Coaxially Printed Electroablation Catheter for Magnetically Actuated Navigation and Localized Tissue Ablation

Magnetically actuated catheters have attracted increasing attention for minimally invasive interventions because they enable remote, non-contact steering in confined and tortuous anatomical environments. However, integrating magnetic actuation, electroablation capability, and high structural compliance into a single soft catheter remains challenging. Here, we present a coaxially printed magnetically actuated electroablation catheter (MEC). The MEC is fabricated via a coaxial 3D printing process, combining a highly flexible PDMS outer sheath with a continuously deformable eutectic gallium–indium (eGaIn) conductive core, followed by the distal assembly of a magnetic ring and a copper electrode. This structural design preserves intrinsic mechanical flexibility while maintaining stable electrical conductivity under bending deformation. To achieve active catheter steering, an eight-axis electromagnetic actuation system was developed to generate controllable magnetic fields for tip deflection and guidance. The MEC exhibited effective navigation and manipulation in maze traversal and selective navigation within a 3D-printed vascular model. Furthermore, ex vivo porcine liver and in vivo rat liver electroablation experiments verified that the MEC could be magnetically navigated to designated sites for localized electroablation. This work provides a new strategy for precise, minimally invasive ablation of target tissues in confined and difficult-to-access anatomical environments.