Basket style cardiac mapping catheter having spline bends for detection of cardiac rhythm disorders

1. A system for sensing multiple local electric voltages from endocardial surface of a heart, comprising:

a first elongate tubular member having a lumen, a proximal end and a distal end;

a basket assembly comprising:

a plurality of flexible splines for guiding a plurality of exposed electrodes, the splines having proximal portions, distal portions and medial portions therein between;

a proximal anchor for securably affixing the proximal portions of the splines; said proximal anchor being secured at the distal end of the first elongate tubular member;

a distal tip consisting essentially of means for only securably affixing the distal portions of the splines, said proximal anchor and said distal tip defining a longitudinal axis therein between about which the splines are disposed;

wherein the splines approach the distal tip at an angle of about 90° or less than about 90° as measured from a line segment between the proximal anchor and the distal tip along the longitudinal axis;

wherein the splines comprise a superelastic material such that the basket assembly exhibits a substantially cylindrical shape when radially compressed and exhibits a radially expanded non-spherical shape when not radially compressed;

wherein at least some of the splines in the radially expanded non-spherical shape contain a distal excurvate outward bend disposed at the distal portion of the spline at a location near to the distal tip of the basket assembly to bend the splines back towards the proximal anchor; and

wherein, when the basket assembly is in said radially expanded non-spherical shape, the splines extend beyond the distal tip; and, when the basket assembly is in said radially expanded non-spherical shape, apices of the distal excurvate bends are disposed beyond the distal tip.

2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:

a second elongate tubular member having a lumen, a proximal end and a distal end;

wherein the basket assembly is slidingly compressible to fit within the lumen of the second elongate tubular member;

wherein the basket assembly has said substantially cylindrical shape when compressed within the lumen of the second elongate tubular member; and

wherein the basket assembly has said radially expanded non-spherical shape when not compressed within the lumen of the second elongate tubular member and disposed past the distal end of the second elongate tubular member.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the distal spline portions are securably and non-slidingly disposed within said distal tip.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the distal spline portions are securably and non-slidingly disposed within said distal tip in a predetermined angular relationship.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein angles between said splines at said distal tip forming said predetermined angular relationship are all substantially equal to each other.

6. The system of claim 4 , wherein at least one angle between said splines at said distal tip forming said predetermined angular relationship is different from another angle between said splines at said distal tip.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the splines have distal end portions; and

further wherein the distal spline end portions are securably and non-slidingly disposed within said distal tip.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the splines approach said distal tip at an angle of less than about 45° as measured from the line segment between said proximal anchor and said distal tip along the longitudinal axis.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the splines have a distal incurvate inward bend between said distal tip and said distal excurvate outward bends.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the distal tip has a non-thrombogenic outer surface free of voids and slots which would permit the passage or entry of blood thereinto.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the splines have reduced widths at said distal portions near the tip as compared to spline widths at said medial portions.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the distal tip consisting of means for only securably affixing the distal portions of the splines.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the splines have reduced widths at said distal portions near the tip as compared to spline widths at said excurvate outward bends.

14. A system for sensing multiple local electric voltages from endocardial surface of a heart, comprising:

a first elongate tubular member having a lumen, a proximal end and a distal end;

a basket assembly comprising:

a plurality of flexible splines for guiding a plurality of exposed electrodes, the splines having proximal portions and distal portions;

a proximal anchor for securably affixing the proximal portions of the splines; said proximal anchor being secured at the distal end of the first elongate tubular member;

a distal tip for securably affixing the distal portions of the splines, said proximal anchor and said tip defining a longitudinal axis about which the splines are disposed;

wherein the splines comprise a superelastic material such that the basket assembly exhibits a substantially cylindrical shape when radially compressed and exhibits a radially expanded non-spherical shape when not radially compressed;

wherein each of the splines in the radially expanded non-spherical shape contain a proximal recurve in the proximate portion of the spline at a location near to the anchor of the basket assembly, the proximal recurve comprises a proximal excurvate outward bend and a proximal incurvate inward bend between said proximal excurvate outward bend and said proximal anchor, where an apex of the proximal incurvate inward bend is disposed in a direction toward the distal tip and is further disposed inwardly closer toward the distal tip than the proximal excurvate outward bend; and

wherein the proximal incurvate inward bends of some splines have a different geometry from the proximal incurvate inward bends of other splines; and

wherein one or more tissue-contacting portions of the individual splines are of unequal length with respect to each other, and each of the proximal incurvate inward bend portions of the splines possess compensating lengths such that the sum of the tissue facing portion plus proximal incurvate inward bend portion of all splines are substantially the same.

15. The system of claim 14 , further comprising:

a second elongate tubular member having a lumen, a proximal end and a distal end;

wherein the basket assembly is slidingly compressible to fit within the lumen of the second elongate tubular member;

wherein the basket assembly has said substantially cylindrical shape when compressed within the lumen of the second elongate tubular member; and

wherein the basket assembly has said radially expanded non-spherical shape when not compressed within the lumen of the second elongate tubular member and disposed past the distal end of the second elongate tubular member.

16. The system of claim 14 , wherein the splines have distal end portions; and

further wherein the distal spline end portions are securably and non-slidingly disposed within said distal tip.

17. The system of claim 14 , wherein the splines in the radially expanded non-spherical shape contain a distal excurvate outward bend disposed at the distal portion of the spline at a location near to the distal tip of the basket assembly to bend the splines back towards the proximal anchor;

wherein the splines have a distal incurvate inward bend between said distal tip and said distal excurvate outward bends; and

wherein, when the basket assembly is in said radially expanded non-spherical shape, the splines extend beyond the distal tip and, when the basket assembly is in said radially expanded non-spherical shape, apices of the distal excurvate bends are disposed beyond the distal tip.

18. A system for sensing multiple local electric voltages from endocardial surface of a heart, comprising:

a first elongate tubular member having a lumen, a proximal end and a distal end;

a basket assembly comprising:

a plurality of flexible splines for guiding a plurality of exposed electrodes, the splines having proximal portions, distal portions and medial portions therein between;

a proximal anchor for securably affixing the proximal portions of the splines; said proximal anchor being secured at the distal end of the first elongate tubular member;

a distal tip for securably affixing the distal portions of the splines, said proximal anchor and said distal tip defining a longitudinal axis therein between about which the splines are disposed;

wherein the splines approach the distal tip at an angle of about 90° or less than about 90° as measured from a line segment between the proximal anchor and the distal tip along the longitudinal axis;

wherein the splines comprise a superelastic material such that the basket assembly exhibits a substantially cylindrical shape when radially compressed and exhibits a radially expanded non-spherical shape when not radially compressed;

wherein at least some of the splines in the radially expanded non-spherical shape contain a distal excurvate outward bend disposed at the distal portion of the spline at a location near to the distal tip of the basket assembly to bend the splines back towards the proximal anchor;

wherein, when the basket assembly is in said radially expanded non-spherical shape, the splines extend beyond the distal tip; and, when basket assembly is in said radially expanded non-spherical shape, apices of the distal excurvate bends are disposed beyond the distal tip; and

wherein the splines have reduced widths at said distal portions near the tip as compared to spline widths at said excurvate outward bends.

19. The system of claim 18 , further comprising:

a second elongate tubular member having a lumen, a proximal end and a distal end;

wherein the basket assembly is slidingly compressible to fit within the lumen of the second elongate tubular member;

wherein the basket assembly has said substantially cylindrical shape when compressed within the lumen of the second elongate tubular member; and

wherein the basket assembly has said radially expanded non-spherical shape when not compressed within the lumen of the second elongate tubular member and disposed past the distal end of the second elongate tubular member.

20. The system of claim 18 , wherein the distal spline portions are securably and non-slidingly disposed within said distal tip.

21. The system of claim 18 , wherein the distal spline portions are securably and non-slidingly disposed within said distal tip in a predetermined angular relationship.

22. The system of claim 21 , wherein angles between said splines at said distal tip forming said predetermined angular relationship are all substantially equal to each other.

23. The system of claim 21 , wherein at least one angle between said splines at said distal tip forming said predetermined angular relationship is different from another angle between said splines at said distal tip.

24. The system of claim 18 , wherein the splines have distal end portions; and

further wherein the distal spline end portions are securably and non-slidingly disposed within said distal tip.

25. The system of claim 18 , wherein the splines approach said distal tip at an angle of less than about 45° as measured from the line segment between said proximal anchor and said distal tip along the longitudinal axis.

26. The system of claim 25 , wherein the splines have a distal incurvate inward bend between said distal tip and said distal excurvate outward bends.

27. The system of claim 18 , wherein the distal tip has a non-thrombogenic outer surface free of voids and slots which would permit the passage or entry of blood thereinto.

28. The system of claim 18 , wherein the splines have reduced widths at said distal portions near the tip as compared to spline widths at said medial portions.

29. The system of claim 18 , wherein the distal tip consists essentially of means for only securably affixing the distal portions of the splines.

30. The system of claim 18 , wherein the distal tip consists of means for only securably affixing the distal portions of the splines.