Method and apparatus for studying cardiac arrhythmias

Claims

I claim:

1. A method for studying cardiac arrhythmias, which comprises the steps of:

(a) positioning the distal tip of each of one or more catheters at a site adjacent to or within the heart;

(b) sensing location information at the site;

(c) sensing body surface ECG while pacing from that site;

(d) processing sensed and derived information from steps (b) and (c) to create one or more date points; and

(e) repeating steps (a), (b), (c), and (d) one or more times to create sufficient data points for a map.

2. A method for studying cardiac arrhythmias, which comprises the steps of:

(a) positioning the distal tip of each or one or more catheters at a site adjacent to or within the heart;

(b) sensing location information at the site;

(c) sensing body surface ECG while pacing from that site;

(d) processing sensed and derived information from steps (b) and (c) to create one or more data points;

(e) repeating steps (a), (b), (c), and (d) one or more times to create sufficient data points for a map; and

(f) transmitting the map to a receiving means.

3. A method for treating cardiac arrhythmias, which comprises the steps of:

(a) positioning the distal tip of each of one or more catheters at a site adjacent to or within the heart;

(b) sensing location information at the site;

(c) sensing body surface ECG while pacing from that site;

(d) processing sensed and derived information from steps (b) and (c) to create one or more data points;

(e) repeating steps (a), (b), (c), and (d) one or more times to create sufficient data points for a map; and

(f) ablating a portion of the heart.

4. A method for treating cardiac arrhythmias, which comprises the steps of:

(a) positioning the distal tip of each of one or more catheters at a site adjacent to or within the heart;

(b) sensing location information at the site;

(c) sensing body surface ECG while pacing from that site;

(d) processing sensed and derived information from steps (b) and (c) to create one or more data points;

(e) repeating steps (a), (b), (c), and (d) one or more times to create sufficient data points for a map;

(f) transmitting the map to a receiving means; and

(g) ablating a portion of the heart.

5. A method for studying cardiac arrhythmias, which comprises the steps of:

(a) positioning the distal tip of each of one or more catheters at a site adjacent to or within the heart;

(b) sensing location information at the site;

(c) pacing from that site;

(d) sensing body surface ECG;

(e) comparing body surface ECG measured at step (d) to body surface ECG morphology during reference arrhythmia;

(f) processing sensed and derived information from steps (b) and (e) to create one or more data points; and

(g) repeating steps (a), (b), (c), (d), and (e) one or more times to create sufficient data points for a correlation map.

6. A method for studying cardiac arrhythmias, which comprises the steps of:

(a) positioning the distal tip of each of one or more catheters at a site adjacent to or within the heart;

(b) sensing location information at the site;

(c) pacing from that site;

(d) sensing body surface ECG;

(e) comparing body surface ECG measured at step (d) to body surface ECG morphology during reference arrhythmia;

(f) processing sensed and derived information from steps (b) and (e) to create one or more data points;

(g) repeating steps (a), (b), (c) , (d), and (e) one or more times to create sufficient data points for a correlation map; and

(h) transmitting the correlation map of step (g) to a receiving means.

7. A method for treating cardiac arrhythmias, which comprises the steps of:

(a) positioning the distal tip of each of one or more catheters at a site adjacent to or within the heart;

(b) sensing location information at the site;

(c) pacing from that site;

(d) sensing body surface ECG;

(e) comparing body surface ECG measured at step (d) to body surface ECG morphology during reference arrhythmia;

(f) processing sensed and derived information from steps (b) and (e) to create one or more data points;

(g) repeating steps (a), (b), (c), (d), and (e) one or more times to create sufficient data points for a correlation map; and

(h) ablating a portion of the heart.

8. The method of claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7, which is a closed chest method.

9. An apparatus for studying cardiac arrhythmias, which comprises:

(a) means for positioning the distal tip of each of one or more catheters at a site adjacent to or within the heart;

(b) means for sensing location information at the site;

(c) means for sensing body surface ECG while pacing from that site;

(d) means for processing sensed and derived information from means (b) and (c) to create one or more data points; and

(e) means for repeating the functions of means (a), (b), (c), and (d) one or more times to create sufficient data points for a map.

10. An apparatus for studying cardiac arrhythmias, which comprises:

(a) means for positioning the distal tip of each of one or more catheters at a site adjacent to or within the heart;

(b) means for sensing location information at the site;

(c) means for sensing body surface ECG while pacing from that site;

(d) means for processing sensed and derived information from means (b) and (c) to create one or more data points;

(e) means for repeating the functions of means (a), (b), (c), and (d) one or more times to create sufficient data points for a map; and

(f) means for transmitting the map to a receiving means.

11. An apparatus for treating cardiac arrhythmias, which comprises:

(a) means for positioning the distal tip of each of one or more catheters at a site adjacent to or within the heart;

(b) means for sensing location information at the site;

(c) means for sensing body surface ECG while pacing from that site;

(d) means for processing sensed and derived information from means (b) and (c) to create one or more data points;

(e) means for repeating the functions of means (a), (b), (c), and (d) one or more times to create sufficient data points for a map; and

(f) means for ablating a portion of the heart.

12. An apparatus for treating cardiac arrhythmias, which comprises:

(a) means for positioning the distal tip of each of one or more catheters at a site adjacent to or within the heart;

(b) means for sensing location information at the site;

(c) means for sensing body surface ECG while pacing from that site;

(d) means for processing sensed and derived information from means (b) and (c) to create one or more data points;

(e) means for repeating the functions of means (a), (b), (c), and (d) one or more times to create sufficient data points for a map;

(f) means for transmitting the map to a receiving means; and

(g) means for ablating a portion of the heart.

13. An apparatus for studying cardiac arrhythmias, which comprises:

(a) means for positioning the distal tip of each of one or more catheters at a site adjacent to or within the heart;

(b) means for sensing location information at the site;

(c) means for pacing from that site;

(d) means for sensing body surface ECG;

(e) means for comparing body surface ECG measured by means (d) to body surface ECG morphology during reference arrhythmia;

(f) means for processing sensed and derived information from means (b) and (e) to create one or more data points; and

(g) means for repeating the functions of means (a), (b), (c), (d), and (e) one or more times to create sufficient data points for a correlation map.

14. An apparatus for studying cardiac arrhythmias, which comprises:

(a) means for positioning the distal tip of each of one or more catheters at a site adjacent to or within the heart;

(b) means for sensing location information at the site;

(c) means for pacing from that site;

(d) means for sensing body surface ECG;

(e) means for comparing body surface ECG measured by means (d) to body surface ECG morphology during reference arrhythmia;

(f) means for processing sensed and derived information from means (b) and (e) to create one or more data points;

(g) means for repeating the functions of means (a), (b), (c), (d), and (e) one or more times to create sufficient data points for a correlation map; and

(h) means for transmitting the correlation map to a receiving means.

15. An apparatus for treating cardiac arrhythmias, which comprises:

(a) means for positioning the distal tip of each of one or more catheters at a site adjacent to or within the heart;

(b) means for sensing location information at the site;

(c) means for pacing from that site;

(d) means for sensing body surface ECG;

(e) means for comparing body surface ECG measured by means (d) to body surface ECG morphology during reference arrhythmia;

(f) means for processing sensed and derived information from means (b) and (e) to create one or more data points;

(g) means for repeating the functions of means (a), (b), (c), (d), and (e) one or more times to create sufficient data points for a correlation map; and

(h) means for ablating a portion of the heart.

16. An apparatus for guiding operator-performed intrabody mapping, which comprises:

(a) means for positioning the distal tip of each of one or more catheters at a site adjacent to or within the heart;

(b) means for sensing location information at the site;

(c) means for sensing local information;

(d) means for processing sensed and derived information from means (b) and (c) to create one or more data points;

(e) means for repeating the functions of means (a), (b), (c), and (d) one or more times to create sufficient data points for a map;

(f) means for calculating gradients of mapped local information; and

(g) means for processing information from means (f) to indicate the next site for acquisition of local information.

17. An apparatus for guiding operator-performed intrabody mapping, which comprises:

(a) means for positioning the distal tip of each of one or more catheters at a site adjacent to or within the heart;

(b) means for sensing location information at the site;

(c) means for repeating the function of means (a) and (b) one or more times to create sufficient data points for creating an image of the mapped surface;

(d) means for calculating the spatial distribution of the density information; and

(e) means for processing information from means (d) to indicate the next site for acquisition.

18. An apparatus for guiding operator-performed intrabody mapping, which comprises:

(a) means for positioning the distal tip of each of one or more catheters at a site adjacent to or within the heart;

(b) means for sensing location information at the site;

(c) means for repeating the function means (a) and (b) one or more times to create sufficient data points for creating an image of the mapped surface;

(d) means for calculating the spatial distribution of the density information;

(e) means for processing information from means (d) to indicate the next site for acquisition; and

(f) means for superpositioning the suggested next site for acquisition determined by means (e) on t