How do I design an RF ablation system for cardiac arrhythmia treatment?

An RF ablation system for cardiac arrhythmia treatment uses radiofrequency energy (typically at 300-1000 kHz, well below the microwave range but classified as RF) to create controlled thermal lesions in cardiac tissue that block the abnormal electrical pathways causing arrhythmias. The system consists of: an RF generator (power source delivering 10-50 watts of continuous or pulsed RF energy at approximately 500 kHz), an ablation catheter (a flexible catheter inserted through a vein into the heart, with a metallic electrode tip 3.5-8 mm long that contacts the cardiac tissue), a dispersive return electrode (a large grounding pad placed on the patient's skin to complete the RF circuit), an impedance monitoring system (continuously measures the tissue impedance at the electrode tip; impedance decreases as tissue heats up and drops sharply if steam pop occurs, requiring immediate power cutoff), and a temperature monitoring system (thermocouple or thermistor at the catheter tip monitors tissue temperature, typically targeting 50-70 degrees C for effective lesion formation). The RF design considerations are: power delivery accuracy (+/- 1W), impedance measurement accuracy (+/- 2 ohms, measured continuously at the RF frequency), power control loop (adjusts RF power in real time to maintain target temperature or power, with millisecond response time for safety), and electromagnetic compatibility (the RF generator must not interfere with the intracardiac electrogram recordings used to map the arrhythmia, requiring careful filtering between the ablation frequency and the electrogram bandwidth of 0.1-300 Hz).