A Multi-Zone Finite Element Model for Radiofrequency Ablation of an Infarcted Cardiac Tissue

A large number of modern day medical interventions rely on RF ablation. It has become the treatment of choice for many types of cardiac arrhythmia to prevent the reentrant circuits [1]. However, excessive heating during RF ablation up to 100°C can cause microexplosions and severe bleeding [2]. Optimizing parameters for RF ablation in order to produce small lesions with a minimal amount of damage and bleeding constitutes a major challenge. Utilizing a thermo-electric conduction model, we address this problem for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmia. Our objective is to provide means by which non-invasive cardiac imaging data can be used to determine optimal parameters of RF ablation. A three-dimensional (3-D) finite element (FE) model that includes healthy, infarcted, and slow conducting tissues is developed. The temperature dependent thermal and electrical conductivities are considered for different tissue types.