Abstract: An implantable neural tissue electrode assembly includes a cylindrical electrode lead with at least one electrode contact on the outer surface of the electrode lead. An active distal end fixation anchor is located at the distal end of the electrode lead and is adapted to fasten to adjacent tissue by rotation in a fastening direction. A passive rear fixation anchor is located on the outer surface of the electrode lead offset a longitudinal distance back from the distal end and has at least one curved blade with a blade tip directed away from rotation in the fastening direction. The rear fixation anchor is adapted to permanently fasten to adjacent tissue by rotation opposite to the fastening direction so that the blade tip cuts into the adjacent tissue, and the electrode assembly is adapted such that physiological induced strains are distributed along the electrode lead.

Abstract: A respiration sensor is described of a respiration implant system for an implanted patient with impaired breathing. A sensor body is made of electrically insulating material and is configured to fit between two adjacent ribs and between the pectoralis muscle and the parasternal muscle of the implanted patient, with the bottom surface adjacent to an superficial surface of the parasternal muscle and the top surface adjacent to a profound surface of the pectoralis muscle. At least one parasternal sensor electrode is located on the bottom surface of the sensor body and is configured to cooperate with the electrically insulating material of the sensor body to sense a parasternal electromyography (EMG) signal representing electrical activity of the adjacent parasternal muscle with minimal influence by electrical activity of the nearby pectoralis muscle.

Abstract: A cochlear implant system is described which includes an implant housing containing a stimulation processor for processing externally produced communications signals to generate electrical stimulation signals for the cochlea of an implant patient. The implant housing lies substantially in a plane and has an outer perimeter adapted to fit within a surgically prepared housing recess in skull bone of the implant patient. Multiple housing fixation features are located on the outer perimeter and cooperate to develop lateral force in the plane of the implant housing between the implant housing and adjacent skull bone of the housing recess to fixedly secure the implant housing within the housing recess.

Abstract: An implantable processor arrangement is described for an active implantable medical device (AIMD) system implanted under the skin of a patient. An implantable communications coil arrangement is configured for transdermal transfer of an implant communications signal. An implantable processor is coupled to and controls the implantable communications coil arrangement so as to operate in two different communications modes. In a normal operation mode, the processor configures the communications coil arrangement for peridermal communication with an external communications coil placed on the skin of the patient immediately over the implantable communications coil arrangement using load modulation of the communications coil arrangement, wherein the implantable communications coil has a resonance frequency matching the transmission frequency.

Abstract: A system and method detect neuronal action potential signals from tissue responding to electrical stimulation signals. A sparse signal space model for a set of tissue response recordings has a signal space separable into a plurality of disjoint component manifolds including a neural action potential (NAP) component manifold corresponding to tissue response to electrical stimulation signals. A response measurement module is configured to: i. map a tissue response measurement signal into the sparse signal model space to obtain a corresponding sparse signal representation, ii. project the sparse signal representation onto the NAP component manifold to obtain a sparse NAP component representation, iii. when the sparse NAP component representation is greater than a minimum threshold value, report and recover a detected NAP signal in the tissue response measurement signal.

Abstract: A signal processing arrangement generates electrode stimulation signals to stimulation contacts in a cochlear implant electrode array. A signal filter bank transforms an input sound signal into band pass signals, which each represent an associated frequency band of audio frequencies. An envelope processing module processes the band pass signals in a sequence of sampling time frames, wherein for each time frame, the processing includes calculating for each band pass signal at least one signal envelope dynamic property that is changing during the time frame. A channel selection module selects one or more of the band pass signals for each time frame based on the dynamic properties to produce the electrode stimulation signals to the stimulation contacts.

Abstract: A sound processing arrangement is described for a patient with a bilateral cochlear implant system having implanted electrode arrays in each ear. There is a left-side sensing microphone and a right-side sensing microphone, each configured for sensing the sound environment surrounding the patient and generating corresponding microphone signals. A sound object identification module is configured for analyzing the microphone signals to identify one or more sound objects within the sound environment. A sound object selection module is configured for processing the microphone signals to generate a sound object signal for each of the one or more sound objects. A stimulation side selector module is configured for selecting on which side or sides of the bilateral cochlear implant arrangement to process each sound object signal. One or more sound processors processes the sound object signals to generate stimulation signals to the implanted electrode arrays on the selected side or sides.

Abstract: A bone conduction hearing aid system includes a hearing aid housing with a hearing aid vibrator. A skin interface has an interface connector offset on an outer interface surface and detachably connected to a housing connector. A skin adhesive connects to the skin of a patient user to transmit the sound vibrations through the skin to underlying skull bone for transmission by bone conduction to a hearing organ of the user. When the skin adhesive is pressed against the skin of the user, the skin is initially engaged during an initial engagement period with an initial adhesive force that promotes removal and relocation of the skin interface, and the skin is fully engaged after the initial engagement period with a full adhesive force greater than the initial adhesive force that promotes a fixed secure connection that resists removal of the skin interface.

Abstract: A fluid delivery system for delivering fluid to an inner ear of a subject includes a septum configured to be embedded in the inner ear or on a promontory bone of the subject, a spear connector having a needle for insertion into the septum, a catheter in fluid communication with the spear connector, a fixation device configured to secure the septum to the inner ear or the promontory bone.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for using low levels of electrical stimulation to treat focal dystonia by stimulating the afferent nervous system and/or altering the function of the gamma motor neurons innervating muscles which experience symptomatic spasms.

Abstract: A loading spring has an inner end that engages the outer end of a middle ear transducer, an outer end that engages a fixed anatomical structure within the middle ear of the recipient patient, and a center of mass located on a common line between the inner end and the outer end. The loading spring also has an s-shape with a central spring axis along the common line. And the loading spring is configured for displacement of the inner end and the outer end along the central spring axis to fit the loading spring between the transducer and the fixed anatomical structure with a loading force that is within a defined range and entirely along a center axis of the middle ear transducer and the central spring axis.

Abstract: A coupling device for a middle ear implant includes a transducer end configured to engage an implantable electromechanical transducer, a bone engagement end configured to engage a temporal bone surface of a recipient patient, a planar loading spring located between the transducer end and the bone engagement end and configured for compression by displacement of the transducer end and the bone engagement end in towards each other, and compression indicators configured to provide visual indication of a pre-load force created on the temporal bone surface by the compression of the loading spring.

Abstract: A system and method of treating hyperactivity of an eyelid closing muscle in a subject includes providing a stimulation system in the subject with the hyperactivity of the eyelid closing muscle, sensing an activity of the eyelid closing muscle, and selectively stimulating eyelid opening muscle(s) or innervating nerves, eyelid opening reflexes, or eyelid opening reflexes in non-muscular tissue, using the stimulation system, without substantially activating the eyelid closing muscle. The system and method evokes eyelid movement in the subject.

Abstract: A cochlear implant electrode arrangement is described that prevents post-surgical retraction of the electrode array from the cochlea. The arrangement includes an electrode lead that carries cochlear stimulation signals from an implanted signal processor, through an oval shaped posterior tympanotomy opening in the facial recess of a patient, to an electrode array implanted in a cochlea of the patient. A retraction limiter slides over the electrode lead through the posterior tympanotomy with projection arms aligned along the long diameter of the posterior tympanotomy, then is rotated to align the projection arms along the short diameter of the posterior tympanotomy, and secured to the electrode lead so that the projection arms prevent post-surgical retraction of the electrode lead back through the posterior tympanotomy.

Abstract: A system and method for the evaluation of hearing implant signal processing is described. A cochlear implant signal processor converts a speech signal input into multi-channel stimulation pulse sequences for a cochlear implant electrode array. A temporal feature processing module extracts temporal feature information from the stimulation pulse sequences. A speech recognition engine evaluates the temporal information using automatic speech recognition to produce speech recognition outputs corresponding to the speech signal input.

Abstract: A signal processing arrangement generates electrode stimulation signals to stimulation contacts in a cochlear implant electrode array. A signal filter bank transforms an input sound signal into band pass signals, which each represent an associated frequency band of audio frequencies. A signal processing module processes the band pass signals in a sequence of sampling time frames, wherein for each time frame, the processing includes performing a spectral feature analysis of the band pass signals, and dynamically assigning a stimulation focus pattern to one or more of the band pass signals based on the spectral feature analysis. A stimulation coding module is configured to code the processed band pass signals for each time frame to produce the electrode stimulation signals for delivery by the stimulation contacts to a region of adjacent auditory neural tissues.

Abstract: An implantable hearing aid system is disclosed. The system has an external transmitter device and an implantable receiver device, and includes a skin interface to connect the external transmitter device to the head of a user. There is a transmitter connector on the external transmitter device and an interface connector on the skin interface to form a coupling between the skin interface and the external transmitter device to enable connection and disconnection of the external transmitter device to and from the skin interface. The skin interface has an adhesive surface facing the skin so that it can be adhered to the skin on the head of the user. The implantable receiver device has an implant stimulator to stimulate a hearing organ. Sound information is transmitted from the external transmitter device to the implantable receiver device that stimulates the hearing organ of the user.

Abstract: A bone conduction hearing aid system includes a hearing aid housing with a hearing aid vibrator. A skin interface has an interface connector offset on an outer interface surface and detachably connected to a housing connector. A skin adhesive connects to the skin of a patient user to transmit the sound vibrations through the skin to underlying skull bone for transmission by bone conduction to a hearing organ of the user. When the skin adhesive is pressed against the skin of the user, the skin is initially engaged during an initial engagement period with an initial adhesive force that promotes removal and relocation of the skin interface, and the skin is fully engaged after the initial engagement period with a full adhesive force greater than the initial adhesive force that promotes a fixed secure connection that resists removal of the skin interface.

Abstract: An electrode guide bridge is used for inserting a cochlear implant electrode into a cochlea scala of a patient cochlea. An electrode holder encloses at least a portion of a cochlear implant electrode while allowing the electrode to slide freely without friction. A pointed distal tip of the electrode holder is sized to fit within a posterior tympanotomy during electrode insertion surgery and into an electrode opening in an outer surface of the patient cochlea without entering the cochlea scala to prevent an apical tip of the enclosed electrode from contacting tissues around the electrode opening during the insertion surgery.

Abstract: A sound processing arrangement is described for a patient with a bilateral cochlear implant system having implanted electrode arrays in each ear. There is a left-side sensing microphone and a right-side sensing microphone, each configured for sensing the sound environment surrounding the patient and generating corresponding microphone signals. A sound object identification module is configured for analyzing the microphone signals to identify one or more sound objects within the sound environment. A sound object selection module is configured for processing the microphone signals to generate a sound object signal for each of the one or more sound objects. A stimulation side selector module is configured for selecting on which side or sides of the bilateral cochlear implant arrangement to process each sound object signal. One or more sound processors processes the sound object signals to generate stimulation signals to the implanted electrode arrays on the selected side or sides.