US 11,737,729 B2
Controlled bending for catheters
Lukas Lindenroth, London (GB); Erin Girard, Madison, CT (US); Rodolfo Finocchi, Cambridge, MA (US); and Young-Ho Kim, West Windsor, NJ (US)
Assigned to Siemens Healthcare GmbH, Erlangen (DE)
Filed by Siemens Healthcare GmbH, Erlangen (DE)
Filed on Aug. 19, 2019, as Appl. No. 16/544,116.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/720,532, filed on Aug. 21, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2020/0061339 A1, Feb. 27, 2020
Int. Cl. A61B 8/00 (2006.01); A61B 8/08 (2006.01); A61M 25/01 (2006.01); A61M 25/00 (2006.01); A61B 8/12 (2006.01)
CPC A61B 8/445 (2013.01) [A61B 8/0883 (2013.01); A61B 8/4254 (2013.01); A61B 8/4466 (2013.01); A61B 8/12 (2013.01); A61M 25/0054 (2013.01); A61M 25/0136 (2013.01); A61M 25/0147 (2013.01); A61M 25/0152 (2013.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A medical ultrasound system for intra-cardiac echocardiography, the medical ultrasound system comprising:
an intra-cardiac echocardiography catheter having a tip, a handle, steering wires, and an ultrasound transducer array, wherein the steering wires control a bend at a distal end of the intra-cardiac echocardiography catheter;
a plurality of motors connected to the steering wires of the intra-cardiac echocardiography catheter;
a rotation sensor positioned to sense rotation of the handle; and
a controller configured to establish a patient frame of reference based on registration of a catheter frame of reference with a medical image and to maintain a position of the tip relative to the patient frame of reference during the rotation of the handle by actuation of one or more of the plurality of motors in response to the sensed rotation, wherein the plurality of motors are configured to change relative forces on the steering wires to keep the tip in the position by altering the bend.