Patent ID: 8923950

Claim:
A system for assessing a cardiac septum to identify the location of a fossa ovalis, the system, comprising: an intravascular catheter including a distal portion, a proximal portion, and a lumen therebetween, the intravascular catheter further comprising an optical array comprising a light emitter configured to emit light toward the septum, a plurality of receivers configured to detect reflected light from the septum, and an annular face plate surrounding an opening to the lumen, wherein at least two of the plurality of receivers are each positioned on the face plate at different distances from the emitter; and a spectrometer in communication with the emitter and the plurality of receivers, the spectrometer including one or more processors programmed to analyze optical data received from the plurality of receivers, the one or more processors further programmed to determine: the optical array is at a location that abuts the cardiac septum when a first receiver of the plurality of receivers detects a first spectrum and a second receiver of the plurality of receivers detects a second spectrum; the optical array is at a location proximate cardiac wall tissue other than the cardiac septum when the first receiver and the second receiver of the plurality of receivers each detects the first spectrum; and the optical array is at a location that abuts the fossa ovalis when the first receiver and the second receiver of the plurality of receivers each detect the second spectrum.