Lyon & Lyon LLP
Systems and methods for obtaining desired lesion characteristics while ablating body tissue
 Systems and methods for ablating body tissue use an electrode for contacting tissue to form a tissue-electrode interface. The electrode is coupled to a source of ablation energy for transmitting ablation energy at a prescribed ablation power level into tissue to form, over a prescribed ablation time period, a therapeutic result. The therapeutic result includes a lesion that extends beneath the tissue-electrode interface to a boundary depth between viable and nonviable tissue and a maximum tissue temperature developed within the lesion between the tissue-electrode interface and the boundary depth. The systems and methods include an element to cool the electrode. An input element inputs a desired therapeutic result including at least a targeted lesion boundary depth. The systems and methods employ a processing element that retains a function correlating an observed relationship among lesion boundary depth, ablation power level, ablation time, actual or predicted sub-surface tissue temperature, and electrode temperature. The processing element compares the desired therapeutic result to the function. The processing element selects an operating condition based upon the comparison to achieve the desired therapeutic result without exceeding a prescribed actual or predicted sub-surface tissue temperature, at least in part by cooling the electrode to control electrode temperature while the electrode transmits ablation energy. 
EP Technologies, Inc.
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Dorin Sidney D. David K.
Panescu Fleischman Swanson