PATENTS
Diagnostic and Therapeutic Magnetic Propulsion Capsule and Method for Using the Same
Patent Number: US 8,684,010 B2
Date Filed: December 8, 2010
Country Filed In: USA
Product Application: CGCI
Description:
A guided medical propulsion capsule driven by strong electro-magnetic interaction between an external AC/DC magnetic gradient-lobe generator and a set of uniquely magnetized ferrous-conductive elements contained within the capsule. The capsule is navigated through the lumens and cavities of the human body wirelessly and without any physical contact for medical diagnostic, drug delivery, or other procedures with the magnetically guiding field generator external to the human body. The capsule is equipped with at least two sets of magnetic rings, disks and/or plates each possessing anisotropic magnetic properties. The external magnetic gradient fields provide the gradient forces and rotational torques on the internal conductive and magnetic elements needed to make the capsule move, tilt, and rotate in the body lumens and cavities according to the commands of an operator.
Field of Use: The Catheter Guidance Control and Imaging (CGCI) system was created to provide physicians the ability to guide a catheter through a patient's body using a robotically-controlled magnetic guidance system. Such a system provides the physician unprecedented accuracy in being able to navigate within the dynamic environment of the patient, create a detailed 3-D mapping, and perform a variety of catheter-based operations with precision control and an ability to return to target at the push of a button. Initial applications for the technology were for the field of Electrophysiology and specifically for the ablation of the heart to treat patients with AFib.