A start-up medical device manufacturer was developing a new cryoablation catheter system which used very low temperatures, rather than high temperatures, to ablate tissue in the heart to control arrhythmias. This minimally invasive procedure provides access through a small incision (typically in the groin area), letting the disposable catheter be fed up through a blood vessel to the heart, which allows for much quicker patient recovery than traditional open heart methods. The catheter required a simple to use connector, with at least 16 contacts, that could be reliably mated 100s or 1000s of times on the system side, but inexpensive on the disposable side.
The Smiths Interconnect D02 connector is available with up to 25 contacts, which could be selectively loaded if fewer are needed (16 in this case). A panel mount receptacle with Hypertac® sockets, on the system side, provides the end user with the required mating cycle life (up to 100k cycles), while the more cost effective plug, with male pins, on the catheter side assures reliability at a lower cost.