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Fiberglass needle electrodes for transmural cardiac mapping
Jack M Rogers1, Sharon B Melnick, Jian Huang
1University of Alabama at Birmingham, Department of Biomedical Engineering, 1670 University Blvd., Volker Hall, B 140, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA. jmr@crml.uab.edu
IEEE Transactions on Bio-Medical Engineering
|January 29, 2003
Summary
New cardiac mapping needles made from fiberglass offer improved performance. These durable, reusable electrodes cause less tissue damage and disrupt heart rhythms less than traditional steel needles.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Medical Devices
- Cardiac Electrophysiology
Background:
- Cardiac mapping is crucial for understanding heart arrhythmias.
- Traditional plunge needle electrodes can cause significant tissue injury and alter electrophysiological signals.
- There is a need for improved electrode materials and designs for accurate cardiac mapping.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and characterize a novel plunge needle electrode for cardiac mapping.
- To evaluate the performance of these new electrodes compared to traditional steel needles.
- To assess the impact of the new electrodes on tissue injury and cardiac activation patterns.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of 12-electrode plunge needles (0.5 mm diameter, 1 mm spacing) from fiberglass reinforced epoxy.
- Assessment of needle stiffness and durability for repeated use.
- Measurement of injury potentials elicited by the new needles.
- Evaluation of the disruption of ventricular fibrillation activation patterns with the new needles compared to steel needles.
Main Results:
- The fiberglass reinforced epoxy needles demonstrated sufficient stiffness for insertion into beating hearts and durability for multiple uses.
- New needles elicited smaller and more rapidly resolving injury potentials compared to steel needles.
- When inserted in a row with 2 mm spacing, the new needles caused less disruption to ventricular fibrillation activation patterns than traditional steel needles.
Conclusions:
- The developed plunge needle electrodes offer a promising alternative for cardiac mapping.
- These novel electrodes minimize tissue trauma and signal interference, potentially leading to more accurate cardiac electrophysiological assessments.
- The improved properties of the fiberglass needles enhance their suitability for clinical applications in arrhythmia management.