FIELD: medicine.
SUBSTANCE: group of inventions relates to medicine, namely, to a system and method for detecting contact and proximity between ablative electrodes by identifying changes in the morphology of the voltage of non-activated electrodes. A catheter is therein inserted into the body of the patient, containing the first, second, and third electrodes located at the distal end of the catheter to ensure contact with the inside the body. The distal end of the catheter is configured to form a loop. The first and second electrodes are activated, and the third electrode is non-activated. Bipolar ablation pulses are applied using a pulse generator between the first and second activated electrodes in order to ablate the tissue in contact with the first and second activated electrodes. A signal indicating the voltage between the third non-activated electrode and the reference conductor while ablation pulses are applied is received by means of a controller. A notification is issued by means of the controller in response to detecting that the voltage does not correspond with the pre-defined criterion. Detecting that the voltage does not correspond with the pre-defined criterion includes detecting that the distance between (i) the first and/or second activated electrodes and (ii) the third non-activated electrode is less than the threshold value of the distance.
EFFECT: technology for controlling ablation procedures are improved while maintaining a safe distance between the ablation electrodes preventing a reduction in the power actually supplied to the tissue due to an increase in the voltage when the distance between the electrodes is reduced.
6 cl, 4 dwg
