Evaluation of electrode-tissue contact using multifrequency impedance analysis and Cole-Cole model fitting

Abstract

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common cardiac arrhythmia, and ablation is the primary treatment for patients with drug intolerance. The success of AF ablation depends on the adhesion of the catheter to the tissue. Existing electrical coupling index (ECI) and electrode-interface resistance (IR) methods based on impedance measurement to evaluate the adhesion between catheters and tissues do not explore the internal changes of the tissue during the compression process. This study introduces a new method to understand these internal changes using multi-frequency impedance combined with Cole-Cole model fitting, which is critical for accurate characterization of the contact between catheter and tissue. We used four-electrodes impedance measurement, using customized circuits and compression platform, applying 5–400 g (3.6–228.2 Pa) pressure to the bullfrog thighs to collect impedance data at frequencies of 500–100 kHz. The Cole-Cole model was then used for data fitting and analysis. The customized circuit accurately detects impedance up to 2 kΩ with less than 5% amplitude error, less than 15% phase error, and less than 6% error in model component values. Correlation analysis showed a significant linear relationship between extracellular fluid resistance and applied pressure (Pearson R ≈ 0.9, p < 0.05), indicating that extracellular fluid resistance increases with compression. This suggests that there is a significant linear positive correlation between the extracellular fluid resistance and the applied pressure, meaning that as the pressure increases, the extracellular fluid resistance correspondingly rises. This may provide a new perspective for studying the degree of catheter-tissue contact during atrial fibrillation ablation procedures.