306 results about "Implantable Electrodes" patented technology

Methods and devices for implanting pacing electrodes or other apparatus, or for delivering substances, to the heart of other tissues within the body. A guided tissue penetrating catheter is inserted into a body lumen (e.g., blood vessel) or into a body cavity or space (e.g., the pericardial space) and a penetrator is advanced from the catheter to a target location. In some embodiments, a substance or an apparatus (such as an electrode) may be delivered through a lumen in the penetrator. In other embodiments, a guidewire may be advanced through the penetrator, the penetrating catheter may then be removed and an apparatus (e.g., electrode) may then be advanced over that guidewire. Also disclosed are various implantable electrodes and electrode anchoring apparatus.

The present invention uses electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve to treat epilepsy with minimized or no effect on the heart. Treatment is carried out by an implantable signal generator, one or more implantable electrodes for electrically stimulating a predetermined stimulation site of the vagus nerve, and a sensor for sensing characteristics of the heart such as heart rate. The heart rate information from the sensor can be used to determine whether the vagus nerve stimulation is adversely affecting the heart. Once threshold parameters are met, the vagus nerve stimulation may be stopped or adjusted. In an alternative embodiment, the invention may include a modified pacemaker to maintain the heart in desired conditions during the vagus nerve stimulation. In yet another embodiment, the invention may be simply a modified pacemaker having circuitry that determines whether a vagus nerve is being stimulated. In the event that the vagus nerve is being stimulated, the modified pacemaker may control the heart to maintain it within desired conditions during the vagus nerve stimulation.

There is provided a slowly implantable electrode. A coating for an electrode, the coating includes a shape-memory polymer. A method for inserting an electrode into brain tissue by inserting an implantable electrode having a shape-memory polymer coated electrode into brain tissue.

An externally powered and controlled neuro-implant system for transmission of stimulating therapeutic signals to an implantable electrode. The system basically consists of two coils, one external active coil and one internal passive coil each housed in a ferrite pot core which enhances inductive coupling and minimizes the coils in size, thus facilitating the construction of a passive coils array to enable the usage of multi-contact electrodes for swithching of the electrical stimulation between a number of sites along the target neurons. The implanted part of the system, comprising only a coil housed in a ferrite pot core, is fully passive. The passive coil, that is implanted under the skin, is connected with the electrode placed in neighbouring of the target neural tissue via implanted thin medical grade wires. The active coil is placed on the skin overlying the passive coil. Therapeutic signals produced by the transmitter outside the body are transmitted through the coils by inductive coupling across the skin of the patient.

Cardiac monitoring and/or stimulation methods and systems that provide one or more of monitoring, diagnosing, defibrillation, and pacing. Cardiac signal separation is employed to detect, monitor, track and/or trend ischemia using cardiac activation sequence information. Ischemia detection may involve sensing composite cardiac signals using implantable electrodes, and performing a signal separation that produces one or more cardiac activation signal vectors associated with one or more cardiac activation sequences. A change in the signal vector may be detected using subsequent separations. The change may be an elevation or depression of the ST segment of a cardiac cycle or other change indicative of myocardial ischemia, myocardial infarction, or other pathological change. The change may be used to predict, quantify, and/or qualify an event such as an arrhythmia, a myocardial infarction, or other pathologic change. Information associated with the vectors may be stored and used to track the vectors.

A method, system, and an apparatus are provided for insulating an electrode implanted in a body of a patient. The method comprises surgically exposing a nerve of the patient, implanting at least one electrode in the body of the patient, wherein the implanting comprises coupling theat least one electrode to the nerve of the patient, providing a mold form, disposing the mold form around at least a portion of the at least one electrode and the nerve, introducing into the mold form a curable liquid insulant, allowing the curable liquid insulant to cure, removing the mold form from around the at least one electrode and from the patient's body, and surgically closing the exposure of the nerve.

Cardiac monitoring and/or stimulation methods and systems provide for monitoring, diagnosing, defibrillation and pacing therapies, or a combination of these capabilities, including cardiac systems incorporating or cooperating with neuro-stimulating devices, drug pumps, or other therapies. Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to implantable medical devices employing automated cardiac activation sequence monitoring and/or tracking for arrhythmia discrimination. Embodiments of the invention are directed to devices and methods involving sensing a plurality of composite cardiac signals using a plurality of implantable electrodes. A source separation is performed using the sensed plurality of composite cardiac signals and the separation produces one or more cardiac signal vectors associated with one or more cardiac activation sequences that is indicative of ischemia. A change of the one or more cardiac signal vectors is detected using the one or more cardiac signal vectors. Cardiac arrhythmias are discriminated using the one or more cardiac signal vectors.

Implantable fluid delivery systems and implantable electrodes are provided. The fluid delivery systems may include an implantable fluid source, a first catheter in fluid communication with the implantable fluid source, and an implantable micro-valve in fluid communication with the first catheter. The electrodes include a front end and back end for ease of implantation. One or more of the electrodes may be combined with a fluid delivery system to provide fluid to the body of a subject.

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.

An implantable electrode system, adapted for insertion into a cochlea, includes an elongate electrode array stored within a sheath. The electrode array has a multiplicity of electrode contacts carried on a flexible elongate carrier, which carrier is adapted for insertion into one of the spiraling ducts, e.g., the scala tympani, of the cochlea, and further has longitudinal channel or lumen that passes therethrough. 3-6 mm from the distal end of the electrode array. To insert the electrode system into the cochlea, a stylet wire is inserted into the channel or lumen of the electrode array while the electrode array is held within the sheath. The sheath is then removed, and the electrode array is then gently guided and pushed through a cochleostomy into the cochlea by extending the stylet wire to a desired depth. As the electrode array is thus inserted into the cochlea, the stylet wire is retracted and the electrode array remains implanted within the cochlea.

An implantable electrode with a fluid reservoir is described. An implantable electrode carrier has an outer surface including electrode contacts for electrically stimulating nearby neural tissue. A fluid reservoir within the electrode carrier stores a volume of therapeutic fluid. At least one fluid delivery port connects the fluid reservoir to the outer surface of the electrode carrier for delivering the therapeutic fluid from the fluid reservoir to the outer surface. A delivery septum port is in fluid communication with the fluid reservoir for delivering the therapeutic fluid to the fluid reservoir.

A system to measure intracardiac impedance includes implantable electrodes and a medical device. The electrodes sense electrical signals of a heart of a subject. The medical device includes a cardiac signal sensing circuit coupled to the implantable electrodes, an impedance measurement circuit coupled to the same or different implantable electrodes, and a controller circuit coupled to the cardiac signal sensing circuit and the impedance measurement circuit. The cardiac signal sensing circuit provides a sensed cardiac signal. The impedance measurement circuit senses intracardiac impedance between the electrodes to obtain an intracardiac impedance signal. The controller circuit determines cardiac cycles of the subject using the sensed cardiac signal, and detects tachyarrhythmia using cardiac-cycle to cardiac-cycle changes in a plurality of intracardiac impedance parameters obtained from the intracardiac impedance signal.

A flat interface nerve electrode provides a plurality of electrical contacts embedded in a non-conductive cuff structure, which acts to gently and non-evasively redefine the geometry of a nerve through the application of a force acting on the nerve without causing damage to the nerve. The cuff is open at one side and has a connection to a lead at the other side. During implantation the open sides of the cuff are closed so as to capture the nerve in the cuff in a single motion.

Cardiac monitoring and/or stimulation methods and systems that provide one or more of monitoring, diagnosing, defibrillation, and pacing. Cardiac signal separation is employed for automatic capture verification using cardiac activation sequence information. Devices and methods sense composite cardiac signals using implantable electrodes. A source separation is performed using the composite signals. One or more signal vectors are produced that are associated with all or a portion of one or more cardiac activation sequences based on the source separation. A cardiac response to the pacing pulses is classified using characteristics associated with cardiac signal vectors and the signals associated with the vectors. Further embodiments may involve classifying the cardiac response as capture or non-capture, fusion or intrinsic cardiac activity. The characteristics may include an angle or an angle change of the cardiac signal vectors, such as a predetermined range of angles of the one or more cardiac signal vectors.

Cardiac monitoring and/or stimulation methods and systems that provide one or more of monitoring, diagnosing, defibrillation, and pacing. Cardiac signal separation is employed to detect, monitor, track and/or trend a patient's posture using cardiac activation sequence information. Devices and methods in accordance with the present invention involve sensing a plurality of composite cardiac signals using a plurality of implantable electrodes. A source separation is performed using the composite cardiac signals, which produces one or more cardiac signal vectors associated with all or a portion of one or more cardiac activation sequences. A change in a patient's posture is detected using the cardiac signal vectors. Further embodiments involve sensing the plurality of composite cardiac signals during the patient's predominant cardiac rhythm before detecting the change in the patient's posture. Other embodiments involve discriminating between one of a postural related change and a cardiac rhythm related change using the cardiac signal vectors.

Devices, systems and methods that comprise or utilize implantable electrode arrays for neural stimulation and/or sensing. In some embodiments, the electrode array is implanted or inserted into the auditory nerve and is used to deliver electrical impulses to/receive data from the auditory nerve in the treatment of hearing disorders.

The present invention is an implantable electrode array having electrodes with variable pitch and variable size. Electrode arrays of the prior art provide electrodes with a common spacing and size. However, this is not how the human body is arranged. As an example, the retina has closely spaced retinal receptors near the fovea. Those receptors are spaced farther apart, farther away from the fovea. Further, the amount of electrical current required to stimulate the perception of light increases with distance from the fovea. Hence, larger electrodes are required to transfer the necessary current farther away from the fovea.

An atrioventricular delay (AVD) for cardiac pacing therapy is determined based, at least in part, on one or more cardiac activation signals sensed using body-implantable electrodes providing non-local sensing. A conduction delay is estimated using a non-local cardiac activation signal and the AVD is determined based on the conduction delay. Estimating the conduction delay may involve measuring a P-wave width or measuring a QRS complex width of the non-local signal. If multiple signals are sensed, the conduction delay may be estimated from a selected signal or may be estimated by forming a representative signal such as through averaging or other methods. The AVD may be determined as a function of the estimated conduction delay.