Abstract: The device, such as an autonomous cardiac implant of the leadless capsule type, has a device body with a means for its anchoring to a patient's organ wall. The anchoring means includes a screw with a helix wire wound into a plurality of non-contiguous turns, the screw having a clamped end integral with the front face of the device body and a free end with a beveled end defined by at least one oblique surface. The normal to the oblique surface of the beveled end is directed away from the front face, in such a way that the oblique surface is directed towards the patient's organ wall. The normal to the oblique surface forms an angle between 30° and 60° with respect to the helix axis, and the screw is elastically deformable in axial compression, with a stiffness coefficient of at most 5 N/mm.

Abstract: The instrument includes a dual-wall deformable tube, with an inner sleeve, a coaxial outer sleeve, and an imaging module connected to the inner and outer sleeves. An array of transducers is carried by an outer face of the imaging module. The inner sleeve and the outer sleeve are mobile in relative axial translation between: a folded position in which the inner and outer sleeves both have a cylindrical shape, and in which the imaging module substantially extends in the continuation of the inner sleeve; and an expanded position, in which the inner sleeve has a cylindrical shape and the outer sleeve has a flared shape widening on the distal side and in which the imaging module substantially extends with the face that carries the transducers of the array turned in axial direction towards the front of the deformable tube.

Abstract: The implant comprises a tubular body housing an energy harvesting module adapted to convert external stresses applied to the implant into electrical energy, and a rechargeable battery adapted to be charged by the energy harvesting module. During the storage, an external source physically separated from the implant is coupled to the implant rechargeable battery to maintain a minimum battery charge level. An interface circuit of the implant couples surface electrodes to the battery, with switching between: i) a transport and storage configuration where the electrodes are connected to the external source to receive from the latter a battery charging energy and/or to exchange communication signals with the outside through the wire link of the coupling; and ii) a functional configuration in which the surface electrodes are decoupled from the external source after the implant has been implanted.

Abstract: The device, such as an autonomous cardiac implant of the leadless capsule type, has a device body with a means for its anchoring to a patient's organ wall. The anchoring means includes a screw with a helix wire wound into a plurality of non-contiguous turns, the screw having a clamped end integral with the front face of the device body and a free end with a beveled end defined by at least one oblique surface. The normal to the oblique surface of the beveled end is directed away from the front face, in such a way that the oblique surface is directed towards the patient's organ wall. The normal to the oblique surface forms an angle between 30° and 60° with respect to the helix axis, and the screw is elastically deformable in axial compression, with a stiffness coefficient of at most 5 N/mm.

Abstract: The device has a device body with a front face at its distal end, and a means for the anchoring of the medical device to a patient's organ wall. The anchoring means includes a screw with a helix wire wound into a plurality of non-contiguous turns, the screw having a clamped end integral with the front face of the device body and a free end with a beveled end defined by at least one oblique surface. The helix wire includes, at its free distal end, a terminal region whose wire bending stiffness is lower than in a proximal region of the helix turns. The stiffness difference may, in particular, be obtained by varying the wire diameter over different successive portions, with decreasing diameters in a proximal to distal direction.

Abstract: The implant comprises a tubular body housing an energy harvesting module adapted to convert external stresses applied to the implant into electrical energy, and a rechargeable battery adapted to be charged by the energy harvesting module. During the storage, an external source physically separated from the implant is coupled to the implant rechargeable battery to maintain a minimum battery charge level. An interface circuit of the implant couples surface electrodes to the battery, with switching between: i) a transport and storage configuration where the electrodes are connected to the external source to receive from the latter a battery charging energy and/or to exchange communication signals with the outside through the wire link of the coupling; and ii) a functional configuration in which the surface electrodes are decoupled from the external source after the implant has been implanted.

Abstract: This module comprises: a circuit for interfacing with the piezoelectric beam of an oscillating pendular unit, outputting a rectified signal comprising a sequence of pulses at a frequency equal to a multiple of the oscillation frequency of the pendular unit; a buffer capacitor charged by the successive pulses outputted by the interface circuit; and a converter regulator adapted to convert a capacitor discharge current into a stabilized power supply voltage, and controlled by a feedback control stage of the Maximum Power-Point Tracking (MPPT) type. A comparator detects the conduction of a blocking diode interposed between the interface circuit and the capacitor, in order to produce a signal representative of the current value of the duty cycle of the detected conduction and non-conduction periods.

Abstract: An integrated self-sustainable power supply includes a piezoelectric energy harvesting (PEH) beam, a power management unit (PMU) circuit located on the PEH beam, a rechargeable battery located on the PEH beam, and a positive regulated power supply output and a negative regulated power supply output. The PMU circuit includes electrical inputs/outputs. The rechargeable battery includes a negative access pad and a positive access pad, which are in electrical communication with the electrical inputs/outputs of the PMU circuit. The positive regulated power supply output and the negative regulated power supply output are also in electrical communication with the electrical inputs/outputs of the PMU circuit.

Abstract: The capsule comprises a tubular body and a front-end unit with an helical screw for anchoring the capsule to a wall of a patient's organ. The front-end unit is mobile in relative axial rotation with respect to the tubular body. A disengageable frictional coupling member allows this relative rotation when, for implantation, the tubular body receives an external rotational stress, and that until a predetermined limit torque triggering the disengagement. At explantation, this disengagement is prevented to allow a joint rotation of the tubular body and of the front-end unit and the unscrewing of the helical screw. It is provided for that purpose two conjugated plates facing each other, with flat surfaces such as circular sectors offset in opposite directions with respect to a radial reference plane, in such a way as to form steps providing an anti-disengagement abutment function.

Abstract: An energy harvesting module includes a pendular unit with piezoelectric transducer elastically deformable in bending between a clamped end and a free end coupled to an inertial mass. The piezoelectric transducer includes two coplanar piezoelectric beams arranged side-by-side on either side of a central axis of the transducer, each of the piezoelectric beams including adjacent external and internal arms, arranged side-by-side and formed single-piece. The external arm of each beam has a clamped proximal end and a free distal end, and the internal arm of each beam has a free proximal end supporting the inertial mass, and a free distal end connected to the distal end of the adjacent external arm by a common junction.

Abstract: A module includes a pendular unit with piezoelectric transducer elastically deformable in bending with a clamped end and a free end coupled to an inertial mass. The piezoelectric transducer includes at least one piezoelectric beam configured into two adjacent arms formed single-piece, with an external arm and an internal arm arranged side-by-side. The external arm has a clamped proximal end and a free distal end, and the internal arm has a free proximal end supporting the inertial mass, and a free distal end connected to the distal end of the adjacent external arm. An annular mount surrounds the beam at its proximal end and includes the clamp to which is fastened the proximal end of the external arm. The mount includes, in a central region in the vicinity of the clamp, a cavity inside which the inertial mass carried by the free proximal end of the internal arm can oscillate.

Abstract: The module comprises a pendular unit with an elastically deformable piezoelectric beam having a clamped end and an opposite, free end, coupled to an inertial mass. The beam produces an oscillating electrical signal collected by electrodes, which is rectified and regulated to output a voltage for charging a battery. The number and configuration of the electrodes (T1, T2, B1, B2, N) carried by the piezoelectric beam define a plurality of pairs of electrodes between which a corresponding plurality of said oscillating signals can be simultaneously collected. A switching matrix, as a function of an input command, selectively switches the plurality of pairs of electrodes between each other according to a plurality of different series (S), parallel (P) and/or series-parallel (SP) configurations, the selected configuration being that which maximizes the power sent to the battery as a function of the voltage level (VBAT) present at the terminals of the latter.

Abstract: The bending of the catheter is controlled from the handle by a variable tension exerted to a steering cable housed in an offset longitudinal notch of the catheter. The handle comprises: a body adapted to be held in hand by an operator; a piston, axially mobile in rotation and in translation inside the handle body; a first mechanism with a pulley for the winding of the steering cable and a lever for modifying in a controlled manner the tension of the cable and hence controlling the steering of the catheter; and a second mechanism comprising a member for holding a security wire and a member for adjusting the axial position of this wire with respect to the internal tube of the catheter, so as to keep the security wire in tight condition whatever the bend provided to the catheter by operation of the first mechanism.

Abstract: An energy harvester includes a pendular unit subjected with a piezoelectric beam coupled to an inertial mass. On the clamped side of the beam, a beam frame includes two pressing elements between which the beam is taken in sandwich, each including i) an intermediate part, an internal face of which presses on a corresponding face of the beam, and ii) a pressure plate, an internal face of which presses on an external face of the intermediate part, a printed circuit board being interposed between them. The intermediate parts and the pressure plates are passed through by at least one common transverse bore receiving a locking pin. The intermediate parts, the pressure plates and the pin are each massive metal parts ensuring a direct electrical and mechanical contact with the electrodes of the beam and with the printed circuit boards.

Abstract: A capsule includes a tubular body with, at its proximal end, a coupling member adapted to cooperate with a conjugated coupling member mounted at the distal end of a catheter of the implantation tool, for the transmission of a torque for the rotational driving of the capsule by the catheter. The coupling member of the tool includes a dihedral-shaped imprint, with two diverging arms in a V-arrangement, and the capsule coupling member includes a convex surface adapted to frictionally and slidingly urge against the diverging arms of the V-shape.

Abstract: The energy harvesting module is provided with a pendular unit comprising an inertial mass coupled to an elastic piezoelectric beam providing a power voltage. An acceleration sensor provides a signal representative of the instantaneous acceleration of the beam in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the beam, and an angular speed sensor provides a signal representative of the instantaneous angular speed of rotation of the beam about an axis perpendicular to a plane of bending of the beam. Based on the voltage, acceleration and angular speed values, a beam integrity monitoring circuit estimates parameters of a mechanical-electrical transfer function and derives therefrom metrics representative of physical and electrical parameters of the pendular unit and of the material of the beam. This makes it possible to evaluate the proper operation of the energy harvester and to detect a potential performance decrease liable to lead to a failure in the more or less short term.

Abstract: The capsule includes a tubular body and a front-end unit including an anchoring member for the anchoring of the capsule to a wall of a patient's organ. The front-end unit is mobile in relative axial rotation with respect to the tubular body, and a disengageable coupling member is adapted to allow this relative rotation when the tubular body receives an external rotational stress, the anchoring member then exerting a reaction torque higher than a predetermined threshold torque, and to prevent the relative rotation in the absence of external rotational stress applied to the tubular body. The coupling member may in particular include, between the front-end unit and the tubular body, a friction interface, with an elastically deformable element applying an axial compression between a bearing face of the tubular body and a support ring integral with the anchoring member.

Abstract: An autonomous implantable capsule comprises a capsule body provided with an element for its anchoring to a patient's organ. An electronic unit is powered by an energy harvesting module provided with a pendular unit comprising an inertial mass coupled to an elastic piezoelectric beam forming a mechanical-electrical transducer for converting into electrical energy the oscillations of the beam. A mobile support, integral with the clamped end of the beam and mobile in axial rotation about the axis of the capsule body, can be directed by a controllable driver to adjust the angular position of the support so as to maximize the produced electrical power converted by the mechanical-electrical transducer.

Abstract: An energy harvester converts into electrical energy the external stresses applied to the implant at the rhythm of the heartbeats. This harvester comprises an inertial unit. A transducer provides an oscillating electrical signal that is rectified and regulated, for powering the implant and/or charging a battery. The instantaneous variations of this electrical signal between two heartbeats are analyzed inside successive time windows, to derive therefrom a physiological parameter and/or a physical activity parameter of the patient with the implant, in particular as a function of a peak of amplitude of the first oscillation of the electrical signal, and of the level of this signal after the bounce phase of the signal oscillation.

Abstract: A receiver module of an autonomous implanted capsule receives a human body communication, HBC, signal sensed by an electrode in contact with body tissues or fluids of a patient. The signal is a pulse-modulated, baseband PPM pulse signal. The receiver module comprises a non-linear LNA amplifier stage comprising a pair of complementary transistors arranged as a voltage inverter circuit with an input coupled to the modulated-input-signal collecting electrode. The amplifier stage input is polarized to an intermediate operating point voltage between a supply voltage of the complementary transistor pair and a ground voltage. The amplifier stage has a gain of at least 40 dB, a gain-bandwidth product of at least 20 MHz, and a consumption lower than or equal to 100 nW.