Abstract: Cardiac electrical heterogeneity information may be used to determine whether one or more His bundle paced settings for His bundle pacing therapy are acceptable for His bundle pacing. Cardiac electrical heterogeneity information may be generated during His bundle pacing, and the evaluation against baseline information and/or other information to determine whether the His bundle paced settings are acceptable.

Abstract: The exemplified systems and methods facilitate a nerve conduction block at a target nerve using electrical stimulation applied from one or more electrodes located on a percutaneous lead that are placed in parallel, or substantially in parallel, and without direct contact, to a long axis of the peripheral nerve over an overlapping nerve region of greater than about 3 millimeters. The exemplified system and method can be further configured to block nerve condition without eliciting onset activity and co-excitation of non-targeted structures. The exemplified method and system can be performed using conventional percutaneous leads, though an improved percutaneous lead design is disclosed herein. In an aspect, an introducer is disclosed that facilitates accurate and consistent insertion of the percutaneous lead to the specified or intended position relative to the target nerve. In another aspect, a treatment kit comprising the various system components to treat pain is disclosed.

Abstract: Provided is a stroke monitoring system capable of measuring a user's biometric signal including an electroencephalogram using a device such as a wearable device for determining whether a user has a stroke for 24 hours, building a database of the measured user's biometric signal and other information, and predicting an occurrence of a user's stroke.

Abstract: Devices and methods can be used for artificial cardiac pacing and/or resynchronization. For example, this document provides improved electrodes for stimulating and sensing electrical activity of the heart, and provides pacing and resynchronization systems incorporating such electrodes. While the devices and methods provided herein are described primarily in the context of pacing, it should be understood that resynchronization can additionally or alternatively be performed in an analogous manner, and that the scope of this disclosure includes such subject matter.

Abstract: A method of controlling an implantable blood pump of a living patient. The method includes receiving one or more pump signals indicating at least one from the group consisting of a motor speed of the blood pump, power supplied to the blood pump, and differential pressure exerted by the blood pump. One or more medication signals is received indicating whether the patient has taken a medication. The flow rate of blood based on a combination of the one or more pump signals and the medication signals is determined. At least one from the group consisting of increasing and decreasing power is supplied to the pump in response to the determined flow rate.

Abstract: An ultrasound imaging apparatus (20) is disclosed, comprising a data interface (30) configured to receive a plurality of different ultrasound data sets (26, 28) resulting from an ultrasound scan of an object (18) in different viewing directions. The ultrasound imaging apparatus further comprises a segmentation unit (32) for segmenting anatomical structures of the object in the different ultrasound data sets and for providing segmentation data of the anatomical structures, and a reference determining unit (34) for determining a spatial reference (48, 50, 52, 54) for the different ultrasound data sets on the basis of the segmentation data. A confidence determining unit (40) is included for determining confidence values (56) for different regions of the received ultrasound data on the basis of the spatial reference.

Abstract: A catheter pump is disclosed. The catheter pump can include an impeller and a catheter body having a lumen therethrough. The catheter pump can also include a drive shaft disposed inside the catheter body. A motor assembly can include a chamber. The motor assembly can include a rotor disposed in the at least a portion of the chamber, the rotor mechanically coupled with a proximal portion of the drive shaft such that rotation of the rotor causes the drive shaft to rotate. The motor assembly can also comprise a stator assembly disposed about the rotor. The motor assembly can also include a heat exchanger disposed about the stator assembly, the heat exchanger may be configured to direct heat radially outward away from the stator assembly, the rotor, and the chamber.

Abstract: The present invention provides an intravascular blood pump comprising a housing that is at least partially expandable and collapsible and having an impeller with one or more blades attached thereto. The housing having spanning sections that are aligned with the blade(s) and adapted to collapse into recesses or spaces defined or provided between or along the blade(s) and along the central rotor to which the blade(s)s are attached.

Abstract: A method for programming a neurostimulator includes automatically performing a series of steps. One or more control elements may be actuated to select the series of steps from a plurality of series of steps stored in a memory of an external control device. One or more control elements may be actuated during the performance of the series of steps in order to cause one of the steps to pause, stop, restart, skip, or repeat. The series of steps may be a series of pre-programming steps, and the method may further include programming the neurostimulator after the series of pre-programming steps is performed. An external device for programming the neurostimulator includes control circuitry configured for automatically performing the series of steps, and a user interface including the one or more control elements configured for being actuated. The control device also includes the memory for storing the plurality of series of steps.

Abstract: An intraseptal multi-electrode cardiac pacemaker has a plurality of first individual electrodes implanted at an interventricular septum at varying depths and/or lateral distances from the distal end of a flexible conduit and configured to provide a cardiac pacing therapy by stimulating left bundle branch conduction fibers. A plurality of second individual electrodes may also be implanted in the septum at suitable depths to stimulate conduction fibers of the right bundle branch. After implantation, first and second individual electrodes are interrogated to select a subset of electrodes suitable to deliver the pacing therapy according to a predetermined criterion such as capturing the left ventricle or capturing the right ventricle via normal conduction system of the heart at the lowest voltage level via corresponding bundle branches. A combination of the pacemaker with a cardioverter/defibrillator is provided by positioning a defibrillator coil near the distal end of the flexible conduit of the pacemaker.

Abstract: Devices for moving blood within a patient, and methods of doing so. The devices can include a pump portion that includes an impeller and a housing around the impeller, as well as a fluid lumen. The impeller can be activated to cause rotation of the impeller and thereby move fluid within the fluid lumen.

Abstract: The invention provides a signal synchronization device, which obtains electrocardiographic, heart sound signal calibration factors by performing time domain and frequency domain transformations for an electrocardiographic signal and a heart sound signal, and thereby performs calibration for the electrocardiographic signal and the heart sound signal to synchronize the electrocardiographic signal and the heart sound signal in time domain, such that a diagnosis rate for cardiovascular disease is increased. Moreover, the invention further provides a stethoscope with signal synchronization processing, an auscultation information output system and a symptom diagnosis system capable of signal synchronization.

Abstract: Method and systems for determining a set of stimulation parameters for an implantable stimulation device include performing the following steps or actions: receiving a stimulation target; determining a target stimulation field based on the stimulation target; receiving a weighting for a plurality of spatial regions defined relative to a lead including a plurality of electrodes, where a weighting for at least one of the spatial regions is different from a weighting for another one of the spatial regions; and determining, using the weightings for the plurality of spatial regions, a set of stimulation parameters to produce a generated stimulation field that approximates the target stimulation field.

Abstract: A computer-based system for monitoring the heart muscle function of a patient, with contextual oversight, includes a sensor array for collecting physiological and environmental data that are pertinent to the patient. A context register is also included which contains periodically updated patient-specific data that establishes a relevant contextual oversight capability for the system. In operation, a computer identifies anomalies in the physical data and detects aberrations in the environmental data. These anomalies and aberrations are then interactively evaluated together, relative to the contextual oversight capability, to determine whether clinical intervention for the patient is warranted.

Abstract: A useful information presentation device includes a facial skin temperature acquisition unit and/or a blood circulation volume acquisition unit, a brain activity estimation unit, and a useful information presentation unit. The facial skin temperature acquisition unit acquires facial skin temperature data in time-series. The blood circulation volume acquisition unit acquires photographic image data by imaging the facial surface in time-series. The brain activity estimation unit decomposes the facial skin temperature data and/or the facial blood circulation volume data into a plurality of components by singular value decomposition, principal component analysis, or independent component analysis, and the brain activity estimation unit estimating brain activity of the subject based on the plurality of components.

Abstract: A signal processing arrangement generates electrical stimulation signals to electrode contacts in an implanted cochlear implant array. An input sound signal is processed to generate band pass signals that each represent an associated band of audio frequencies. A spectrogram representative of frequency spectrum present in the input sound signal is generated. A characteristic envelope signal is produced for each band pass signal based on its amplitude. An active contour model is applied to estimate dominant frequencies present in the spectrogram, and the estimate is used to generate stimulation timing signals for the input sound signal. The electrode stimulation signals are produced for each electrode contact based on the envelope signals and the stimulation timing signals.

Abstract: The embodiments disclosed herein relate to various medical device components, including components that can be incorporated into robotic and/or in vivo medical devices. Certain embodiments include various actuation system embodiments, including fluid actuation systems, drive train actuation systems, and motorless actuation systems. Additional embodiments include a reversibly lockable tube that can provide access for a medical device to a patient's cavity and further provides a reversible rigidity or stability during operation of the device. Further embodiments include various operational components for medical devices, including medical device arm mechanisms that have both axial and rotational movement while maintaining a relatively compact structure. medical device winch components, medical device biopsy/stapler/clamp mechanisms, and medical device adjustable focus mechanisms.

Abstract: A method produces a device adapted to be implanted into the human body for purposes such as neural stimulation, sensing or the like. The method includes: providing a stretchable layer or membrane of an insulating material; forming on the layer or membrane at least one stretchable conductive path; depositing at least one small bolus of a soft and conductive paste or material onto pre-defined areas or portions of the at least one conductive path, and inserting a first end portion of a conductive element 71 into the at least one bolus of soft conductive paste or material. A second end portion of the conductive element opposite to the first end portion is not inserted into the at least one bolus.

Abstract: A device and method for providing cardiac pacing of triangle of Koch and bundle of His zones by multiple electrodes inserted using in a single conduit are provided. The method includes providing a single conduit with multiple electrodes, positioning electrodes in the target zone of a heart, selecting acceptable electrodes as active based on a predetermined criteria and providing cardiac stimulation for multiple chambers of the heart from a single location.

Abstract: A disclosed apparatus or method can include or use a non-transluminally implantantable blood pump housing, which can be sized and shaped to be implanted at an aortic valve of a human subject, the pump housing can include: a pump housing cross-sectional profile size that is larger than is passable via a blood vessel of the human subject; and a power connection, configured for being electrically connected to an intravascular lead that is sized and shaped to extend from the pump housing through a subclavian artery of the human subject.