode on a catheter with <NUM> electrodes may detect a signal that is shown in the signal graph. However, a physician may not be able to easily identify what portion of the organ that signal corresponds to and whether that signal is from within an ablation region or outside the ablation region.

In <CIT>, there is described a system including a balloon catheter having a shaft, an inflatable balloon fitted at a distal end of the shaft, and multiple electrodes disposed on the inflatable balloon, a display, and a processor configured to receive signals that are indicative of respective electrode positions of the multiple electrodes in 3D space, compute the respective electrode positions of the multiple electrodes based on the received signals, from among a plurality of virtual planes defined by different respective groups of the electrode positions, select a virtual plane that contains a maximum number of the electrode positions to within a given tolerance, fit a virtual circle to the electrode positions that are within the given tolerance of the selected virtual plane, and render to the display a 3D representation of the balloon catheter based on a position and orientation of the fitted virtual circle in 3D space.

In <CIT>, there is described medical systems and methods for combining and synergizing information in an expedient format for viewing on a display screen.

In <CIT>, there is described a system comprising a catheter configured to be inserted into a heart cavity having an endocardium surface and to move to each of multiple positions in the heart cavity, the catheter comprising multiple, spatially distributed electrodes, the multiple electrodes configured to measure signals in response to electrical activity in the heart cavity, a device configured to determine, for each of the different catheter positions, the positions of the catheter electrodes with respect to the endocardium surface, a processing unit configured to determine physiological information at multiple locations of the endocardium surface based on the determined positions of the catheter electrodes and the measured signals at the different catheter positions, the determination being based at least in part on a mathematical operator; and a synchronization unit configured to synchronize the signals measured at the different catheter positions with one another according to an electric heart beat cycle.

In <CIT>, there is described a method and apparatus for ascertaining a position and an orientation of a distal end of a catheter body with respect to a sensor based on (a) a calibration image, acquired by an imaging system, that shows an indication of the distal end of the catheter body, and (b) a signal from the sensor, but not based on any indication of the sensor shown in the calibration image while the catheter, that includes (i) the catheter body, and (ii) a catheter shaft which includes a sensor and which is disposed inside a lumen of the catheter body, is inside a body of a subject.

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a system for performing a method in association with medical equipment in a medical procedure, the system comprising: a display; a medical system for measuring at least one electrical signal in the medical procedure, the medical system including: a multiple-electrode catheter used in an ablation procedure and configured to simultaneously measure electrical heart signals at multiple points in a heart chamber; a memory module for recording the location of the multiple-electrode catheter during the medical procedure; and a processor configured to: render a depiction of the medical procedure on the display, wherein the rendering includes a rendering of a patient heart and the catheter; represent, on the display, at least one electrical heart signal measured via a given electrode of the multiple-electrode catheter in conjunction with the rendering of the medical procedure; process the recorded location of the multiple electrode catheter; depict, on the display, the value of the at least one electrical heart signal measured via the given electrode of the multiple-electrode catheter, wherein depicting the value comprises providing a signal graph of the at least one electrical heart signal; and provide an output to the display that correlates the given electrode and its position within the depicted medical procedure with the depicted signal graph measured at that location by the electrode.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a non-transient computer readable medium including code stored thereon which when executed by a processor cause the system to perform a method in association with medical equipment in a medical procedure, the method comprising: measuring, using a multiple-electrode catheter used in an ablation procedure configured to simultaneously measure electrical heart signals at multiple points in a heart chamber, at least one electrical heart signal in the medical procedure; rendering a depiction of the medical procedure on a display, wherein the rendering includes a rendering of a patient heart and the catheter; representing the measured at least one electrical heart signal measured via a given electrode of the multiple-electrode catheter on the display in conjunction with the rendering of the medical procedure; recording the location of the multiple-electrode catheter during the medical procedure; processing the recorded location of the multiple electrode catheter; depicting, on the display, the value of the at least on electrical heart signal measured via the given electrode of the multiple electrode catheter, wherein depicting the value comprises providing a signal graph of the at least one electrical signal; and providing an output to the display that correlates the given electrode and its position within the depicted medical procedure with the depicted signal graph measured at that location by the electrode.

Cardiac arrhythmias, and atrial fibrillation in particular, persist as common and dangerous medical ailments, especially in the aging population. In patients with normal sinus rhythm, the heart, which is comprised of atrial, ventricular, and excitatory conduction tissue, is electrically excited to beat in a synchronous, patterned fashion. In patients with cardiac arrythmias, abnormal regions of cardiac tissue do not follow the synchronous beating cycle associated with normally conductive tissue as in patients with normal sinus rhythm. Instead, the abnormal regions of cardiac tissue aberrantly conduct to adjacent tissue, thereby disrupting the cardiac cycle into an asynchronous cardiac rhythm. Such abnormal conduction has been previously known to occur at various regions of the heart, for example, in the region of the sino-atrial (SA) node, along the conduction pathways of the atrioventricular (AV) node and the Bundle of His, or in the cardiac muscle tissue forming the walls of the ventricular and atrial cardiac chambers.

Cardiac arrhythmias, including atrial arrhythmias, may be of a multiwavelet reentrant type, characterized by multiple asynchronous loops of electrical impulses that are scattered about the atrial chamber and are often self-propagating. Alternatively, or in addition to the multiwavelet reentrant type, cardiac arrhythmias may also have a focal origin, such as when an isolated region of tissue in an atrium fires autonomously in a rapid, repetitive fashion. Ventricular tachycardia (V-tach or VT) is a tachycardia, or fast heart rhythm that originates in one of the ventricles of the heart. This is a potentially life-threatening arrhythmia because it may lead to ventricular fibrillation and sudden death.

One type of arrhythmia, atrial fibrillation, occurs when the normal electrical impulses generated by the sinoatrial node are overwhelmed by disorganized electrical impulses that originate in the atria and pulmonary veins causing irregular impulses to be conducted to the ventricles. An irregular heartbeat results and may last from minutes to weeks, or even years. Atrial fibrillation (AF) is often a chronic condition that leads to a small increase in the risk of death often due to strokes. Risk increases with age. Approximately <NUM>% of people over <NUM> having some amount of AF. Atrial fibrillation is often asymptomatic and is not in itself generally life-threatening, but it may result in palpitations, weakness, fainting, chest pain and congestive heart failure. Stroke risk increases during AF because blood may pool and form clots in the poorly contracting atria and the left atrial appendage. The first line of treatment for AF is medication that either slow the heart rate or revert the heart rhythm back to normal. Additionally, persons with AF are often given anticoagulants to protect them from the risk of stroke. The use of such anticoagulants comes with its own risk of internal bleeding. In some patients, medication is not sufficient and their AF is deemed to be drug-refractory, i.e., untreatable with standard pharmacological interventions. Synchronized electrical cardioversion may also be used to convert AF to a normal heart rhythm. Alternatively, AF patients are treated by catheter ablation.

A catheter ablation-based treatment may include mapping the electrical properties of heart tissue, especially the endocardium and the heart volume, and selectively ablating cardiac tissue by application of energy. Cardiac mapping, for example, creating a map of electrical potentials (a voltage map) of the wave propagation along the heart tissue or a map of arrival times (a local time activation (LAT) map) to various tissue located points, may be used for detecting local heart tissue dysfunction Ablations, such as those based on cardiac mapping, can cease or modify the propagation of unwanted electrical signals from one portion of the heart to another.

The ablation process damages the unwanted electrical pathways by formation of non-conducting lesions. Various energy delivery modalities have been disclosed for forming lesions, and include use of microwave, laser and more commonly, radiofrequency energies to create conduction blocks along the cardiac tissue wall. In a two-step procedure-mapping followed by ablation-electrical activity at points within the heart is typically sensed and measured by advancing a catheter containing one or more electrical sensors (or electrodes) into the heart, and acquiring data at a multiplicity of points. These data are then utilized to select the endocardial target areas at which ablation is to be performed.

Cardiac ablation and other cardiac electrophysiological procedures have become increasingly complex as clinicians treat challenging conditions such as atrial fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia. The treatment of complex arrhythmias can now rely on the use of three-dimensional (3D) mapping systems in order to reconstruct the anatomy of the heart chamber of interest.

For example, cardiologists rely upon software such as the Complex Fractionated Atrial Electrograms (CFAE) module of the CARTO®<NUM>3D mapping system, produced by Biosense Webster, Inc. (Diamond Bar, Calif. ), to analyze intracardiac EGM signals and determine the ablation points for treatment of a broad range of cardiac conditions, including atypical atrial flutter and ventricular tachycardia.

The 3D maps can provide multiple pieces of information regarding the electrophysiological properties of the tissue that represent the anatomical and functional substrate of these challenging arrhythmias.

Cardiomyopathies with different etiologies (ischemic, dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia (ARVD), left ventricular non-compaction (LVNC), etc.) have an identifiable substrate, featured by areas of unhealthy tissue surrounded by areas of normally functioning cardiomyocytes.

Electrode catheters have been in common use in medical practice for many years. They are used to stimulate and map electrical activity in the heart and to ablate sites of aberrant electrical activity. In use, the electrode catheter is inserted into a major vein or artery, e.g., femoral artery, and then guided into the chamber of the heart of concern. A typical ablation procedure involves the insertion of a catheter having at least one electrode at its distal end, into a heart chamber. A reference electrode is provided, generally taped to the skin of the patient or by means of a second catheter that is positioned in or near the heart. RF (radio frequency) current is applied to the tip electrode of the ablating catheter, and current flows through the media that surrounds it, i.e., blood and tissue, toward the reference electrode. The distribution of current depends on the amount of electrode surface in contact with the tissue as compared to blood, which has a higher conductivity than the tissue. Heating of the tissue occurs due to its electrical resistance. The tissue is heated sufficient to cause cellular destruction in the cardiac tissue resulting in formation of a lesion within the cardiac tissue which is electrically non-conductive. During this process, heating of the electrode also occurs as a result of conduction from the heated tissue to the electrode itself. If the electrode temperature becomes sufficiently high, possibly above <NUM> degrees C. , a thin transparent coating of dehydrated blood protein can form on the surface of the electrode. If the temperature continues to rise, this dehydrated layer can become progressively thicker resulting in blood coagulation on the electrode surface. Because dehydrated biological material has a higher electrical resistance than endocardial tissue, impedance to the flow of electrical energy into the tissue also increases. If the impedance increases sufficiently, an impedance rise occurs and the catheter must be removed from the body and the tip electrode cleaned.

A system and method performed in association with medical equipment in a medical procedure are disclosed. The system and method include measuring at least one electrical signal in the medical procedure, rendering a depiction of the medical procedure on a display, representing the measured at least one electrical signal on the display in conjunction with the rendering of the medical procedure, recording the location of at least one piece of medical equipment during the medical procedure, processing the recorded location of at least one piece of medical equipment, depicting the value of signals measured via the at least one piece of medical equipment, and providing an output that correlates the processed recorded location of at least one piece of medical equipment with the depicted signals measured via the at least one piece of medical equipment at the processed recorded location by the at least one piece of medical equipment.

<FIG> is a diagram of an exemplary system <NUM> in which one or more features of the disclosure subject matter can be implemented. All or parts of system <NUM> may be used to collect information for a training dataset and/or all or parts of system <NUM> may be used to implement a trained model. System <NUM> may include components, such as a catheter <NUM>, that are configured to damage tissue areas of an intra-body organ. The catheter <NUM> may also be further configured to obtain biometric data. Although catheter <NUM> is shown to be a point catheter, it will be understood that a catheter of any shape that includes one or more elements (e.g., electrodes) may be used to implement the embodiments disclosed herein. System <NUM> includes a probe <NUM>, having shafts that may be navigated by a physician <NUM> into a body part, such as heart <NUM>, of a patient <NUM> lying on a bed <NUM>. According to embodiments, multiple probes may be provided, however, for purposes of conciseness, a single probe <NUM> is described herein but it will be understood that probe <NUM> may represent multiple probes. As shown in <FIG>, physician <NUM> may insert shaft <NUM> through a sheath <NUM>, while manipulating the distal end of the shafts <NUM> using a manipulator <NUM> near the proximal end of the catheter <NUM> and/or deflection from the sheath <NUM>. As shown in an inset <NUM>, catheter <NUM> may be fitted at the distal end of shafts <NUM>. Catheter <NUM> may be inserted through sheath <NUM> in a collapsed state and may be then expanded within heart <NUM>. Catheter <NUM> may include at least one ablation electrode <NUM> and a catheter needle <NUM>, as further disclosed herein.

According to exemplary embodiments, catheter <NUM> may be configured to ablate tissue areas of a cardiac chamber of heart <NUM>. Inset <NUM> shows catheter <NUM> in an enlarged view, inside a cardiac chamber of heart <NUM>. As shown, catheter <NUM> may include at least one ablation electrode <NUM> coupled onto the body of the catheter. According to other exemplary embodiments, multiple elements may be connected via splines that form the shape of the catheter <NUM>. One or more other elements (not shown) may be provided and may be any elements configured to ablate or to obtain biometric data and may be electrodes, transducers, or one or more other elements.

According to embodiments disclosed herein, the ablation electrodes, such as electrode <NUM>, may be configured to provide energy to tissue areas of an intra-body organ such as heart <NUM>. The energy may be thermal energy and may cause damage to the tissue area starting from the surface of the tissue area and extending into the thickness of the tissue area.

According to exemplary embodiments disclosed herein, biometric data may include one or more of LATs, electrical activity, topology, bipolar mapping, dominant frequency, impedance, or the like. The local activation time may be a point in time of a threshold activity corresponding to a local activation, calculated based on a normalized initial starting point. Electrical activity may be any applicable electrical signals that may be measured based on one or more thresholds and may be sensed and/or augmented based on signal to noise ratios and/or other filters. A topology may correspond to the physical structure of a body part or a portion of a body part and may correspond to changes in the physical structure relative to different parts of the body part or relative to different body parts. A dominant frequency may be a frequency or a range of frequency that is prevalent at a portion of a body part and may be different in different portions of the same body part. For example, the dominant frequency of a pulmonary vein of a heart may be different than the dominant frequency of the right atrium of the same heart. Impedance may be the resistance measurement at a given area of a body part.

As shown in <FIG>, the probe <NUM>, and catheter <NUM> may be connected to a console <NUM>. Console <NUM> may include a processor <NUM>, such as a general-purpose computer, with suitable front end and interface circuits <NUM> for transmitting and receiving signals to and from catheter, as well as for controlling the other components of system <NUM>. In some embodiments, processor <NUM> may be further configured to receive biometric data, such as electrical activity, and determine if a given tissue area conducts electricity. According to an embodiment, the processor may be external to the console <NUM> and may be located, for example, in the catheter, in an external device, in a mobile device, in a cloud-based device, or may be a standalone processor.

As noted above, processor <NUM> may include a general-purpose computer, which may be programmed in software to carry out the functions described herein. The software may be downloaded to the general-purpose computer in electronic form, over a network, for example, or it may, alternatively or additionally, be provided and/or stored on non-transitory tangible media, such as magnetic, optical, or electronic memory. The example configuration shown in <FIG> may be modified to implement the embodiments disclosed herein. The disclosed embodiments may similarly be applied using other system components and settings. Additionally, system <NUM> may include additional components, such as elements for sensing electrical activity, wired or wireless connectors, processing and display devices, or the like.

According to an embodiment, a display <NUM> connected to a processor (e.g., processor <NUM>) may be located at a remote location such as a separate hospital or in separate healthcare provider networks. Additionally, the system <NUM> may be part of a surgical system that is configured to obtain anatomical and electrical measurements of a patient's organ, such as a heart, and performing a cardiac ablation procedure. An example of such a surgical system is the Carto® system sold by Biosense Webster.

The system <NUM> may also, and optionally, obtain biometric data such as anatomical measurements of the patient's heart using ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or other medical imaging techniques known in the art. The system <NUM> may obtain electrical measurements using catheters, electrocardiograms (EKGs) or other sensors that measure electrical properties of the heart. The biometric data including anatomical and electrical measurements may then be stored in a memory <NUM> of the mapping system <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>. The biometric data may be transmitted to the processor <NUM> from the memory <NUM>. Alternatively, or in addition, the biometric data may be transmitted to a server <NUM>, which may be local or remote, using a network <NUM>.

Network <NUM> may be any network or system generally known in the art such as an intranet, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a direct connection or series of connections, a cellular telephone network, or any other network or medium capable of facilitating communication between the mapping system <NUM> and the server <NUM>. The network <NUM> may be wired, wireless or a combination thereof. Wired connections may be implemented using Ethernet, Universal Serial Bus (USB), RJ-<NUM> or any other wired connection generally known in the art. Wireless connections may be implemented using Wi-Fi, WiMAX, and Bluetooth, infrared, cellular networks, satellite or any other wireless connection methodology generally known in the art. Additionally, several networks may work alone or in communication with each other to facilitate communication in the network <NUM>.

In some instances, the server <NUM> may be implemented as a physical server. In other instances, server <NUM> may be implemented as a virtual server a public cloud computing provider (e.g., Amazon Web Services (AWS) ®).

Control console <NUM> may be connected, by a cable <NUM>, to body surface electrodes <NUM>, which may include adhesive skin patches that are affixed to the patient <NUM>. The processor, in conjunction with a current tracking module, may determine position coordinates of the catheter <NUM> inside the body part (e.g., heart <NUM>) of a patient. The position coordinates may be based on impedances or electromagnetic fields measured between the body surface electrodes <NUM> and the electrode <NUM> or other electromagnetic components of the catheter <NUM>. Additionally, or alternatively, location pads may be located on the surface of bed <NUM> and may be separate from the bed <NUM>.

Processor <NUM> may include real-time noise reduction circuitry typically configured as a field programmable gate array (FPGA), followed by an analog-to-digital (A/D) ECG (electrocardiograph) or EMG (electromyogram) signal conversion integrated circuit. The processor <NUM> may pass the signal from an A/D ECG or EMG circuit to another processor and/or can be programmed to perform one or more functions disclosed herein.

Control console <NUM> may also include an input/output (I/O) communications interface that enables the control console to transfer signals from, and/or transfer signals to electrode <NUM>.

During a procedure, processor <NUM> may facilitate the presentation of a body part rendering <NUM> to physician <NUM> on a display <NUM>, and store data representing the body part rendering <NUM> in a memory <NUM>. Memory <NUM> may comprise any suitable volatile and/or non-volatile memory, such as random-access memory or a hard disk drive. In some embodiments, medical professional <NUM> may be able to manipulate a body part rendering <NUM> using one or more input devices such as a touch pad, a mouse, a keyboard, a gesture recognition apparatus, or the like. For example, an input device may be used to change the position of catheter <NUM> such that rendering <NUM> is updated. In alternative embodiments, display <NUM> may include a touchscreen that can be configured to accept inputs from medical professional <NUM>, in addition to presenting a body part rendering <NUM>.

Electrical activity at a point in the heart may be typically measured by advancing a catheter containing an electrical sensor at or near its distal tip to that point in the heart, contacting the tissue with the sensor and acquiring data at that point. One drawback with mapping a cardiac chamber using a catheter containing only a single, distal tip electrode is the long period of time required to accumulate data on a point-by-point basis over the requisite number of points required for a detailed map of the chamber as a whole. Accordingly, multiple-electrode catheters have been developed to simultaneously measure electrical activity at multiple points in the heart chamber.

Multiple-electrode catheters may be implemented using any applicable shape such as a linear catheter with multiple electrodes, a balloon catheter including electrodes dispersed on multiple spines that shape the balloon, a lasso or loop catheter with multiple electrodes, or any other applicable shape. <FIG> shows an example of a linear catheter <NUM> including multiple electrodes <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> that may be used to map a cardiac area. Linear catheter <NUM> may be fully or partially elastic such that it can twist, bend, and or otherwise change its shape based on received signal and/or based on application of an external force (e.g., cardiac tissue) on the linear catheter <NUM>.

<FIG> shows an example balloon catheter <NUM> including multiple splines (e.g., <NUM> splines in the specific example of <FIG>) including splines <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> and multiple electrodes on each spline including electrodes <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> as shown. The balloon catheter <NUM> may be designed such that when deployed into a patient's body, its electrodes may be held in intimate contact against an endocardial surface. As an example, a balloon catheter may be inserted into a lumen, such as a pulmonary vein (PV). The balloon catheter may be inserted into the PV in a deflated state such that the balloon catheter does not occupy its maximum volume while being inserted into the PV. The balloon catheter may expand while inside the PV such that electrodes on the balloon catheter are in contact with an entire circular section of the PV.

<FIG> illustrates a display <NUM> designed to provide feedback during the validation period of the ablation. A rendering <NUM> of the organ that is ablated may be provided. Rendering <NUM> may be provided both during the ablation procedure and during the validation period. Rendering <NUM> may show an ablated area <NUM> such that a catheter <NUM> may be directed to the ablation area <NUM> during the validation period. The ablation area <NUM> may include one or more ablations <NUM>. As illustrated, the ablations <NUM> may include a vertical ablation and a horizontal ablation forming a plus sign. The catheter <NUM> may contact the ablation area <NUM> (and possibly ablations <NUM>) to collect any electrical signals that are present in the ablation area. A catheter depiction <NUM> may be provided in the rendering <NUM> of the organ.

<FIG> illustrates a more detailed version of rendering <NUM> from <FIG> illustrating the display <NUM> with the heart chamber <NUM> and the four pulmonary veins <NUM><NUM>, <NUM><NUM>, <NUM><NUM>, <NUM><NUM> (collectively or generically referred to as pulmonary vein <NUM>), which may be isolated via a pulmonary isolation (PI). As described with respect to <FIG>, there is a catheter <NUM> in an ablation area <NUM> having formed one or more ablations <NUM>. As described, the rendering <NUM> provides a visual indication to allow a physician an identification of the area of the organ where a signal is detected, during the validation period, to determine if additional ablation is necessary. In the organ, the catheter is visualized and over the catheter, the electrodes are visualized.

If a catheter detects a signal with a significant electrical activity (defined by the physician as a threshold), a visual representation such as a light, a marker, a flash, an emphasis, or the like may be visually shown on the electrode visualization of the catheter <NUM> in the display of <FIG> where the signal is detected. Based on the visual representation and the location of the signal, a determination may be made whether the detected signal is within an area <NUM> that should not have electrical activity or if it is outside such an area in an area, such as area <NUM><NUM> and area <NUM><NUM>, where good tissue existed and the ablation was not intended to affect the signals in such an area <NUM><NUM>, <NUM><NUM>. If the detected signal is within an area <NUM> that should not have electrical activity, then additional ablation may be performed.

By way of example, all the electrodes of catheter <NUM> detecting electrical activity may be presented "green," while those measuring low electrical activity as compared to a threshold may be indicated as "red. " Alternatively, or additionally, the electrodes of catheter <NUM> detecting electrical activity may be presented "constant," while those measuring zero electrical activity as compared to a threshold may be indicated as "blinking.

<FIG> illustrates a signal graph <NUM> that may be provided in conjunction with rendering <NUM>. Signal graph <NUM> may illustrate a graph of electrical activity corresponding to all the electrodes of the catheter <NUM>. This may include any number of signals, such as <NUM> signals for example. The signal graph <NUM> of <FIG> illustrates four such signals, in order to aid in understanding of the present invention. The four signals include signal <NUM><NUM>, signal <NUM><NUM>, signal <NUM><NUM> and signal <NUM><NUM>. Each of these signals <NUM>-<NUM><NUM>-<NUM> corresponding to the signal being measured in an electrode of catheter <NUM>. As illustrated, signals <NUM>, <NUM><NUM>, <NUM> include electrical activity, while signals <NUM>, <NUM><NUM>, <NUM> include no electrical activity or low electrical activity. This may be determined from the signal graph <NUM>.

When the signal (signals <NUM>, <NUM><NUM>, <NUM>) in display <NUM> is under a threshold, which can be defined by the user or by BWI, as a no active signal/ flat line, this signal which is related to a specific electrode on the catheter <NUM> can have a visualized indication so the physician may be able to locate that area within rendering <NUM> and decide if the lack of signal is appropriate or not. When the signal (signals <NUM>, <NUM><NUM>, <NUM>) in display <NUM> is above a threshold it may be indicated as an active signal exhibiting electrical activity, this signal which is related to a specific electrode on the catheter <NUM> can have a visualized indication on the electrode so the physician may be able to locate that area within rendering <NUM> and decide if having electrical activity is appropriate or not. The rendering <NUM> of <FIG> and signal graph <NUM> of <FIG> are synchronized allowing the location of the catheter electrode and signal visualization to be correlated. This correlation may be achieved by a visual representation, such as a light, a marker, a flash, an emphasis, or the like. That is, the signal graph of an electrode may flash, while the electrode in the rendering also flashes.

The correlation may provide detail when moving the catheter and when interacting with the display. In the situation where the catheter <NUM> is moving inside the chamber, when the catheter <NUM> moves, the electrodes within the rendering <NUM> are visualized as described. For example, where a signal is detected by the catheter <NUM>, the electrodes detecting such a signal may be marked in the rendering <NUM> with one of the methods specified. As the catheter moves to other places where a signal is detected by the catheter <NUM>, the electrodes detecting such a signal may further be marked in the rendering <NUM> with one of the methods specified. As the catheter <NUM> moves and is in a location where the electrodes detect the absence of a signal, the marking of electrodes may cease, or the electrode(s) without a signal may be marked in the rendering <NUM> distinctively from those electrode(s) marked as having a signal.

Specifically, as the cathode is positioned to measure the electrical signals using an electrode, the measured signal may be plotted. For example, an electrode positioned at location <NUM><NUM> may provide the signal plot <NUM>, an electrode positioned at location <NUM><NUM> may provide the signal plot <NUM>, an electrode positioned at location <NUM><NUM> may provide the signal plot <NUM>, and an electrode positioned at location <NUM><NUM> may provide the signal plot <NUM>.

As discussed above, when the electrode is at location <NUM><NUM> with plot <NUM>, the electrode at the location <NUM><NUM> and the plot <NUM> may be marked to provide a visual indication to the user that the plot <NUM> corresponds to the electrode <NUM><NUM>. When the electrode is at location <NUM><NUM> with plot <NUM>, the electrode at the location <NUM><NUM> and the plot <NUM> may be marked to provide a visual indication to the user that the plot <NUM> corresponds to the electrode <NUM><NUM>. When the electrode is at location <NUM><NUM> with plot <NUM>, the electrode at the location <NUM><NUM> and the plot <NUM> may be marked to provide a visual indication to the user that the plot <NUM> corresponds to the electrode <NUM><NUM>. When the electrode is at location <NUM><NUM> with plot <NUM>, the electrode at the location <NUM><NUM> and the plot <NUM> may be marked to provide a visual indication to the user that the plot <NUM> corresponds to the electrode <NUM><NUM>.

Alternatively, or additionally, the present system may operate in reverse from that described above, in that it may react to the user interacting with the display instead of the user interacting with the catheter. In such a configuration, the user may interact with the signal graph <NUM> via an input device to the display. For example, the graph of the signal in the signal graph <NUM> may be hovered over with the cursor and the corresponding electrode of the catheter may blink in the rendering <NUM>, or vice versa, such as by hovering over rendering <NUM> and the corresponding electrical signal blinking. While blinking is provided as one method of providing the user a visual indication, other techniques may additionally, or alternatively, be used. These other techniques may include using coloring, using hashing, flashing, pointers or other method of indicating or providing emphasis or highlight of a depiction in a display.

Alternatively, a single signal on signal graph <NUM> or electrode on catheter <NUM> may be selected by user input, for example. That is the depiction may highlight, or present for view, only a single electrode and its corresponding graphical depiction. The corresponding electrode on catheter <NUM> with signal on signal graph <NUM> may be presented. While the single signal on signal graph <NUM> or electrode on catheter <NUM> is selected, the other signals on signal graph <NUM> or electrode on catheter <NUM> may be hidden from view. Similarly, only the corresponding electrode on catheter <NUM> or signal on signal graph <NUM> is presented, while the other electrodes on catheter <NUM> or signals on signal graph <NUM> may be hidden from view.

By assessing whether the lack of signal, or electrical activity in various areas of rendering <NUM> by probing with the electrodes of the catheter <NUM>, the physician may determine if additional ablation is required. In essence, the physician may be able to determine if there is unwanted electrical activity within ablation area <NUM>, or if there is unwanted lack of electrical activity outside of ablation area <NUM> in areas <NUM><NUM>, <NUM><NUM>, for example. If unwanted electrical activity exists within ablation area <NUM>, additional ablation(s) may be performed to control the pathways of such electrical signals. If unwanted lack of electrical activity exists, such lack of electrical activity may indicate that a scar already exists in the chamber, for example. Such a scar may be from a previous procedure, or at least may not be from the present procedure. Such a scar may be a cause of another arrythmia and/or may be of no importance to the present procedure.

<FIG> illustrates a method <NUM> of providing a rendering of <FIG> with correlated signals. Method <NUM> includes, at step <NUM>, measuring an electrical signal in a medical procedure. At step <NUM>, method <NUM> includes rendering the medical procedure on a display. At step <NUM>, method <NUM> includes representing the measured electrical signal on the display. At step <NUM>, method <NUM> includes recording medical equipment locations, such the catheter locations, for example. In addition, other data of the medical procedure may be recorded including ECG data, force data, and the like. At step <NUM>, method <NUM> may include processing, which includes analyzing, the data, such as catheter locations and associated electrical signals. This processing may include identifying annotations on the ECG data. As would be understood to those possessing an ordinary skill in the pertinent arts, reference annotation(s) may be included within the data while the procedure is occurring. The processing in step <NUM> may include detecting or determining the specific channel/s for these mapping annotations and mapping the annotations to the catheter channels. Visualizing or depicting, at step <NUM>, the value of the signals for each of the channels.

If no signal is measured on an electrode, the lack of signal information may be provided to the visualized depiction of that electrode and graph of that electrode's signal may be graphed as a flat line signal. As described above, the lack of signal or flat line may be presented in a number of ways. In short, the electrode and the graph of the signal for the electrode may be colored, or otherwise provided a visual indication allowing a user to notice the electrode, to indicate no signal exists. Visual indications include blinking, marking and the like.

If an ECG signal is measured on another electrode, the signal information, including amplitude, and other commonly understood ECG data, may be provided to the visualized depiction of that another electrode and a graph of that another electrode's signal. As described above, the signal for the electrode may be presented in a number of ways. In short, the electrode and the graph of the signal for the electrode may be colored green to indicate a signal exists.

At step <NUM>, method may include providing an output that correlates a given electrode and its position within the depicted medical procedure with the signal measured at that location by the electrode.

Method <NUM> may be performed in real-time. The data may be generated and renderer in real-time so when a flat line or signal on the signals is measured it may be simultaneously be depicted the signal/no signal visualization on the 3d catheter electrodes model.

In general, the system captures ongoing timeline data and correlates this timeline data with other sensed data. The sensed data may include data sensed by the system, such as ECG, location, and the like. The ECG data may be processed, and using thresholds this processing may identify one or more electrodes as "sensing no ECG data," the identification of these one or more electrodes may then be combined with the location of the catheter at that time of no signal allowing the information to be displayed. A similar, approach may be utilized for the signals above a threshold detected based on catheter location.

Claim 1:
A system (<NUM>) for performing a method in association with medical equipment in a medical procedure, the system comprising:
A display (<NUM>)
a medical system for measuring at least one electrical signal in the medical procedure, the medical system including:
a multiple-electrode catheter (<NUM>) used in an ablation procedure and configured to simultaneously measure electrical heart signals at multiple points in a heart chamber;
a memory module (<NUM>) for recording the location of the multiple-electrode catheter during the medical procedure; and
a processor (<NUM>) configured to:
render a depiction (<NUM>) of the medical procedure on the display, wherein the rendering includes a rendering of a patient heart and the catheter;
represent, on the display, at least one electrical heart signal measured via a given electrode (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) of the multiple-electrode catheter in conjunction with the rendering of the medical procedure;
process the recorded location of the multiple electode catheter;
depict, on the display, the value of the at least one electrical heart signal measured via the given electrode of the multiple-electrode catheter, wherein depicting the value comprises providing a signal graph (<NUM>) of the at least one electrical heart signal; and
provide an output to the display that correlates the given electrode and its position within the depicted medical procedure with the depicted signal graph measured at that location by the electrode.