US-12616518-B2 - Barrel electrodes for a basket catheter, and methods of the same

US12616518B2US 12616518 B2US12616518 B2US 12616518B2US-12616518-B2

Abstract

The disclosed technology includes an electrode for a medical probe having an elongated body. At least a portion of the elongated body can be electrically conductive. The elongated body can define a lumen that extends through the elongated body along a longitudinal axis of the elongated body. The electrode can include a locking stub that extends at least partially into the lumen so that the locking stub is locked to a member inserted into the lumen.

Inventors

Kevin Mark Okarski
Thanh Nguyen
Abubakarr BAH
Keshava Datta

Assignees

BIOSENSE WEBSTER (ISRAEL) LTD.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20230316

Claims (10)

1 . A medical probe, comprising: a tubular shaft having a proximal end and a distal end, the tubular shaft extending along a longitudinal axis; and an expandable basket assembly coupled to the distal end of the tubular shaft, the expandable basket assembly comprising: a plurality of electrodes, each electrode of the plurality of electrodes defining a lumen extending therethrough and a locking stub extending at least partially into the lumen; and a plurality of spines extending along the longitudinal axis and configured to bow radially outward from the longitudinal axis when the expandable basket assembly is transitioned from a collapsed form to an expanded form, each spine of the plurality of spines passing through the lumen of a respective electrode of the plurality of electrodes, each spine of the plurality of spines defining an aperture extending therethrough from a first side of the spine to a second side of the spine, the aperture configured to receive the locking stub of the respective electrode of the plurality of electrodes such that when the respective electrode of the plurality of electrodes is mechanically coupled to the spine, the locking stub extends through the aperture preventing the respective electrode of the plurality of electrodes from sliding distally or proximally along the spine.
2 . The medical probe according to claim 1 , each electrode of the plurality of electrodes being configured to be crimped to the spine.
3 . The medical probe according to claim 2 , each electrode of the plurality of electrodes having a substantially rounded outer surface prior to being crimped to the spine and having a substantially flat outer surface after being crimped to the spine.
4 . The medical probe according claim 1 , each electrode of the plurality of electrodes further comprising an insulative material configured to electrically isolate each electrode of the plurality of electrodes from the spine.
5 . The medical probe according to claim 1 , each spine of the plurality of spines further comprising an insulative material configured to electrically isolate the spine from each electrode of the plurality of electrodes.
6 . The medical probe according to claim 1 , wherein the respective electrode mechanically coupled to each spine of the plurality of spines comprises a first respective electrode, the aperture of each spine of the plurality of spines comprises a first respective aperture, and each spine of the plurality of spines comprises and a second respective electrode of the plurality of electrodes, and wherein each spine defines a second respective aperture configured to receive the locking stub of the second respective electrode of the plurality of electrodes, the first respective aperture and the second respective aperture both being configured to prevent the first and second respective electrodes of the plurality of electrodes from sliding proximally or distally along a length of the spine when the first and second respective electrodes of the plurality of electrodes are mechanically coupled to the spine.
7 . The medical probe of claim 1 , wherein an interface between the locking stub of the respective electrode and the spine at the aperture comprises an interference fitting.
8 . The medical probe according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of electrodes are electrically connected to an ablation module and configured to deliver electrical pulses for irreversible electroporation, the pulses having a peak voltage of at least 900 volts (V).
9 . A method of constructing a medical probe, the method comprising: aligning a spine of an expandable basket assembly with an electrode of the expandable basket assembly, the spine comprising a proximal end, a distal end, and defining an aperture extending therethrough from a first side of the spine to a second side of the spine, the spine extending along a longitudinal axis and configured to bow radially outward from the longitudinal axis when the expandable basket assembly is transitioned from a collapsed form to an expanded form, and the electrode defining a lumen extending therethrough and a locking stub extending at least partially into the lumen; inserting the spine into the lumen of the electrode; aligning the locking stub of the electrode with the aperture; and crimping the electrode onto the spine such that the locking stub extends at least partially into the aperture to mechanically couple the electrode to the spine and to prevent the electrode from sliding proximally or distally along the spine.
10 . The method according to claim 9 , wherein the lumen comprises a first lumen, the method further comprising: aligning a wire of the medical probe with a second lumen of the electrode; inserting the wire into the second lumen; and coupling the wire to the electrode such that the wire is in electrical communication with the electrode.

Description

CLAIM OF PRIORITY This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/336,072 filed on Apr. 28, 2022, which is hereby incorporated by reference as if set forth in full herein. FIELD The present invention relates generally to medical devices, and in particular catheters with electrodes, and further relates to, but not exclusively, catheters suitable for use to induce irreversible electroporation (IRE) of cardiac tissues. BACKGROUND Cardiac arrhythmias, such as atrial fibrillation (AF), occur when regions of cardiac tissue abnormally conduct electric signals to adjacent tissue. This disrupts the normal cardiac cycle and causes asynchronous rhythm. Certain procedures exist for treating arrhythmia, including surgically disrupting the origin of the signals causing the arrhythmia and disrupting the conducting pathway for such signals. By selectively ablating cardiac tissue by application of energy via a catheter, it is sometimes possible to cease or modify the propagation of unwanted electrical signals from one portion of the heart to another. Many current ablation approaches in the art utilize radiofrequency (RF) electrical energy to heat tissue. RF ablation can have certain risks related to thermal heating which can lead to tissue charring, burning, steam pop, phrenic nerve palsy, pulmonary vein stenosis, and esophageal fistula. Cryoablation is an alternative approach to RF ablation that generally reduces thermal risks associated with RF ablation. Maneuvering cryoablation devices and selectively applying cryoablation, however, is generally more challenging compared to RF ablation; therefore cryoablation is not viable in certain anatomical geometries which may be reached by electrical ablation devices. Some ablation approaches use irreversible electroporation (IRE) to ablate cardiac tissue using nonthermal ablation methods. IRE delivers short pulses of high voltage to tissues and generates an unrecoverable permeabilization of cell membranes. Delivery of IRE energy to tissues using multi-electrode catheters was previously proposed in the patent literature. Examples of systems and devices configured for IRE ablation are disclosed in U.S. Patent Pub. No. 2021/0161592A1, 2021/0169550A1, 2021/0169567A1, 2021/0169568A1, 2021/0177503A1, 2021/0186604A1 and 2021/0196372A1, each of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety into this application as if set forth in full and is attached in the appendix to priority application U.S. 63/336,072. Regions of cardiac tissue can be mapped by a catheter to identify the abnormal electrical signals. The same or different catheter can be used to perform ablation. Some example catheters include a number of spines with electrodes positioned thereon. The electrodes are generally attached to the spines and secured in place by soldering, welding, or using an adhesive. Due to the small size of the spines and the electrodes, however, soldering, welding, or adhering the electrodes to the spines can be a difficult task, increasing the manufacturing time and cost and the chances that the electrode fails due to an improper bond or misalignment. What is needed, therefore, are systems and methods of attaching an electrode to a spine of a basket assembly without the need for soldering, welding, or using adhesive. SUMMARY There is provided, in accordance with an example of the present invention, an electrode for a medical probe having an elongated body. At least a portion of the elongated body can be electrically conductive. The elongated body can define a lumen that extends through the elongated body along a longitudinal axis of the elongated body. The electrode can include a locking stub that extends at least partially into the lumen so that the locking stub is locked to a member inserted into the lumen. In this way, the presently disclosed technology can be used to secure the electrodes to the spines without requiring solder, weld, or adhesives. The electrode can be crimped towards the longitudinal axis. The electrode can include a substantially rounded outer surface prior to being crimped and a substantially flat outer surface after being crimped. The locking stub can have a substantially rounded cross section, a substantially rectangular cross section, and/or at least a portion of the locking stub can include a substantially triangular cross section. The locking stub can extend a length of the elongated body. The elongated body can further include an insulative material that can be configured to electrically isolate the electrode from the member inserted into the lumen. The lumen can be a first lumen and the elongated body can further define a second lumen configured to receive a wire. The wire can be electrically coupled to the electrode. There is provided, in accordance with another example of the present invention, a medical probe. The medical probe can include a tubular shaft having a proximal end and a distal end. The