# Robot-Assisted 3D ICE Catheter for Cardiac Ablation

> **NIH NIH R01** · BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL · 2020 · $437,331

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
 Although the cardiac ablation procedure for atrial fibrillation has a wide adoption rate, it also has a high
recurrence of arrhythmia primarily due to the creation of suboptimal lesions. The procedure is also associated
with complications including cardiac perforation, tamponade, atrio-esophageal fistulas and thrombus. Repeated
and prolonged X-ray exposure for the clinician can also lead to enhanced risk of cancer. A fluoroless approach
using intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) is becoming a more widely adopted imaging option due to the
absence of ionizing radiation and the possibility of real-time monitoring of the created lesions. However, the ICE-
guided approach suffers from significant shortcomings, which include poor dexterity of the ICE catheter, difficulty
in simultaneously manipulating the ICE and ablation catheters, unintuitive image orientation and noisy image
quality. There is therefore an unmet need to overcome these shortcomings of the ICE-guided approach to enable
better lesion creation and reduced complications associated with the cardiac ablation procedure. The long-term
goal of this research is to develop robotic technologies, control and machine learning algorithms to enable ICE-
guided cardiac ablation procedures. The objective is to develop a novel robotic manipulator, a steerable ICE
catheter, and machine learning and control algorithms to manipulate the ICE catheter and monitor the created
lesions in real-time. The rationale that underlies the proposed research is that the robot-assisted steerable ICE
catheter with the catheter tracking algorithms will enable simultaneous manipulation of the ICE and ablation
catheters. Further, the machine learning algorithms to monitor therapy will reduce the risk of complications, while
ensuring the creation of necrotic lesions, thereby reducing the recurrence of AF. In this proposal, we plan to
pursue the following specific aims: 1) Design, develop, and model a steerable 3D ICE catheter with enhanced
dexterity. 2) Design and develop a robotic manipulator and associated control algorithms to allow for precise
manipulation of the ICE catheter. 3) Develop machine-learning and vision-based algorithms integrated with a
navigation system for tracking the ablation catheter, and monitoring therapy. 4) Validate the robotic ICE system
in heart phantom and porcine models. The proposed research is significant since it will allow for better therapeutic
outcomes by reducing recurrence rates and complications associated with cardiac ablation, and avoiding
exposure of the patient and clinical care team to X-ray radiation. The proposed research is innovative in that it
builds on state-of-the-art robotics technology, machine learning and vision algorithms to enable fluoroless ICE-
guided cardiac ablation procedures.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9973517
- **Project number:** 1R01EB028278-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** Jayender Jagadeesan
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $437,331
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-06-15 → 2025-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9973517

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9973517, Robot-Assisted 3D ICE Catheter for Cardiac Ablation (1R01EB028278-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9973517. Licensed CC0.

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