Figure 1: Bench-top set-up to measure forces acting on an ablation catheter.
Panel A shows a schematic drawing of the setup. The platform is suspended in a heated saline bath. The force applied by the catheter to the platform is redirected by two low-friction pulleys and measured by the scale, which is placed outside the water bath. Panel B shows the implementation with a water tank and heating, the measurement platform and the catheter fixation mechanism, the low friction pulleys, and the scale. Panel C shows a close-up view of the platform and the catheter fixation mechanism. The clamp can hold the catheter at different angles and is displaceable in the vertical axis to adjust the force applied to the platform.