Jeffrey A Calhoun

US Patent:

6692492, Feb 17, 2004

Filed:

Nov 28, 2001

Appl. No.:

09/997820

Inventors:

John A. Simpson - Carlsbad CA
Jeffrey A. Hall - Birmingham AL
Jeffrey A. Calhoun - Temecula CA
Wade A. Bowe - Temecula CA

Assignee:

Cardiac Pacemaker, Inc. - St. Paul MN

International Classification:

A61B 1818

US Classification:

606 41, 606 42

Abstract:

A catheter for applying ablation energy to biological tissue having biological fluid flowing thereby includes a shaft having a distal-end region defining a tissue-contacting surface and a fluid-contacting surface. A plurality of band electrodes are positioned at the distal-end region of the shaft. A thermally conductive and non-electrically conductive surface covering, covers a portion of each of the band electrodes substantially coincident with the fluid-contacting surface. Each band electrode thereby has at least one masked portion substantially coincident with the fluid-contacting surface and at least one non-masked portion substantially coincident with the tissue-contacting surface. Ablation energy is transferred through the non-masked portion of the electrode. One or more thermal sensors are located in the non-masked portion of each of the band electrodes.