	US 12,076,073 B2
	Method of confirming safe delivery pathway to patient prior to energy delivery
Steven J. Fraasch, Maple Grove, MN (US); Catherine R. Condie, Shoreview, MN (US); Trenton J. Rehberger, Minneapolis, MN (US); Mark T. Stewart, Lino Lakes, MN (US); and Qin Zhang, Shoreview, MN (US)
Assigned to Medtronic, Inc., Minneapolis, MN (US)
Filed by Medtronic, Inc., Minneapolis, MN (US)
Filed on Dec. 23, 2019, as Appl. No. 16/725,020.
Application 16/725,020 is a division of application No. 15/432,134, filed on Feb. 14, 2017, granted, now 10,555,768.
Prior Publication US 2020/0121382 A1, Apr. 23, 2020
Int. Cl. A61B 18/12 (2006.01); A61B 18/14 (2006.01); A61B 18/00 (2006.01); A61B 18/16 (2006.01); A61N 1/08 (2006.01)

CPC A61B 18/1233 (2013.01) [A61B 18/1206 (2013.01); A61B 18/1492 (2013.01); A61B 2018/00357 (2013.01); A61B 2018/00398 (2013.01); A61B 2018/00577 (2013.01); A61B 2018/00666 (2013.01); A61B 2018/00708 (2013.01); A61B 2018/00875 (2013.01); A61B 2018/00898 (2013.01); A61B 2018/1273 (2013.01); A61B 2018/128 (2013.01); A61B 2018/1407 (2013.01); A61B 2018/162 (2013.01); A61N 2001/083 (2013.01)]

20 Claims

1. A method of determining a fault location within a medical system, the method comprising:

providing a medical device;

applying a first complex current at first frequency and a second complex current at a second frequency;

measuring a first total complex impedance at the first frequency;

measuring a second total complex impedance at the second frequency;

determining a wire impedance within the medical device by

calculating a first blood impedance based on the first total complex impedance at the first frequency during delivery of the first complex current while the medical device is in contact with a target tissue,

calculating a second blood impedance based on the second total complex impedance at the second frequency during delivery of the second complex current while the medical device is in contact with the target tissue, and

calculating a first complex wire impedance within the medical device based on the first blood impedance and calculating a second complex wire impedance within the medical device based on the second blood impedance;

determining a real component and an imaginary component of the first complex wire impedance;

determining a real component and an imaginary component of the second complex wire impedance;

comparing the real component and the imaginary component of each of the first and second complex wire impedances to a set of reference real components and a set of reference imaginary components, wherein the set of reference real components and the set of reference imaginary components each indicate a reference real component and a reference imaginary component for each of a plurality of fault locations; and

determining a distance of the fault location from a proximal end of the medical device based on the comparison.