Implantable Medical Lead with Non-Uniform Electrode Sizing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current implantable medical leads for occipital nerve stimulation face challenges in accurately locating and selecting electrodes due to the uniform size and spacing of electrodes, making it difficult to effectively target the occipital nerve with electrical signals.
Innovation Solution
The design of an implantable medical lead with electrodes sized and spaced in a specific manner, where the second and third electrodes are positioned between the first and fourth electrodes, with the combined length of the second and third electrodes being between 2.5 and 5 times greater than the combined length of the first and fourth electrodes, facilitating precise occipital nerve stimulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If electrodes are uniformly sized and spaced at regular intervals, then the lead structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but it becomes difficult to accurately target the occipital nerve and ensure proper electrode placement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making the second and third electrodes larger than the first and fourth electrodes. Specifically, the second electrode has a longitudinal length of 10-25mm and the third electrode has a longitudinal length of 10-25mm, while the first and fourth electrodes have longitudinal lengths of 5-10mm. This non-uniform electrode sizing concentrates the electrical field in specific regions to improve the probability of capturing the occipital nerve, while maintaining a regular spacing pattern for manufacturing simplicity.
2Ease of operation
If all electrodes are of similar size and regularly spaced, then the lead design is straightforward and easy to implant, but it requires significant time and skill to ensure proper nerve capture
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-configuring the electrode sizes and spacing before implantation. The second and third electrodes are manufactured with larger dimensions (10-25mm) compared to the first and fourth electrodes (5-10mm), and are positioned at specific intervals along the lead. This pre-configuration ensures that when the lead is implanted, the larger electrodes are more likely to capture the occipital nerve, reducing the time and skill required during the implantation procedure to achieve effective nerve stimulation.
Data Source
AI summary
An implantable medical lead includes a lead body, a first electrode, a second electrode, a third electrode, and a fourth electrode. The electrodes are located at fixed positions along the length of the lead body, and the second and third electrodes are positioned between the first and fourth electrodes. The first electrode has a proximal end, the fourth electrode has a distal end, and the distance from the proximal end of the first electrode to the distal end of the fourth electrode is between 5 centimeters and 7 centimeters. The combined length of the second and third electrodes is between 2.5 and 5 times greater than the combined length of the first and fourth electrodes. The lead may be used for applying electrical signals to an occipital nerve of a patient.