Leadless Cardiac Pacing System Using Power Harvesting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cardiac pacemakers require transvenous leads for effective cardiac pacing, which can be invasive and may not address conduction defects and irregularities in heart rhythm effectively, especially in cases of conduction defects or arrhythmias.
Innovation Solution
An implantable medical device system that includes a sensing device implanted outside the cardiovascular system to detect cardiac electrical signals and a pulse delivery device that uses power harvesting to deliver pacing pulses to the heart, eliminating the need for transvenous leads by using a miniaturized power receiver and electrodes for pacing, with optional external device for programming and data retrieval.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If transvenous leads are used for cardiac pacing, then effective cardiac pacing can be achieved, but the procedure becomes invasive and may not effectively address conduction defects
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the pacing function from the transvenous lead system and places it directly in the heart chamber using a leadless pacemaker. The sensing device is implanted subcutaneously or substernally outside the cardiovascular system, while the pulse delivery device is positioned directly in the heart chamber, eliminating the need for transvenous leads and reducing invasiveness while maintaining pacing effectiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The system is divided into separate functional components: a sensing device implanted outside the cardiovascular system and a pulse delivery device positioned in the heart chamber. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function and enables implantation without transvenous leads
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a single chamber leadless pacemaker is used, then transvenous leads are eliminated, but the device can only pace one chamber and cannot address conduction defects requiring multi-chamber pacing
Solution Approach 1:
The system achieves multi-chamber pacing capability through multiple independent pulse delivery devices, each capable of pacing a different heart chamber. The sensing device can detect electrical signals from multiple chambers, and the system can coordinate pacing across multiple chambers to address conduction defects while maintaining the leadless, minimally invasive approach
3Device complexity
If power harvesting is used in the pulse delivery device, then the device can be miniaturized and implanted without transvenous leads, but power availability is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The pulse delivery device harvests power from the electrical signals detected by the sensing device. The system uses the heart's own electrical activity to generate the power needed for pacing, eliminating the need for external power sources or transvenous connections while enabling complete miniaturization and leadless implantation
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables minimally invasive cardiac pacing with improved synchrony and rhythm regulation by sensing cardiac events and delivering pacing pulses without the need for transvenous leads, providing efficient and reliable heart rhythm management.
Implementation Method 1
a sensing device implanted outside the cardiovascular system to detect cardiac electrical signals
Implementation Method 2
a pulse delivery device that uses power harvesting to deliver pacing pulses to the heart
Data Source
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AI summary
An implantable medical device system is configured to deliver cardiac pacing by receiving a cardiac electrical signal by sensing circuitry of a first device via a plurality of sensing electrodes, identifying by a control module of the first device a first cardiac event from the cardiac electrical signal, setting a first pacing interval in response to identifying the first cardiac event, controlling a power transmitter of the first device to transmit power upon expiration of the first pacing interval, receiving the transmitted power by a power receiver of a second device; and delivering at least a portion of the received power to a patient's heart via a first pacing electrode pair of the second device coupled to the power receiver.