System and method for forming a non-ablative cardiac conduction block
View Patent ↗A system forms a cardiac conduction block at a location in a heart of a patient without substantially ablating cardiac tissue. The system includes a delivery system coupled to a source of material that is substantially non-ablative with respect to cardiac tissue. The delivery system delivers the material to the location, and the material at the location forms a conduction block without ablating the cardiac cells there. The material may include living cells, such as for example skeletal myocytes, and/or may include a non-living matter such as biopolymers such as a fibrin glue agent, or collagen agents. An expandable member with needle assembly is used to deliver the material so as to form a non-ablative circumferential conduction block at a location where a pulmonary vein extends from an atrium.
1. A method for treating a cardiac arrhythmia in a heart of a patient, comprising:
identifying a location for creating a conduction block adapted to treat the cardiac arrhythmia;
providing an injectable material that comprises a collagen agent; and
forming a conduction block at the location injecting the collagen agent material to the location and without substantially ablating cardiac cells; and
wherein the cardiac arrhythmia is treated by forming the substantially non-ablative conduction block with the injected collagen agent material.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: intervening with gap-junctions of cardiac tissue with the collagen agent material.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the material being delivered to the region further comprises a polymer agent.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the material being delivered to the region further comprises a second polymer agent.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the delivery of the material to the location comprises:
mixing first and second precursor collagen agent materials within the body of the patient to form polymerized collagen at the location in situ.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the material being delivered to the location further comprises living cells.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the living cells comprise myoblasts.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the region to which the material is being delivered is located along a ventricular wall of a ventricle of the patient's heart.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the region to which the material is being delivered is located along an atrial wall of an atrium of the patient's heart.
10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
injecting the injectable collagen agent into the location from within a cardiac chamber of the patient's heart.
11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
delivering fibroblast cells to the location where the collagen agent is injected.
12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
delivering stem cells to the location where the collagen agent is injected.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the collagen agent material is injected in a manner so as to form a conduction block along a pre-determined pattern.
14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the predetermined pattern is adapted to form a substantially circumferential conduction block.
15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the predetermined pattern and location are positioned where a pulmonary vein extends from an atrium.
16. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
mapping an electrical conduction signal within the heart;
determining the location based upon the mapped electrical conduction signal; and
wherein the mapped electrical conduction signal is associated with the cardiac arrhythmia.