Materials for multifunctional balloon catheters with capabilities in cardiac electrophysiological mapping and
Dae-Hyeong Kim1, Nanshu Lu, Roozbeh Ghaffari
1Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, and Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA.
Abstract:
Developing advanced surgical tools for minimally invasive procedures represents an activity of central importance to improving human health. A key challenge is in establishing biocompatible interfaces between the classes of semiconductor device and sensor technologies that might be most useful in this context and the soft, curvilinear surfaces of the body. This paper describes a solution based on materials that integrate directly with the thin elastic membranes of otherwise conventional balloon catheters, to provide diverse, multimodal functionality suitable for clinical use. As examples, we present sensors for measuring temperature, flow, tactile, optical and electrophysiological data, together with radiofrequency electrodes for controlled, local ablation of tissue. Use of such 'instrumented' balloon catheters in live animal models illustrates their operation, as well as their specific utility in cardiac ablation therapy. The same concepts can be applied to other substrates of interest, such as surgical gloves.
