Patent ID: 8435232

Claim:
An apparatus for exploration or treatment of a vessel or organ, the apparatus comprising: a flexible elongated body having a proximal end and a distal extremity, the distal extremity including an ablation end effector having irrigation ports; at least one irrigation channel disposed within the flexible elongated body, the at least one irrigation channel being in fluid communication with the irrigation ports; a flexible force measurement structure affixed to the distal extremity of the flexible elongate body, the flexible force measurement structure including a proximal ring and a distal ring arranged concentrically about a longitudinal axis, the flexible force measurement structure being operatively coupled with an emitter and a plurality of receivers, the plurality of receivers adapted to receive signals emitted from the emitter and, in response, the plurality of receivers adapted to output signals that vary in response to a displacement of the distal ring relative to the proximal ring due to a contact force on an exterior of the distal extremity of the flexible elongate body; and a controller including a microprocessor operatively coupled with the plurality of receivers and adapted to receive and process the signals output therefrom, the microprocessor being configured to compute a contact force vector from the signals, the contact force vector being multi-dimensional and corresponding to the contact force on the exterior of the distal extremity of the flexible elongate body.