March 16, 2011 — Coral Gables — Treatment of cardiac arrhythmias is becoming more efficient and advanced. A multidisciplinary team of researchers, including engineer Jizhou Song, from the University of Miami (UM) used stretchable electronics technology to develop a cardiac catheter that integrates the functions of several devices into a single one. The findings are published in the March 6 online edition of Nature Materials.
Cardiac arrhythmias occur when the heart has an irregular beat. To treat this condition, cardiologists use endorcardial balloon catheters. These are thin, long, flexible tubes with a small, inflatable balloon attached at the end. The catheters are inserted through blood vessels to reach the heart. Once in place, a specialized device sends energy through the catheter to the small areas of heart tissue that are causing the arrhythmia. This procedure although very useful, can be a long and tedious process since more than one catheter with different functions is used.
The new device has all necessary medical functions incorporated on a single standard balloon catheter. “The main advantage of the new tool is its multi-functionality,” said Song, assistant professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, at UM. “It will help reduce cost and time in clinical arrhythmia therapy."
The tool features a collection of sensors capable of measuring the electrical activity, temperature, blood flow and pressure of the heart. Song led the thermal design work to determine the temperature in the tissue during cardiac ablation and helped develop procedural guidelines. “The determination of the temperature of the tissue is important because it provides information for cardiologists to know how deep into the tissue they are ablating,” said Song.
The paper is titled "Materials for Multifunctional Balloon Catheters with Capabilities in Cardiac Electrophysiological Mapping and Ablation Therapy." John Rogers, the Lee J. Flory, Founder Chair in Engineering and professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, led the design, experimental and fabrication work. Yonggang Huang, Joseph Cummings, professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Mechanical Engineering at Northwestern University led the theory and mechanical design work. The National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy supported the research.
