Atrial fibrillation (AFib) is a significant healthcare problem caused by the uneven and rapid discharge of electrical signals from pulmonary veins (PVs). The technique of radiofrequency (RF) ablation can block these abnormal electrical signals by ablating myocardial sleeves inside PVs. Catheter contact force measurement during RF ablation can reduce the rate of AFib recurrence, since it helps to determine the effective contact of the catheter with the tissue, thereby resulting in effective power delivery for ablation. This paper presents the development of a 3-D force sensor to provide the real-time measurement of triaxial catheter contact force. The 3-D force sensor consists of a plastic cubic bead and five flexible force sensors. Each flexible force sensor was made of a PEDOT:PSS strain gauge and a polydimethylsiloxsane (PDMS) bump on a flexible PDMS substrate. Calibration results show that the fabricated sensor has a linear response in the force range required for RF ablation. To evaluate its working performance, the fabricated sensor was pressed against gelatin tissue by a micromanipulator and also integrated on a catheter tip to test it within deionized water flow. Both experiments simulated the ventricular environment and proved the validity of applying the 3-D force sensor in RF ablation. [2016-0139]

中文翻译：

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用于三轴导管接触力测量的基于 MEMS 的柔性力传感器

心房颤动 (AFib) 是由肺静脉 (PV) 电信号的不均匀和快速放电引起的重大医疗问题。射频 (RF) 消融技术可以通过消融 PV 内的心肌袖来阻断这些异常电信号。RF 消融期间的导管接触力测量可以降低 AFib 复发率，因为它有助于确定导管与组织的有效接触，从而导致有效的消融功率输送。本文介绍了 3-D 力传感器的开发，以提供三轴导管接触力的实时测量。3-D 力传感器由一个塑料立方珠和五个柔性力传感器组成。每个柔性力传感器均由 PEDOT 制成：PSS 应变计和聚二甲基硅氧烷 (PDMS) 凸点位于柔性 PDMS 基板上。校准结果表明，制造的传感器在射频消融所需的力范围内具有线性响应。为了评估其工作性能，制造的传感器通过显微操作器压在明胶组织上，并集成在导管尖端上以在去离子水流中对其进行测试。这两个实验都模拟了心室环境，并证明了在射频消融中应用 3-D 力传感器的有效性。[2016-0139] 制造的传感器通过显微操作器压在明胶组织上，并集成在导管尖端上，以在去离子水流中对其进行测试。这两个实验都模拟了心室环境，并证明了在射频消融中应用 3-D 力传感器的有效性。[2016-0139] 制造的传感器通过显微操作器压在明胶组织上，并集成在导管尖端上，以在去离子水流中对其进行测试。这两个实验都模拟了心室环境，并证明了在射频消融中应用 3-D 力传感器的有效性。[2016-0139]