Patent ID: 8457721

Claim:
A method for cardiac mapping and ablation of a tachycardia site in an endocardium of a subject's heart, comprising the steps of: disposing a catheter having a cluster of electrodes at a distal end about the endocardium site-by-site, said cluster of electrodes deployable to cover a two-dimensional portion of the endocardium for detecting intracardiac electrogram signals emanating from the tachycardia site of origin; processing the intracardiac electrogram signals detected at each electrode with a computer, said computer further configured to compute an arrival time of the intracardiac electrogram signals at each electrode and compute a velocity vector from a speed of travel of the electrogram signal along a first direction and along a second direction orthogonal to the first direction and wherein the tachycardia site of origin has a direction relative to the first and second directions given by the velocity vector; providing a view of the heart through a physical imaging system; wherein the computer is further configured to generate a map integrating the view from the physical imaging system and said arrival times of the intracardiac electrogram signals, said map including a display of the cluster of electrodes and arrival time associated with each electrode, and the velocity vector; and interactively displaying said map, whereby those electrodes being closer to the tachycardia site of origin than others will register earlier arrival times than others, and electrodes that are substantially coincident with the tachycardia site of origin will register an earliest possible arrival time, thereby said map providing guidance for moving said catheter in the direction of those electrodes having earlier arrival times.