Patents Assigned to St. Jude Medical AB
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Publication number: 20140257423Abstract: The present invention relates generally to implantable medical devices and more particularly to systems and methods for stimulating a heart of a patient. A first ventricle is activated by delivering stimulation to at least one stimulation site, a point of time for arrival at the AV node for at least one depolarization wave resulting from the stimulation in the first ventricle is estimated and a first activation time interval substantially corresponding to the time interval required for at least one depolarization wave to travel from the stimulation site in the first ventricle to the AV node using the estimated point of time for arrival of the depolarization wave and a point of time for delivery of stimulation is computed. Thereafter, the other ventricle is stimulated by delivering stimulation to at least one stimulation site.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 31, 2011Publication date: September 11, 2014Applicant: ST. JUDE MEDICAL ABInventors: Sven-Erik Hedberg, Nils Holmstrom, Karin Jarverud
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Publication number: 20140257070Abstract: Cardiac valve events are monitored by recording a left atrial pressure (LAP) representing signal using an implantable pressure sensor (50). The LAP signal is processed in order to generate a derivative LAP signal representative of the first time derivative of the LAP signal. The opening of the aortic valve of the heart is then identified to coincide in time with a minimum in the derivative LAP signal following ventricular depolarization in a cardiac cycle.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 20, 2011Publication date: September 11, 2014Applicant: ST. JUDE MEDICAL ABInventors: Andreas Blomqvist, Kjell Noren
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Patent number: 8812109Abstract: In an implantable medical device and a method for stimulating a heart of a patient, at least one left atrial pressure (LAP) signal over a cardiac cycle is obtained. The A-wave is identified using the LAP signal and a maximum positive rate of change of the A-wave of the LAP signal is determined. The maximum positive rate of change of the A-wave corresponds to the rate which the pressure in the atrium raises as the atria contraction forces more blood into the ventricle during the very last stage of diastole. Further, AV and/or VV delay is adjusted in response to the maximum positive rate of change of the A-wave, wherein a reduction of the maximum positive rate of change of the A-wave indicates an AV and/or VV delay providing an enhanced hemodynamic performance.Type: GrantFiled: August 23, 2012Date of Patent: August 19, 2014Assignee: St. Jude Medical ABInventors: Andreas Blomqvist, Kjell Noren
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Publication number: 20140228925Abstract: An implantable medical lead comprises an insulating tubing with a channel housing a conductor electrically connected to a shaft present in a lumen of a bearing. The shaft is also connected to a fixation helix present in a lumen of a lead header. A clot-inducing structure of a thrombogenic material is present in a distal portion of the channel and/or in the lumen of the bearing to trigger formation of a clot when blood enters the implantable medical lead and thereby inhibit blood from entering further into the channel.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 27, 2011Publication date: August 14, 2014Applicant: ST. JUDE MEDICAL ABInventor: Johan Eckerdal
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Patent number: 8805535Abstract: An MRI-compatible implantable medical lead includes two electrodes coupled to a distal end of the lead, two matching electrode terminals coupled to a proximal end and a lead body in the form of an outer insulating tubing running from the distal end to the proximal end. A coaxial conductor assembly is arranged in a bore of the outer insulating tubing and comprises an inner conductor, an outer conductor and an inner insulating tubing arranged between the inner and outer conductors. A capacitor is arranged between the inner conductor and the outer conductor at a distance from the distal end defined based on the magnetic field strength of the MRI system with which the lead is compatible.Type: GrantFiled: October 7, 2010Date of Patent: August 12, 2014Assignee: St. Jude Medical ABInventor: Michael Wang
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Patent number: 8798765Abstract: CRT settings for an implantable medical device are determined by applying pacing pulses to heart chambers of a scheme of different combinations of interchamber delays. A respective width parameter value representing an R or P wave width is determined for each such delay combination based on an ECG representing signal and the width parameter values are employed to estimate a parametric model defining the width parameter as a function of interchamber delays. Candidate interchamber delays that minimize the width parameter are determined from the parametric model and employed to determine optimal CRT settings. The technique provides an efficient way of finding optimal CRT settings when multiple pacing sites are available in a heart chamber.Type: GrantFiled: May 14, 2012Date of Patent: August 5, 2014Assignee: St. Jude Medical ABInventors: Kjell Noren, Anders Bjorling, Tomas Svensson, Sven-Erik Hedberg, Allen Keel, Stuart Rosenberg, Kyungmoo Ryu
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Patent number: 8790254Abstract: In a method and a device for determining the posture of a patient, a bio-impedance measurement device, having a number of electrodes configured to interact with the patient in a number of different electrode configurations, is operated to initiate a patient posture determining session by measuring an impedance value of the patient with the electrodes in at least one configuration among the number of configurations. A reference impedance value from among a number of stored reference impedance values for the at least one configuration is selected. The number of stored reference impedance values are respectively associated with different postures of the patient, and the posture associated with the selected reference impedance value represents a candidate posture. The measured impedance value is compared with the selected reference impedance value, thereby obtaining a comparison result.Type: GrantFiled: June 29, 2005Date of Patent: July 29, 2014Assignee: St. Jude Medical ABInventors: Malin Öhlander, Nils Holmström, Kjell Norén
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Patent number: 8781590Abstract: A connector for an implantable medical lead that is electrically and mechanically connectable to an implantable medical device, has a connector pin made of a first conducting material. A tubular insulator made of an insulating material concentrically surrounds at least a portion of the pin. A connector ring made of a second conducting material is concentrically positioned around at least a portion of the insulator. The insulator is connected to the connector ring by spark plasma sintering in the case of an active fixation lead, and is connected to the ring and the pin by spark plasma sintering in the case of a passive fixation lead.Type: GrantFiled: July 24, 2012Date of Patent: July 15, 2014Assignee: St. Jude Medical ABInventors: Rolf Hill, Andreas Ornberg, Eva Micski, Henrik Djurling, Mats Nygren
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Patent number: 8781579Abstract: An implantable medical device, IMD, (100) is connectable to at least one ventricular lead (210) having a ventricular basal electrode (214) and a ventricular apical electrode (212). The IMD (100) comprises a pulse generator (120) for generating pacing pulses applied to a heart (10) through the ventricular lead (210). The operation of this pulse generator (120) is controlled by a controller (130) that is configured to control the pulse generator to first deliver a pacing pulse to the ventricular basal electrode (214) to stimulate the basal portion of the ventricle (12, 14) before a pacing pulse is delivered to the apical portion of the ventricle (12, 14) by the ventricular apical electrode (212). This pulse sequence achieves a biologically more correct cardiac stimulation and a contraction pattern that reduces the risk for valvular regurgitation.Type: GrantFiled: December 8, 2009Date of Patent: July 15, 2014Assignee: St. Jude Medical ABInventors: Nils Holmstrom, John Gustafsson, Michael Broome
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Patent number: 8781580Abstract: An implantable medical device is connected to a multipolar LV lead and an implantable sensor. The sensor signal from the sensor is used to identify a time point of mitral valve closure for a cardiac cycle when a ventricular pulse generator generates pacing pulses that are applied to the electrodes of the multipolar LV lead according to a pacing sequence. A time interval processor determines the time interval from onset of LV activation to the time point of mitral valve closure. This procedure is repeated for multiple different pacing sequences of a sequence set. The pacing sequence that resulted in shortest time interval is then selected by a selector as the currently optimal pacing sequence for the patient.Type: GrantFiled: October 10, 2012Date of Patent: July 15, 2014Assignee: St. Jude Medical ABInventors: Sven-Erik Hedberg, Malin Hollmark, Stefan Hjelm, Michael Broome
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Publication number: 20140180352Abstract: An implantable medical device, IMD, comprises atrial and ventricular sensing units for sensing atrial or ventricular electric events. The IMD also comprises atrial and ventricular pulse generators for generating atrial or ventricular pacing pulses. A controller controls the operation of the IMD (100) according to a first mode, in which the ventricular pulse generator is prevented from generating a back-up pulse if an evoked response detector fails to detect evoked response to a delivered ventricular pacing pulse, and a second mode, in which the ventricular pulse generator is controlled to generate a back-up pulse if no evoked response is detected following delivery of a ventricular stimulating pulse. The controller switches operation from the first mode to the second mode based on the evoked response detector failing to detect an evoked response to a delivered ventricular pacing pulse.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 26, 2014Publication date: June 26, 2014Applicant: ST. JUDE MEDICAL ABInventor: Johan Eckerdal
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Publication number: 20140180366Abstract: A non-implantable communication unit conducts wireless communication with an implantable medical device (IMD). The communication unit comprises a request processor for generating power down requests destined to the IMD and triggering temporary power down of the IMD radio equipment. When the communication unit receives a data packet from the IMD or a connected programmer it determines the size of the data packet. A timer processor sets a timer to a value defined based on the determined size. A processor controller selectively controls the operation of request processor to generate or stop generating the power down requests based on a current value of the timer. Power down of the IMD radio equipment is thereby prevented if it is likely that the IMD comprises data to transmit to the communication unit as predicted based on data packet sizes.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 26, 2014Publication date: June 26, 2014Applicant: ST. JUDE MEDICAL ABInventor: Par Edlund
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Patent number: 8761882Abstract: In an implantable heart stimulating device and a method of the operation thereof, device has a control circuit that detects an evoked responses to delivered pacing pulses and to carry out an automatic capture routine. The control circuit is arranged to automatically temporarily disable the automatic capture routine on the basis of at least one of the following criteria: a1) if more than a predetermined number of threshold searches have been performed during a certain time, and b1) if a variable time delay with which the device operates is changed such that a pacing pulse may be delivered by the device during the evoked response time window.Type: GrantFiled: May 16, 2006Date of Patent: June 24, 2014Assignee: St. Jude Medical ABInventor: Anders Björling
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Patent number: 8761871Abstract: A medical device having an impedance measurement circuit connected to at least two intracorporeal measurement electrodes arranged to measure the impedance of tissue inside the body of a patient. The impedance measurement circuit is adapted to apply a measurement current/voltage signal to the electrodes to measure and calculate the impedance of the measurement tissue, and to apply the calculated impedance value to a storage unit. The stored impedance values are used, by an analysis unit, to measure the amount of visceral fat of the tissue object inside the body of the patient.Type: GrantFiled: September 25, 2006Date of Patent: June 24, 2014Assignee: St. Jude Medical, ABInventor: Andreas Blomqvist
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Patent number: 8761883Abstract: An implantable medical device is connectable to an epicardial left ventricular lead having at least one epicardial electrode and a myocardium penetrating catheter with at least one endocardial electrode and present in a lumen of the lead. The device comprises a pulse generator controller that controls a ventricular pulse generator to generate pulses to be applied to the epicardial and endocardial electrodes. The controller uses an endocardial-to-epicardial time interval or epicardial-to-endocardial time interval to coordinate endocardial and epicardial activation of the left ventricle to thereby achieve cardiac pacing that closely mimics the natural electrical activation pattern of a healthy heart.Type: GrantFiled: August 31, 2011Date of Patent: June 24, 2014Assignee: St. Jude Medical ABInventors: Tomas Svensson, Andreas Blomqvist, Andreas Karlsson, Michael Broome
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Publication number: 20140169162Abstract: A medical telemetry system and method are provided for communication between an implantable medical device (IMD) and an external device (ExD). The method and system collects real-time (RT) data and non-real-time (NRT) data. The method and system segment the RT data into RT packets and the NRT data into NRT packets and load the RT and NRT packets into a shared transmit buffer in the IMD in accordance with RT and NRT bandwidth allocations and/or packet size. The method and system transmit the RT and NRT packets from the IMD to the ExD in an order loaded in the transmit buffer and adjust at least one of the RT and NRT bandwidth allocations and/or packet size based on a quality of service (QoS) characteristic.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 17, 2012Publication date: June 19, 2014Applicant: ST. JUDE MEDICAL ABInventors: Roberto Romano, Nicklas Blidmo, Anders Becker, Par Edlund, Leif Lychou, Hanbiao Wang, Ing-Sheng Peter Yin, Thanh Tieu
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Publication number: 20140170254Abstract: In an elastomeric tube and a method for making such a tube, two medical-grade silicone rubber compositions are coaxially coextruded to form a tube. The compositions respectively differ in at least one physical property and respectively have similar curing conditions. The two compositions are blended at an interface formed between the two compositions during the coextruding, so that between 1-99% of the tube forms a blended gradient. The coextruded tube is then cured.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 24, 2014Publication date: June 19, 2014Applicant: ST. JUDE MEDICAL ABInventor: Kenneth Dowling
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Patent number: 8755874Abstract: In an implantable medical device such as an implantable cardiac defibrillator, and a method for classifying arrhythmia events, IEGM signals are analyzed to detect an arrhythmia event and a respiratory pattern of the patient is sensed. At least one respiratory parameter reflecting characteristics of the respiratory pattern of the patient is determined based on the sensed respiratory pattern and a respiratory measure corresponding to a change of a rate of change of the at least one respiratory parameter is calculated. The detected arrhythmia event is classified based on the respiratory measure and the IEGM signals, wherein arrhythmia events that satisfy at least a first criterion is classified as an arrhythmia event requiring therapy.Type: GrantFiled: May 7, 2008Date of Patent: June 17, 2014Assignee: St. Jude Medical ABInventors: Anders Björling, Rupinder Bharmi, Michael Broomé, Karin Järverud
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Patent number: 8750996Abstract: The invention relates to a medical implantable lead for monitoring and/or controlling an organ inside a human or animal body. The lead comprises a first electrode (6I) at a distal end of the lead adapted to be in contact with tissue of the organ, a connector at a proximal end of the lead adapted to be connected to a monitoring and/or controlling device, a conducting arrangement comprising a first conducting coil (9I) of at least one electrically conducting wire (10I) for connecting the first electrode electrically to the connector to receive and/or transmit electric signals from and to the tissue, respectively, and a flexible tubing (7) surrounding the lead from the proximal to the distal end, wherein the lead is tapered in a distal portion and has a smaller cross sectional dimension at the distal portion than at the rest of the lead.Type: GrantFiled: September 9, 2013Date of Patent: June 10, 2014Assignee: St. Jude Medical ABInventors: Anders Bjorling, Caroline Sparf
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Patent number: 8750995Abstract: An implantable heart stimulating device for indicating congestive heart failure (CHF) has a processor and a sensor combination that senses at least two heart events during one heart cycle at different locations of the heart. The processor is supplied with signals from the sensor combination relating to the sensed events, and determines therefrom at least one heart time interval between the sensed events in the same heart cycle. The processor determines a CHF indicator value representing a degree of CHF based on a variability measure calculated from at least two heart time intervals from at least two different heart cycles. The processor determines the CHF indicator value in relation to previous CHF indicator values.Type: GrantFiled: June 16, 2005Date of Patent: June 10, 2014Assignee: St. Jude Medical ABInventor: Björling Anders