Granted Patent B2

US 12,465,260 · App. 16/968,531 · Granted Nov 11, 2025

Inventors: Kenneth S. Wu (San Francisco, CA); Douglas Michael Ackermann (Reno, NV)

Assignee: Presidio Medical, Inc.

A61B5/283A61B18/02A61B18/1492A61B2018/0022A61B2018/00363A61B2018/00386A61B2018/00577A61B2018/0212

Abstract

Claims (42)

1 . A method of performing a cardiac electrophysiologic study in a patient, comprising:

sensing, at a first cardiac target tissue at a heart, electrical activity of the first cardiac target tissue;

determining that the electrical activity of the first cardiac target tissue has characteristics of interest;

delivering a first non-ablative direct current to the first cardiac target tissue sufficient to create a reversible conduction block in the first cardiac target tissue, wherein the first non-ablative direct current comprises a frequency of less than about 1 Hz;

determining an absence of the characteristics of interest based on the electrical activity of the first cardiac target tissue following delivering the first non-ablative direct current; and

ablating the first cardiac target tissue.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the characteristics of interest comprise aberrant electrical activity.

3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

sensing electrical activity of a second cardiac target tissue; and

determining that the electrical activity of the second cardiac target tissue has the characteristics of interest.

4 . The method of claim 3 , further comprising:

delivering a second non-ablative direct current to the second cardiac target tissue sufficient to create a reversible conduction block in the second cardiac target tissue; and

observing for the presence of the characteristics of interest following delivering the second non-ablative direct current.

5 . The method of claim 4 , further comprising:

ablating the second cardiac target tissue when pathologic arrhythmia is absent following delivering the second non-ablative direct current to the second cardiac target tissue.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first non-ablative direct current comprises cathodic direct current cycled with anodic direct current.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first non-ablative direct current has an amplitude of less than about 100 mA.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first non-ablative direct current has an amplitude of less than about 20 mA.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first non-ablative direct current has an amplitude of less than about 10 mA.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first non-ablative direct current has an amplitude of less than about 5 mA.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first cardiac target tissue comprises myocardium.

12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first cardiac target tissue comprises left or right atrial tissue.

13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first cardiac target tissue comprises left or right ventricular tissue.

14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first cardiac target tissue comprises pulmonary venous tissue.

15 . The method of claim 1 , for treating an arrhythmia, wherein the arrhythmia comprises atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, PSVT, or ventricular tachycardia.

16 . The method of claim 2 , wherein ablating the first cardiac target tissue comprises delivering ablative direct current.

17 . The method of claim 2 , wherein ablating the first cardiac target tissue comprises delivering RF energy.

18 . The method of claim 2 , wherein ablating the first cardiac target tissue comprises delivering cryoablation.

19 . A method of performing a cardiac electrophysiologic study in a patient, comprising:

sensing, at a first cardiac target tissue at a heart, electrical activity of the first cardiac target tissue;

delivering a non-ablative electrical current to the first cardiac target tissue sufficient to create a reversible conduction block in the first cardiac target tissue, wherein the first non-ablative electrical current comprises a frequency of less than about 1 Hz;

determining an absence of aberrant electrical activity of the patient's heart following delivering the non-ablative electrical current; and

ablating the first cardiac target tissue.

20 . The method of claim 19 , wherein the non-ablative electrical current comprises HFAC.

21 . The method of claim 19 , wherein the non-ablative electrical current comprises direct current.

22 . A method of performing a cardiac electrophysiologic study in a patient, comprising:

sensing, at a heart, electrical activity of a first cardiac target tissue;

determining that the electrical activity of the first cardiac target tissue has a characteristic of interest;

delivering a non-ablative current to the first cardiac target tissue sufficient to create a reversible conduction block in the first cardiac target tissue, wherein the non-ablative current comprises a frequency of less than about 1 Hz;

determining an absence of the characteristic of interest following delivering the non-ablative current; and

ablating the first cardiac target tissue.

23 . The method of claim 22 , wherein the non-ablative electrical current comprises direct current.

Assignments (2)

Continuity (2)

References Cited (297)