Abstract: The invention concerns methods of coating stents and stents produced in accordance therewith. The object of the invention is to provide methods of coating stents with a polysaccharide layer which has improved adhesion capacity on the substrate surface of the implant, and to afford correspondingly functionalized stents. That is achieved inter alia by covalent bonding of a non-crosslinked hyaluronic acid to a substrate surface of the stent with the formation of hyaluronic acid layer and crosslinking of the hyaluronic acid layer.

Abstract: The invention consists of a surface structure for a friction or sliding surface of a catheter (10) or guide wire (12) characterized by a plurality of recesses (18) distributed on the surface for accommodating a friction-reducing fluid and by sliding surfaces (20) between the recesses (18).

Abstract: The invention concerns an endovascular implant, in particular a stent, with an at least portion-wise active coating. The object of the present invention is to provide locally therapeutic formulations for the treatment of stenosis or restenosis. The implants modified in accordance with the invention are to ensure improved compatibility, in particular in regard to any inflammatory and proliferative processes in the tissue environment. That is achieved in that the active coating includes, as an active substance: 1) PPAR?-agonists, PPAR?-agonists or a combination thereof; 2) an RXR-agonist; or 3) a combination of PPAR-agonists and RXR-agonists.

Abstract: An electrical therapy device has a blocking triggering unit and a re-use blocking unit. The re-use blocking unit prevents the functions of the electrical therapy device during implantation in dependence on the condition of the blocking triggering unit. The blocking triggering unit is triggered either upon implantation or explantation of the electrical therapy device. In some aspects, an electrical therapy device has a blocking triggering unit and a re-use blocking unit, wherein the re-use blocking unit prevents the functions of the electrical therapy device in dependence on the condition of the blocking triggering unit. The blocking triggering unit is triggered upon explantation of the electrical therapy device.

Abstract: A medical therapy system has logic and/or signal processing stages between sensors on the input side and therapy applicators on the output side. A signal parameter is determined from the input signals using the logic/processing stages, and/or an indicator signal is determined from the input signals using a logic/processing module consisting of several logic/processing stages. The indicator signal is a measure of the probability of a future event requiring therapy, or a measure of the success of the therapy.

Abstract: The invention concerns an electromedical implant for intracardial coronary therapy comprising an implant housing in which functional component parts of the implant, namely a circuit, a battery and the like, are disposed. It is characterized in that the battery (10) has a flat side (10.2), an underside (10.3) and a peripherally extending narrow side (10.1) and the battery (10) is arranged with its underside (10.3) on an internal base surface (18.1) of the implant housing (18) and the circuit (22) is arranged in adjacent relationship with a flat side (10.2) of the battery (10).

Abstract: A stimulation arrangement having a stimulation unit for the delivery of electrical pulses for the stimulation of body tissue and an evaluation unit which receives electrical signals in conjunction with the delivery of a stimulation pulse and evaluates same for checking a stimulation success, wherein the evaluation unit detects in the received signal such signal features which characterize a lack of stimulation success and delivers a corresponding signal.

Abstract: An arrangement 10 for predicting tachyarrhythmia of a heart has a detection means 12 and an evaluation unit 18. The detection means 12 picks up electrical signals from the heart. The evaluation unit 18, which is connected to the detection means, determines a rate value that depends upon the respective heart rate. The evaluation unit also evaluate a plurality of correspondingly determined rates values, to determine a heart rate variability value that depends on the variability of the detected rate values, wherein the evaluation unit 18 responds to a rise in the heart rate variability value.

Abstract: The invention concerns methods of coating stents and stents produced in accordance therewith. The object of the invention is to provide methods of coating stents with a polysaccharide layer which has improved adhesion capacity on the substrate surface of the implant, and to afford correspondingly functionalized stents. That is achieved inter alia by covalent bonding of a non-crosslinked hyaluronic acid to a substrate surface of the stent with the formation of hyaluronic acid layer and crosslinking of the hyaluronic acid layer.

Abstract: An electrode line, in particular for an implantable electrostimulation device, which is adapted for insertion into body vessels such as heart chambers or blood vessels, comprising electrodes for the stimulation of body tissue, a longitudinal axis and a distal end, wherein there is provided at least one structural element (2) in the region of the distal end, which has an electrostrictive polymer and which can be connected to a voltage source by way of at least one electrical feed line (3) and which is adapted to change its shape when an electrical voltage is applied.

Abstract: An arrangement (10) for monitoring and adjusting a control of an electromedical implant (12) by means of an external control and evaluation unit (14) is made up of the electromedical implant, the external control and evaluation unit and a central, autarchically runnable evaluation logic means (30) which controls the activities of a telemetry unit (16) and a memory unit (34), which is connected to a clock and timer unit (42) and which on the basis of certain communicated data ascertains control sequences and control parameters for monitoring and adjusting the implant and co-ordinates the transmission thereof to the implant. An expert system (ES) may be adapted to assess all monitoring and adjusting tasks on a patient-individual basis.

Abstract: An intravascular electrode line is provided with a shaping suitable for fixing in a blood vessel. The shaping is three-dimensional and has line portions enclosing an elongated hollow space, with a pitch direction that is different in relation to the longitudinal direction of the hollow space.

Abstract: A dual-chamber cardiac pacemaker comprising an atrial detection unit which is adapted to detect electrical signals in the atrium of a heart as atrial sense events, a ventricular detection unit which is adapted to detect electrical signals of a ventricle of the heart as ventricular sense events, a stimulation unit which is adapted at least to trigger the delivery of electrical pulses to the ventricle as ventricular stimulation events, and a control unit which is connected to the atrial and the ventricular detection units and the stimulation unit and adapted to control triggering of the delivery of pulses in dependence on the atrial detection unit and the ventricular detection unit in such a way that pulse delivery to the ventricle is triggered after the expiry of an AV time after detection of an atrial sense or stimulation event if prior to expiry of the AV time no ventricular sense event is detected by the ventricular detection unit, wherein the control unit is further adapted to divide ventricular sense even

Abstract: The invention concerns a pacemaker (52) designed for emitting stimulation impulses to an atrium (20) of a heart (22), with a connection for an atrial electrode wire (14) for emitting electrical impulses to the atrium (20), with an atrial stimulation impulse generator (24) that can be connected to the electrode wire (14) and is designed to generate atrial stimulation impulses that are to be emitted over an electrode wire, with a control unit (38) that is connected to the atrial stimulation impulse generator (24) and designed to trigger the stimulation impulse generator (24) in order to generate and emit atrial stimulation impulses, wherein the control unit (38) is designed in an AF-prevention mode that triggers the stimulation impulse generator (24) in order to generate a stimulation impulse sequence that is suitable for preventing atrial fibrillation (AF).

Abstract: A device for implanting catheters has a tube with a wall and a wire. The tube is intended to be introduced into a body so that at least one catheter can be inserted for implantation through the tube. The wall of the tube has an inside surface and an outside surface. The wire is preferably fixed at its first end in the region of the proximal end of the tube to the inside surface or the outside surface of the wall and the wire is guided in the proximity of that surface along the longitudinal direction of the tube from the proximal end of the tube to the distal end thereof and is then returned in the proximity of the respective other surface of the wall along the longitudinal direction from the distal end of the tube to the proximal end thereof. The wire is used to cut the tube open after insertion of the catheter.

Abstract: A device for influencing cell-growth mechanisms in vessels, in particular blood vessels, of a human or animal body, wherein to influence the cell growth mechanisms there is provided an excitation device (5; 5??) which is adapted to produce stimulation currents in a region to be treated of the vessel (3; 3??), wherein the frequency and/or the modulation frequency of the stimulation currents is in the range of frequencies at which distribution of secondary messenger substances controlling cell growth in the cells of the vessel (3; 3??) is influenced. Implant for influencing cell-growth mechanisms in such vessels.

Abstract: A stent, in particular a coronary stent, for expansion from a first condition into an expanded second condition in which it holds a vessel in an expanded state, comprising a tubular body whose peripheral surface (1) is formed by a number of support portions (2) which extend in the longitudinal direction of the stent and which comprise bar elements (3) which are connected by way of connecting bars (4), wherein there is provided a number of support portion groups (1.1) with at least a first support portion (2.1) and a second support portion (2.2, 2.3) in adjacent relationship in the peripheral direction of the stent, whose bar elements (3.1, 3.2, 3.3) extend in a meander configuration in the longitudinal direction of the stent, and wherein the first engagement points (4.1, 4.2) of first connecting bars (4) engage the first support portion (2.1) and the second engagement points (4.2, 4.4) of the first connecting bars (4) engage the second support portion (2.2, 2.

Abstract: Apparatus for treating fibrillation of at least one chamber of a heart comprising a fibrillation detector for detecting a fibrillation, a defibrillator for defibrillating the chamber of the heart, wherein the defibrillator is connected to the fibrillation detector and is adapted to effect defibrillation subsequently to a time interval after detection of the fibrillation, a warning device which is connected to the fibrillation detector and which is adapted to delivery a warning signal when a fibrillation has been detected, and a control circuit having a control input actuable by a patient, wherein the control circuit is connected to the defibrillator and is adapted to delay the time of a defibrillation if the control circuit receives a corresponding signal by way of the control input, wherein the apparatus includes a condition detector which is adapted to detect a hemodynamic condition of the heart, and the control circuit is connected to the condition detector and is adapted to prevent a delay in the time of

Abstract: A risk assessment device, in particular for the risk of a severe heart functional disorder such as sudden death due to heart disease, comprising an input unit which is adapted to record or read in an electrocardiographic input signal and to output a corresponding output signal comprising a plurality of cardiac cycles and corresponding intervals, and a detection unit which is connected to the input unit and which is adapted to detect events of predetermined nature in the output signal, wherein there are provided a summing unit which is connected to the detection unit and the input unit and is adapted to add up the length of predetermined intervals connected to a detected event within the input signal and to output a corresponding sum parameter, and an evaluation unit which is adapted to evaluate the sum parameter under predetermined conditions and to output a risk parameter which is dependent on the evaluation.

Abstract: The invention concerns an electrode line (12) for an implantable intravascular electrostimulation device (10), wherein the electrode line (12) is electrically conductively connected with its proximal end (16) to the electrostimulation device (10) and with its distal end (18) to one or more functional elements. It is distinguished in that the electrode line (12) comprises an intrinsically conductive polymer in which the individual polymer chains of the polymer are so oriented that there is a high electrical conductivity in the axial direction of the electrode line (12) but not in the radial direction (electrical anisotropy).