High-voltage pulse ablation systems and methods
View Patent ↗High-voltage pulses ablation systems and methods are used to ablate tissue and form lesions. A variety of different electrophysiology devices, such as catheters, surgical probes, and clamps, may be used to position one or more electrodes at a target location. Electrodes can be connected to power supply lines and, in some instances, the power to the electrodes can be controlled on an electrode-by-electrode basis. High-voltage pulse sequences provide a total amount of heating that is typically less than that which is observed with thermally-based radiofrequency energy ablation protocols.
1. A method of administering an ablation treatment to a patient, comprising:
compressing a portion of a target tissue with a bipolar clamp assembly, the clamp assembly comprising a first jaw having a first electrode mechanism and a first face and a second jaw having a second electrode mechanism and a second face;
applying a high voltage pulse regimen to the target tissue with the bipolar clamp ablation assembly where the high voltage pulse regimen causes a dielectric breakdown of a cellular membrane tissue to create a lesion in the target tissue where a depth of the lesion is correlated to the high voltage pulse regimen; and
after applying the high voltage pulse regimen to the tissue, heating the tissue with the bipolar clamp ablation assembly to produce a visible mark to identify the lesion.
2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the patient tissue comprises a plurality of myocardial cells, and the ablation treatment is sufficient to kill the plurality of myocardial cells between the jaw faces.
3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the patient tissue comprises a plurality of myocardial cells, and the ablation treatment is sufficient to cause irreversible damage the plurality of myocardial cells.
4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the portion of patient tissue comprises a strip of tissue between the first jaw face and the second jaw face, and wherein the ablation treatment is sufficient to create a lesion within the strip of tissue, the lesion having a maximum width disposed midway between the first jaw face and the second jaw face.
5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the first jaw face comprises a first electrode having a width of about 2 mm and the second jaw face comprises a second electrode having a width of about 2 mm, and wherein the maximum width of the lesion is about 10 mm or less.
6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first jaw face and the second jaw face are separated by less than about 5 mm.
7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the high voltage pulse regimen comprises a plurality of 500-1000 volt pulses each having a duration of between about 0.02 msec and about 0.1 msec, and wherein the pulses are delivered at a frequency comprising a pulse number within a range from about 5 to about 50 pulses discharged over a time interval within a range from about 1 to about 60 seconds.