Passive catheter identification and self-configuration system

1. A catheter identification system for providing information about one or more attributes of a catheter connectable to an electrophysiology (EP) recording or mapping system, the identification system comprising:

a) a catheter;

b) a resistor network operably connected to the catheter, the resistor network including at least one identification resistor and a return connected to the at least one identification resistor; and

c) an identification resistor measurement circuit operably connected to the catheter and configured to send an identification signal through the at least one resistor in the resistor network to retrieve an altered identification signal from the identification resistor, where the altered identification signal provides information on an attribute of the catheter.

2. The identification system of claim 1 wherein the resistor network is positioned within the catheter.

3. The identification system of claim 1 wherein the resistor network is positioned within an adapter configured to connect the catheter to the identification resistor measurement circuit.

4. The identification system of claim 3 wherein the adapter is operably connected between the at least one resistor and a catheter interface operably connected to the identification resistor measurement circuit to minimize connection errors between the resistor network and the identification resistor measurement circuit.

5. The identification system of claim 1 further comprising a database operably connected to the identification resistor measurement circuit, the database including a table of attributes for the catheter corresponding to the altered identification signal.

6. The identification system of claim 1 wherein the resistor network includes multiple identification resistors, each identification resistor providing an individual altered identification signal representative of a different attribute of the catheter.

7. The identification system of claim 1 wherein the identification system operates in a passive manner.

8. The identification system of claim 1 wherein the identification resistor measurement circuit includes a voltage source for supplying the identification signal to the resistor network.

9. The identification system of claim 8 further comprising:

a) a number of pins on the catheter, each pin operably connected to an identification resistor in the resistor network; and

b) a number of sockets operably connected to the voltage source and engageble with the pins.

10. The identification system of claim 8 wherein the identification resistor measurement circuit is located within a catheter interface operably connected to the EP system.

11. The identification system of claim 10 wherein the identification resistor measurement circuit is operably connected to a CPU for the EP system.

12. The identification system of claim 11 wherein the CPU is configured to define an operational study configuration for the EP system using the information on the attributes of the catheter from the altered identification signal.

13. An EP system for obtaining and recording information on a patient connected to the EP system, the EP system comprising:

a) an amplifier including a catheter interface;

b) a computer operably connected to the amplifier;

c) at least one catheter connected to the catheter interface; and

d) a passive catheter identification system operably connected between the at least one catheter and the catheter interface, the identification system comprising:

a. an identification resistor measurement circuit engaged with the catheter interface and operable to output an identification signal; and

b. an identification resistor network engaged with the at least one catheter and operably engageble with the identification resistor measurement circuit, the resistor network including at least two identification resistors each capable of receiving the identification signal and outputting an altered identification signal indicative of different attributes of the catheter, and a return connected to the at least two identification resistors.

14. The EP system of claim 13 wherein the computer is configured to define an operational study configuration for the EP system using the information on the attributes of the catheter from the altered identification signal.