378 results about "Cardiac pacemaker" patented technology

The invention relates to leadless cardiac pacemakers (LBS), and elements and methods by which they affix to the heart. The invention relates particularly to a secondary fixation of leadless pacemakers which also include a primary fixation. Secondary fixation elements for LBS's may either actively engage an attachment site, or more passively engage structures within a heart chamber. Active secondary fixation elements include a tether extending from the LBS to an anchor at another site. Such sites may be either intracardial or extracardial, as on a vein through which the LBS was conveyed to the heart, the internal or external surface thereof. Passive secondary fixation elements entangle within intraventricular structure such as trabeculae carneae, thereby contributing to fixation of the LBS at the implant site.

A leadless pacemaker for pacing a heart of a human includes a hermetic housing and at least two electrodes on or near the hermetic housing. The at least two electrodes are configured to deliver energy to stimulate the heart and to transfer information to or from at least one external device.

A catheter system for retrieving a leadless cardiac pacemaker from a patient is provided. The cardiac pacemaker can include a docking or retrieval feature configured to be grasped by the catheter system. In some embodiments, the retrieval catheter can include a snare configured to engage the retrieval feature of the pacemaker. The retrieval catheter can include a torque shaft selectively connectable to a docking cap and be configured to apply rotational torque to a pacemaker to be retrieved. Methods of delivering the leadless cardiac pacemaker with the delivery system are also provided.

A leadless cardiac pacemaker comprises a housing, a plurality of electrodes coupled to an outer surface of the housing, and a pulse delivery system hermetically contained within the housing and electrically coupled to the electrode plurality, the pulse delivery system configured for sourcing energy internal to the housing, generating and delivering electrical pulses to the electrode plurality. Systems and methods for delivering the leadless cardiac pacemaker with delivery catheters are also provided. In some embodiments, the delivery catheters include first and second coaxial shafts configured to apply rotational torque to the pacemaker. In other embodiments, the pacemaker is held in place on the catheter with a tether.

An implantable battery powered leadless pacemaker or biostimulator is provided that may include any of a number of features. One feature of the biostimulator is that it safely operates under a wide range of MRI conditions. One feature of the biostimulator is that it has a total volume small enough to avoid excessive image artifacts during a MRI procedure. Another feature of the biostimulator is that it has reduced path lengths between electrodes to minimize tissue heating at the site of the biostimulator. Yet another feature of the biostimulator is that a current loop area within the biostimulator is small enough to reduce an induced current and voltage in the biostimulator during MRI procedures. Methods associated with use of the biostimulator are also covered.

A leadless cardiac pacemaker comprises a housing, a plurality of electrodes coupled to an outer surface of the housing, and a pulse delivery system hermetically contained within the housing and electrically coupled to the electrode plurality, the pulse delivery system configured for sourcing energy internal to the housing, generating and delivering electrical pulses to the electrode plurality. The pacemaker further comprises an anti-unscrewing feature disposed on either a fixation device of the pacemaker or on the housing itself. The anti-unscrewing feature can be configured to prevent the fixation device from disengaging the wall of the heart.

A leadless cardiac pacemaker having a radial fixation mechanism is provided. The cardiac pacemaker can include fixation mechanism separate from a pacing electrode and having a diameter equal to or less than the outer diameter of the pacemaker. The fixation mechanism can allow the pacemaker to be inserted into tissue with less than 2 rotations of the pacemaker to place the pacing electrode in contact with the tissue. In some embodiments, the fixation mechanism can comprise a plurality of hooks or protrusions positioned near a distal portion of the pacemaker. The fixation mechanism(s) can be configured to penetrate the endocardium of the patient and reside mostly within the myocardium. Methods of delivering the leadless cardiac pacemaker into the heart are also provided.

The invention relates to leadless cardiac pacemakers (LBS), and elements and methods by which they affix to the heart. The invention relates particularly to a secondary fixation of leadless pacemakers which also include a primary fixation. Secondary fixation elements for LBS's may passively engage structures within the heart. Some passive secondary fixation elements entangle or engage within intraventricular structure such as trabeculae carneae. Other passive secondary fixation elements may engage or snag heart structures at sites upstream from the chamber where the LBS is primarily affixed. Still other embodiments of passive secondary fixation elements may include expandable structures.

A leadless cardiac pacemaker that does not require a separate hermetic housing surrounding the battery and electronics compartments is provided. The cardiac pacemaker can include a battery disposed in a battery housing and a set of electronics disposed in an electronics housing. In some embodiments, the battery housing and the electronics housing can comprise an external surface of the pacemaker. The pacemaker can include a first set of welds separating the battery from the set of electronics, and a second set of welds separating the set of electronics and the battery from an exterior of the housing. Various embodiments for achieving dual-redundant welds are also provided.

A plethysmogram signal is sensed from a patient and provided to a programmer device for monitoring the condition of the patient and for optimizing pacing parameters of a cardiac device implanted in the patient. The programmer device analyzes the plethysmogram signal for cardiac performance associated with different pacing parameters. The cardiac performance is indicated by, for example, a pulse amplitude response, a degree of pulsus alternans, or irregularity in the pressure pulses detected in an atrial fibrillation patient. The pacing parameters resulting in the best cardiac performance are selected as the optimum pacing parameters. In one embodiment, the programmer device monitors a Valsalva maneuver performed by a patient. Optimum pacing parameters are derived by analysis of the plethysmogram signals obtained during performance of the Valsalva maneuver while the patient is paced using different pacing parameters.

A stimulation system, an implantable electrode device and a method for operating an implantable electrode device are proposed. A simplified implantation, a simple construction and reliable control are made possible by the electrode device being supplied with energy, and controlled, in an exclusively wireless manner via a time-variable magnetic field. The magnetic field is generated by an implanted control device.

Ferrules made of nano-titanium for incorporation into feedthrough filter capacitor assemblies are described. The feedthrough filter capacitor assemblies are particularly useful for incorporation into implantable medical devices such as cardiac pacemakers, cardioverter defibrillators, and the like, to decouple and shield internal electronic components of the medical device from undesirable electromagnetic interference (EMI) signals. Nano-titanium experiences significantly less grain growth after high temperature brazing in comparison to commercially pure (CP) titanium and the titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V. For that reason, nano-titanium is an ideal material for use in implantable medical applications where high strength, structural integrity even after heating and corrosion resistance are desired.

A new hermetically-sealed contact feedthrough for cardiac pacemakers and defibrillators for the connection between internal device electronics and external components, a flat ceramic disk (1) being used as an insulating main carrier, in which openings (3) are situated, into which various electrode embodiments (4, 5, 6, 7) may be inserted as through contacts. Using a metal flange or metal-plated vapor deposition zone (2), the ceramic disk may be soldered directly onto the implant housing (11). In addition, active and passive auxiliary components (8) may be applied directly to the ceramic. The main carrier may be implemented as a multilayer ceramic (9), so that rewiring levels and shielding components (10) may be integrated in the feedthrough. The feedthrough according to the present invention allows novel construction variants, above all things having orientation to multipolar systems, through use of standardized ceramic semifinished products.

A method and system for automatically adjusting the operating parameters of a rate-adaptive cardiac pacemaker in which maximum exertion levels attained by the patient are measured at periodic intervals and stored in order to compute or update a maximum exercise capacity. The slope of the rate-response curve is then adjusted to map an exertion level corresponding to the updated maximum exercise capacity to a maximum allowable pacing rate. In accordance with the invention, a maximum exercise capacity is determined by cross-checking periodic maximum exertion level sensor values with a motion-level sensor value.