ESTIMATING CONTACT ANGLE BETWEEN A CATHETER AND TISSUE, AND ASSOCIATED DEVICES, SYSTEMS AND METHODS

Systems and methods for determining a contact angle of a catheter relative to tissue are provided. In one embodiment, a system includes a catheter with three or more electrodes, and a processor circuit in communication with the catheter. The processor circuit controls the three or more electrodes to emit a plurality of electrical voltages and to measure the plurality of electrical voltages. Based on the measured electrical voltages, the processor circuit calculates a first interelectrode impedance and a second interelectrode impedance. The processor circuit calculates, for each of a plurality of model angles, a first model contact force and a second model contact force based on the first and second interelectrode impedances. The processor circuit determines and outputs the contact angle of the catheter based on a comparison of the first and second model contact forces calculated for each of the plurality of model angles.