Abstract: A band stop filter is provided for a lead wire of an active medical device (AMD). The band stop filter includes a capacitor in parallel with an inductor. The parallel capacitor and inductor are placed in series with the lead wire of the AMD, wherein values of capacitance and inductance are selected such that the band stop filter is resonant at a selected frequency. The Q of the inductor may be relatively maximized and the Q of the capacitor may be relatively minimized to reduce the overall Q of the band stop filter to attenuate current flow through the lead wire along a range of selected frequencies. In a preferred form, the band stop filter is integrated into a TIP and/or RING electrode for an active implantable medical device.

Abstract: A disposable reamer designed to improve bone and tissue removal efficiency is described. The reamer device comprises a reamer body shell, a series of reamer blades and a reamer shaft interface. The reamer body shell has a hemispherical structure having a concave interior surface and a convex outer surface. The series of reamer blades have a cutting portion comprised of a series of discrete cutting edges that is bent at an angle from the planar portion of the blade. The reamer blades are positioned along the curved concave interior surface of the hemispherical shell or along the curved convex outer surface of the shell. The reamer blades are positioned along the hemispherical shell such that their leading edges lie parallel to and tangent a bisecting plane.

Abstract: A disposable reamer designed to improve bone and tissue removal efficiency is described. The reamer device comprises a reamer body shell, a series of reamer blades and a reamer shaft interface. The reamer body shell has a hemispherical structure having a concave interior surface and a convex outer surface. The series of reamer blades have a cutting portion comprised of a series of discrete cutting edges that is bent at an angle from the planar portion of the blade. The reamer blades are positioned along the curved concave interior surface of the hemispherical shell or along the curved convex outer surface of the shell. The reamer blades are positioned along the hemispherical shell such that their leading edges lie parallel to and tangent a bisecting plane.

Abstract: A lead body adapted for in-vivo implantation in a living subject includes a proximal end configured for electrical and mechanical connection to a therapy or a monitoring device, and a distal end. A collar is disposed at the distal end of the lead body, and a casing is disposed within the collar and is translatable along a central longitudinal axis of the collar. At least one electrical conductor extends substantially the length of the lead body, and an electronic component is disposed within the casing and conductively coupled to the electrical conductor. An electrode is mechanically connected to the casing and conductively coupled to the electronic component. A seal is disposed between the casing assembly and the collar to prevent passage of ionic fluid into the lead body through its distal end.

Abstract: Medical lead systems utilizing electromagnetic bandstop filters are provide which can be utilized in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) environment for patients who have implanted medical devices. The medical lead system includes an implanted lead having at least one bandstop filter associated therewith, for attenuating current flow through the lead over a range of frequencies. The bandstop filter has an overall circuit Q wherein the resultant 3 dB bandwidth is at least 10 kHz. The values of capacitance and inductance of the bandstop filter are selected such that the bandstop filter is resonant at a selected center frequency. Preferably, the bandstop filter has an overall circuit Q wherein the resultant 10 dB bandwidth is at least 10 kHz. Such bandstop filters are backwards compatible with known implantable deployment systems and extraction systems.

Abstract: Decoupling circuits are provided which transfer energy induced from an MRI pulsed RF field to the housing for an active implantable medical device (AIMD) which serves as an energy dissipating surface. This is accomplished through broadband filtering or by resonant filtering. In a passive component network for an AIMD, a frequency selective energy diversion circuit is provided for diverting high-frequency energy away from an AIMD lead to the AIMD housing for dissipation of said high-frequency energy.

Abstract: A TANK filter is provided for a lead wire of an active medical device (AMD). The TANK filter includes a capacitor in parallel with an inductor. The parallel capacitor and inductor are placed in series with the lead wire of the AMD, wherein values of capacitance and inductance are selected such that the TANK filter is resonant at a selected frequency. The Q of the inductor may be relatively maximized and the Q of the capacitor may be relatively minimized to reduce the overall Q of the TANK filter to attenuate current flow through the lead wire along a range of selected frequencies. In a preferred form, the TANK filter is integrated into a TIP and/or RING electrode for an active implantable medical device.

Abstract: A catheter assembly includes a catheter body that extends from a distal end to a proximal end. The catheter body includes a delivery lumen, and an actuator lumen, where the actuator lumen extends from a position near or at the distal end to an intermediate portion that does not extend through the proximal end of the catheter body. The catheter body optionally includes an accessory lumen that extends from at or near the distal end and terminates at an intermediate portion that does not extend through the proximal end surface of the catheter body, for example, on a side wall.

Abstract: A TANK filter is provided for a lead wire of an active medical device (AMD). The TANK filter includes a capacitor in parallel with an inductor. The parallel capacitor and inductor are placed in series with the lead wire of the AMD, wherein values of capacitance and inductance are selected such that the TANK filter is resonant at a selected frequency. The Q of the inductor may be relatively maximized and the Q of the capacitor may be relatively minimized to reduce the overall Q of the TANK filter to attenuate current flow through the lead wire along a range of selected frequencies. In a preferred form, the TANK filter is integrated into a TIP and/or RING electrode for an active implantable medical device.

Abstract: An energy management system facilitates the transfer of high frequency energy coupled into an implanted abandoned lead at a selected RF frequency or frequency band, to an energy dissipating surface. This is accomplished by conductively coupling the implanted abandoned lead to the energy dissipating surface of an abandoned lead cap through an energy diversion circuit including one or more passive electronic network components whose impedance characteristics are at least partially tuned to the implanted abandoned lead's impedance characteristics.

Abstract: A keyless entry system for an automobile is described. The keyless entry system comprises a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag that has been programmed to selectively unlock an automobile when the RFID tag is within a predetermined distance and, optionally, to lock the automobile when the RFID is outside the predetermined distance. An interrogator housed on or within the automobile comprises an actuatable RF signal generator for transmitting an electromagnetic signal and a time-out circuit. Regardless whether the programmed RFID tag is detected, or not, the RF signal generator transmits a first electromagnetic signal having a first limited total continuous transmit time, followed by an interim period of a defined length where the time-out circuit renders the interrogator incapable of transmitting the electromagnetic signal, followed by the RF signal generator transmitting a second electromagnetic signal having a second limited total continuous transmit time.

Abstract: Electrodes of a subcutaneous monitoring system receive body electrical signals that indicate both cardiac and non-cardiac muscle activity. In general, non-cardiac muscle activity is often correlated with physical activity, and physical activity is typically a strong indicator of patient health. Exemplary systems and methods that detect non-cardiac muscle activity information in sensed body electrical waveforms may provide a diagnostic tool for monitoring physical activity level over time in patients that have subcutaneous monitoring systems. In an illustrative embodiment, systems and methods for presenting patient activity information in a graphical format over intervals of time include processing ECG waveform information to identify and to accumulate non-cardiac muscular activity information during each of the intervals of time. In various implementations, number, intensity, and/or duration of the events that are identified during a time interval may be accumulated and stored for subsequent recall.

Abstract: An electrochemical cell comprising an anode, a cathode comprised of a first current collector, a first cathode active material having a first energy density and a first rate capability, and a second cathode active material having a second energy density and a second rate capability, and an electrolyte activating the anode and the cathode. The first rate capability of the first cathode active material is greater than the second rate capability of the second cathode active material, and the first energy density of the first cathode active material is greater than or equal to the second energy density of the second cathode active material as a result of the addition of one or more diluents to the second cathode active material. A preferred configuration for the cathode is SVO/current collector/CFx with the SVO facing a lithium anode.

Abstract: A shielded three-terminal flat-through EMI/energy dissipating filter includes an active electrode plate through which a circuit current passes between a first terminal and a second terminal, a first shield plate on a first side of the active electrode plate, and a second shield plate on a second side of the active electrode plate opposite the first shield plate. The first and second shield plates are conductively coupled to a grounded third terminal. In preferred embodiments, the active electrode plate and the shield plates are at least partially disposed with a hybrid flat-through substrate that may include a flex cable section, a rigid cable section, or both.

Abstract: An electrochemical cell comprising a lithium anode, a cathode comprising a blank cut from a free-standing sheet of a silver vanadium oxide mixture contacted to a current collector. The active material has having a relatively lower surface area and an electrolyte activating the anode and the cathode is described. By optimizing the cathode active material surface area in a SVO-containing cell, the magnitude of the passivating film growth at the solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) and its relative impermeability to lithium ion diffusion is reduced. Therefore, by using a cathode of an active material, in a range of from about 0.2 m2/gram to about 2.6 m2/gram, and preferably from about 1.6 m2/gram to about 2.4 m2/gram, it is possible to eliminate or significantly reduce undesirable irreversible Rdc growth and voltage delay in the cell and to extend its useful life in an implantable medical device.

Abstract: An introducer assembly includes a sheath having a sheath proximal end and distal end, and a passage therethrough. The introducer assembly further includes a handle assembly that is mechanically and/or bonded coupled with a tubular sheath.

Abstract: A system is provided for obtaining and analyzing biological data of a subject. The system includes a biological data recording device that can sense biological signals of a subject over time and record the sensed biological signals as biological data. The system also includes an event time recording device that is physically separate from, and does not communicate with, the biological data recording device. The event time recording device includes a user actuatable component, and also includes a recording component that records user actuation data, which includes a time stamp indication as to when any instances of user actuation occurred. The system also includes equipment that can periodically receive the recorded biological data from the biological data recording device and the user actuation data from the event time recording device, and can correlate the biological data and the user actuation data to generate correlated biological data.

Abstract: A modular EMI filtered terminal assembly for an active implantable medical device (AIMD) includes a hermetic terminal subassembly having at least one conductor extending through an insulator in non-conductive relation with the AIMD housing, and a feedthrough capacitor subassembly disposed generally adjacent to the hermetic terminal assembly. The feedthrough capacitor subassembly includes a conductive modular cup conductively coupled to the AIMD housing, and a feedthrough capacitor disposed within the modular cup. A first electrode plate or set of electrode plates is conductively coupled to the conductor, and a second electrode plate or set of electrode plates is conductively coupled to the modular cup.

Abstract: An implantable monitoring device includes a flexible lead body that includes at least one sensing element. The device also includes a rigid main body connected to the flexible lead body at an attachment point. The rigid main body is generally centered about a longitudinal axis defined by the flexible lead body when the lead body is unflexed. The device further includes a measurement circuit, which is housed within the rigid main body and electrically coupled to the at least one sensing element of the flexible lead body and at least another sensing element on an outside surface of the rigid main body. The measurement circuit is configured to measure a potential difference between the at least one sensing element of the flexible lead body and the at least another sensing element of the main body.