Abstract: A system and method for presenting information relating to heart data can involve operations including identifying arrhythmia events in physiological data obtained for a living being, receiving human assessments of at least a portion of the arrhythmia events, determining a measure of correlation between the human assessments and the identified events, and selectively presenting information regarding the identified events based on the measure of correlation. The operations can also include identifying atrial fibrillation events in physiological data obtained for a living being, obtaining heart rate data for the living being, and presenting information regarding the heart rate data and duration of the atrial fibrillation events together with a common time scale to pictographically represent heart rate trend with atrial fibrillation burden during a defined time period.

Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosure include systems and methods for reducing false positives in detection of pauses. For example, embodiments include a sensing component configured to obtain values of a first physiological parameter and determine a cardiac pause based on the values of the first physiological parameter. Furthermore, embodiments include performing a validation check of the determined cardiac pause using at least one of: the values of the first physiological parameter or values of a second physiological parameter.

Abstract: Methods and devices for tying management of an implantable medical device to the activities of a primary care physician are described, including access control, simplified parameter optimization, support for tuning a device in response to the effects of other treatments in parallel, and support for helping a primary physician and a patient work together to tune device configuration to the activity and performance needs of the patient. In some embodiments, a medical device is self-configuring in a device parameter domain, based on inputs provided in a patient performance domain. The self-configuring of the medical device is based, for example, on an automatically applied transformation of inputs derived from patient performance domain observations into changes in the configuration of the medical device which affect technical parameters of its operation.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and devices for detecting dislodgment of an implantable device are disclosed. In one example, a method for determining a dislodgement status may comprise collecting, by the implantable device operating in a first operating mode, a first number of accelerometer signal samples during a cardiac cycle of the heart and using the first number of accelerometer signal samples to determine a first patient parameter and collecting, by the implantable device operating in a second operating mode, a second number of accelerometer signal samples during a cardiac cycle of the heart and using the second number of accelerometer signal samples to determine a dislodgment status of the implantable device, wherein the first number is smaller than the second number. In some further embodiments, the method may further include providing a notification of the dislodgment status to a remote device that is remote from the implantable medical device.

Abstract: A skin electrode for stimulation comprising a superporous hydrophilic material having a first relaxed state and a second expanded state. In the second expanded state the superporous hydrophilic material is breakable to at least partly enclose at least one hair, and an electrode surface for electrically stimulating the skin by driving current from the electrode surface through the hydrophilic material to the skin comprising the at least one hair.

Abstract: An electrosurgical pencil adapted to receive an electrode controllable by an electrical signal for performing surgical operations. This pencil includes a housing, a circuit, and switch that is activatable from outside the housing for closing the circuit. The housing receives the electrode. The circuit is a flexible circuit and is positioned such that it is in direct contact with the electrode when the electrode is received in the housing.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for treating an arrhythmia in a patient using an electrotherapy device such as a subcutaneous pacing device. The device applies a series of electrotherapy pulses in response to the presence of the arrhythmia. Various provisions are disclosed for mitigating pain or discomfort as a result of the electrotherapy pulses.

Abstract: Disclosed is a device for providing resuscitation or suspended state through redistribution of cardiac output to increase supply to the brain and heart for a patient. The device includes an electrically controllable redistribution component attachable to the patient to provide redistribution of the cardiac output to increase supply to the brain and heart. The redistribution component, following a predefined reaction pattern based on an electrical signal, and computer means configured to: receive a patient data which identifies physiological and/or anatomical characteristics of the patent; and provide the electrical signal for the redistribution component based on the patient data or a standard response. The device may provide mechanisms to protect the aorta and the remaining anatomy of the patient from inadvertent damage caused by the disclosed device in any usage scenario of either correct intended usage or unintended usage. Also disclosed is a method for providing resuscitation or suspended state.

Abstract: A medical device is configured to deliver a high-energy electrical stimulation pulse to a patient that produces a post-stimulation polarization signal. A cardiac signal analyzer of the medical device is configured to detect a cardiac electrical signal superimposed on the post-stimulation polarization signal, determine at least one feature of the detected cardiac electrical signal, compare the feature to criteria that differentiate an intrinsic cardiac event during the post-stimulation polarization signal from an evoked response signal and identify the detected cardiac electrical signal as the intrinsic cardiac event if the feature meets the criteria.

Abstract: Several defibrillators, defibrillator architectures, defibrillator components and methods of operating defibrillators are described. In one aspect, a defibrillator (as for example an automated external defibrillator) that can be powered by a mobile communication device such as a smart cellular phone or a tablet computer is described. Utilizing a phone (or other mobile communication device) as the power supply for an external defibrillator allows the external defibrillator to be smaller and, in some circumstance, removes the need for a battery that stores sufficient energy for shock delivery—which would need to be checked and/or replaced on a regular basis. Additionally, when desired, certain control functionality, computation, data processing, and user instructions can be handled/presented by the mobile communications device thereby further simplifying the defibrillator design and improving the user experience.

Abstract: A catheter system for a catheter pump is disclosed. The system can include an elongate catheter body having a distal portion including an expandable cannula having an inlet and an outlet. The expandable cannula can have a delivery profile and an operational profile larger than the delivery profile. An impeller assembly can include an impeller shaft and an impeller body. A sheath can have a cannula retention zone disposed over the expandable cannula and a separation zone. The cannula retention zone can have a first configuration adapted to retain the expandable cannula in the delivery profile. The system can be adapted to separate the separation zone into a first portion and a second portion disposed across a gap. The gap can enable the elongate catheter body to pass between the first and second portion so that the sheath can be removed from the elongate catheter body.

Abstract: A wearable cardioverter defibrillator (WCD) system includes a support structure that the patient may wear, and one or more sensors that may acquire patient physiological signals, such as ECG and others. A processor of the WCD system may determine diagnostics from the patient physiological signals. These diagnostics include a six-second ECG portion, heart rates as histograms, heart rates against QRS width, heart rate trends, clinical event counters, diagnostics relating to heart rate variability and about the atrial arrhythmia burden of the patient. In some embodiments, the WCD system includes a user interface with a screen that displays these diagnostics. In some embodiments, the WCD system exports these diagnostics for viewing by a different screen. When viewed, these diagnostics permit more detailed analysis of the state of the patient.

Abstract: An apparatus for performing an endoscopic procedure for detecting cancerous tissue includes a detection probe for detecting the cancerous tissue. The detection probe includes a first fiber for emitting an ultraviolet light beam having an orthogonal function applied thereto and a second fiber for receiving emissions from tissues responsive to the ultraviolet light beam emitted for the first fiber. An ultraviolet emission source generates the ultraviolet light beam. Orthogonal function circuitry applies the orthogonal function twist to the ultraviolet light beam. Detection circuitry detects fluorescence and orthogonal function within the emissions from the tissues received over the second fiber.

Abstract: Devices and methods for vascular navigation, assessment and/or diagnosis are described which determine the location of the tip of a vascular catheter using the introduction of a medium with a measurable parameter (e.g., temperature, light reflection, sound reflection, etc.) and sensing and measuring the measurable parameter as the catheter is advanced. Measurements of the parameter are tracked over time, recorded and analyzed. The value of the parameter and/or the shape of the parameter value vs. time curve may be used in the analysis. For example, curve amplitude, variability, standard deviation, slope, etc. may be used in the analysis of catheter location.

Abstract: Systems, devices and methods for using environmental data to manage health care are disclosed. One aspect is an advanced patient management system. In various embodiments, the system includes at least one implantable medical device (IMD) to acquire at least one IMD parameter indicative of patient wellness, means to acquire at least one environmental parameter from at least one external source, and means to correlate the at least one parameter indicative of patient wellness and the at least one environmental parameter to assist with patient health care decisions. Other aspects and embodiments are provided herein.

Abstract: An example of a system for comparing neurostimulation waveforms can include a user interface configured to receive user input that at least partially defines a first neurostimulation waveform with at least one of differing pulses and differing pulse intervals, where the user input including at least one received parameter of the first neurostimulation waveform. The system can include a storage device configured to store at least one parameter of at least one second neurostimulation waveform, a comparator configured to compare the at least one received parameter of the first neurostimulation waveform to a corresponding at least one parameter of at least one second neurostimulation waveform stored in a memory, the user interface configured to generate and display to the user an indication of a similarity between the compared parameters.

Abstract: A capacitor case sealed to retain electrolyte; a sintered anode disposed in the capacitor case, the sintered anode having a shape wherein the sintered anode includes a mating portion; a conductor coupled to the sintered anode, the conductor sealingly extending through the capacitor case to a terminal disposed on an exterior of the capacitor case; a sintered cathode disposed in the capacitor case, the sintered cathode having a shape that mates with the mating portion of the sintered anode such that the sintered cathode matingly fits in the mating portion of the sintered anode; a separator between the sintered anode and the sintered cathode; and a second terminal disposed on the exterior of the capacitor case and in electrical communication with the sintered cathode, with the terminal and the second terminal electrically isolated from one another.

Abstract: This document describes optical central venous pressure measurement. To determine the central venous pressure (CVP) of a person optically, video of a right side of the person's neck is captured. By way of example, a medical professional records a video of the right side of the person's neck using a smartphone. The right side of the person's neck is captured because it is where the person's external and internal jugular veins are located and pulsatile motions that are usable to measure CVP occur in those veins. The video is then processed according to video motion amplification techniques to generate a reconstructed video of the right side of the person's neck. In the reconstructed video, the pulsatile motion of the person's venous system that occurs at the right side of their neck is visually amplified. Using the reconstructed video, measurements are made of a distance between a peak of the visually-amplified pulsatile motion and an anatomical feature of the person.

Abstract: Several defibrillators, defibrillator architectures, defibrillator components and methods of operating defibrillators are described. In one aspect, a defibrillator (as for example an automated external defibrillator) that can be powered by a mobile communication device such as a smart cellular phone or a tablet computer is described. Utilizing a phone (or other mobile communication device) as the power supply for an external defibrillator allows the external defibrillator to be smaller and, in some circumstance, removes the need for a battery that stores sufficient energy for shock delivery—which would need to be checked and/or replaced on a regular basis. Additionally, when desired, certain control functionality, computation, data processing, and user instructions can be handled/presented by the mobile communications device thereby further simplifying the defibrillator design and improving the user experience.

Abstract: A multi-mode electrosurgical apparatus for use in cold plasma applications, electrosurgical cutting, electrosurgical coagulation and mechanical cutting is provided. The electrosurgical apparatus includes a housing having a passage extending therethrough, an electrically conducting tube being disposed in the passage of the housing; an insulating outer tube disposed around the electrically conducting tube coupled to the housing, the electrically conducting tube being movable along a longitudinal axis of the housing and outer tube; an electrically conducting blade coupled to the distal end of the electrically conducting tube, and a transformer assembly disposed on a proximal end of the housing, the transformer assembly including a first transformer and a first switch for selectively coupling the first transformer and an external second transformer to the electrically conducting tube for providing electrosurgical energy thereto.