Abstract: An IMD system receives a near field His bundle electrical signal produced by a patient's heart via a first sensing electrode vector and a far field cardiac electrical signal via a second sensing electrode vector different than the first sensing electrode vector. The IMD system generates His bundle pacing pulses delivered to the patient's heart via a His pacing electrode vector and determines a type of cardiac capture evoked by a His bundle pacing pulse.

Abstract: A system and method for diagnosing mental or emotional disorders is disclosed. An affective BCI component is incorporated into a closed loop, symptom—responsive psychiatric DBS system. A series of input data related to a brain of the patient is acquired while the patient performs a battery of behavioral tasks. From the patient's performance on the task battery, the system identifies what is abnormal for that individual patient in terms of functional domains. Patient-specific behavioral measurements are then linked to patterns of activation and de-activation across different brain regions, identifying specific structures that are the source of the patient's individual impairment.

Abstract: A medical device system and method for detecting dislodgement of a lead determines one or more characteristics of a cardiac signal received via the lead that are associated with dislodgement of the lead during atrial fibrillation, and detects dislodgement of the ventricular lead based on the determined characteristics. The medical device and system provides a lead dislodgment alert in response to detecting dislodgement. In some examples, an implantable medical device withholds delivery of a defibrillation therapy based on detecting dislodgement of the lead.

Abstract: A heart rate detection method and an apparatus, where the method is applied to an electronic device, and the electronic device includes a heart rate sensor. The method includes detecting, by the electronic device, a current motion status of a user carrying the electronic device, determining, based on a prestored correspondence between a motion status, a startup period, and a sampling rate, a startup period and a sampling rate corresponding to the current motion status, where the startup period is a period in which the heart rate sensor is started to detect a heart rate of the user carrying the electronic device, and the sampling rate is a sampling rate of collecting heart rate data by the heart rate sensor, and starting the heart rate sensor at regular intervals based on the startup period to collect heart rate data at the sampling rate.

Abstract: A stimulation electrode assembly configured to be positioned relative to a patient for an operative procedure is disclosed. The stimulation electrode may be a connection or self-contained component to contact a portion of a nerve. The stimulation electrode may provide or receive a signal to and/or from the nerve to assist in testing integrity of the nerve.

Abstract: A neural probe is presented for local neural optogenetics stimulation and neurochemistry recordings. The neural probe includes a probe body, a shank extending from the probe body to a tip, a plurality of micro light-emitting diodes (LEDs) positioned across a length of a first surface of the shank for providing neuron-affecting light, a plurality of carbon devices, and a plurality of carbon electrodes positioned across a length of a second surface of the shank, the second surface in opposed relation to the first surface. The plurality of carbon electrodes can be vertically aligned carbon nanotubes or vertically aligned carbon nanofibers. The plurality of carbon electrodes can also be horizontally aligned carbon nanotubes. The plurality of micro LEDs activate neurons and the plurality of vertically aligned carbon electrodes electrochemically record neurotransmitters.

Abstract: A medical apparatus for the introduction of catheters into the human body including: an ECG device having at least three electrodes, positionable on a human body for the detection of surface electrical potential data and adapted to provide at output at least one surface ECG strip; at least one catheter element having a distal ending part positionable inside the human body and having an auxiliary electrode element for the detection of intracavitary electrical potential data, associated with the ECG device for sending to the latter said intracavitary data, the ECG device being adapted to provide at output at least one intracavitary ECG strip; —an electronic device associated with the ECG device for the receipt of at least said intracavitary ECG strip and comprising a data processing module (10) adapted to process at least the intracavitary ECG strip to obtain usage information adapted at least to provide instructions on the insertion of the catheter element in the human body.

Abstract: A catheter includes a catheter body, a pump assembly and a cannula. The pump assembly can be disposed at a distal end of the catheter body and has a distal portion. The cannula can be coupled to the distal end portion of the pump assembly and can include a proximal cannula portion and a distal cannula portion. The distal cannula portion has an approximately helical shape which can allow the cannula to be inserted into a patient's right heart and pump blood therethrough. In certain implementations, the distal tip of the helical shape has a slight bias relative to the main helix to further facilitate delivery of the device. In certain applications this bias is toward the central axis of the helix.

Abstract: A method of making a lead for a stimulation device includes forming at least one pre-electrode in the shape of a ring, the at least one pre-electrode comprises at least two thin-walled portions separated by at least two thick-walled portions; disposing the at least one pre-electrode near a distal end of a lead body; joining at least one conductor to each thick-walled portion of the at least one pre-electrode; and grinding the lead body and the at least one pre-electrode to remove the thin-walled portions of the at least one pre-electrode to form segmented electrodes from the thick-walled portions of the at least one pre-electrode.

Abstract: A method of estimating an amount of work available to be performed by a blood pump implanted in a patient includes calculating a first coordinate value characterizing a volume of blood impelled in the pump and a second coordinate value characterizing a differential pressure across the pump for each of a plurality of flow rate data points of a given cardiac cycle of the patient, each flow rate data point indicative of a flow rate of blood through the pump. An area enclosed by the first and second coordinate values of the plurality of flow rate data points is determined, the determined area being indicative of an amount of work available to be performed by the blood pump.

Abstract: Implantable wireless sensor assemblies and methods for monitoring physiological parameters within living bodies. Such sensor assembly includes a sensing device with a housing having an internal cavity, a transducer and electrical circuitry within the cavity, and an antenna that is within the cavity or outside the housing. The sensor assembly further includes a housing portion in which the transducer, the electrical circuitry, and the antenna are not located, and anchoring elements for securing the sensing device within a living body. The housing portion is separately formed and directly attached to a distal end of the housing, or is integrally formed as a discrete region of the housing at the distal end thereof. The anchor elements surround a coupling feature of the housing portion but does not surround the transducer or the antenna of the sensing device.

Abstract: A method and system for determining psychological acute stress are disclosed. In a first aspect, the method comprises detecting a physiological signal using a wireless sensor device, determining a stress feature using a normalized heart rate and a plurality of heart rate variability (HRV) features, wherein the normalized heart rate and the plurality of heart rate variability features are calculated using the detected physiological signal, and determining a stress level using the stress feature to determine the psychological acute stress. In a second aspect, the system comprises a wireless sensor device that includes a processor and a memory device coupled to the processor, wherein the memory device stores an application which, when executed by the processor, causes the wireless sensor device to carry out the steps of the method.

Abstract: A device for supporting determination of return of spontaneous circulation, ROSC, during an associated cardiopulmonary resuscitation, CPR, procedure which is being performed on an associated patient. A sensor is used to sense a physiological signal of the patient. Frequency analysis of the signal is carried out to extract dominant fundamental frequency components in the signal. From this analysis it is possible to determine that there has been a potential ROSC.

Abstract: Detecting dislodgement of a ventricular lead coupled to an implantable medical device comprises sensing a near-field cardiac EGM via a first electrode of the ventricular lead and a far-field cardiac EGM via a second electrode of the ventricular lead, identifying, R-waves in the near-field cardiac EGM and the far-field cardiac EGM. determining a near-field value of one or more R-wave amplitude metrics based on amplitudes of R-waves identified in the near-field cardiac EGM and a far-field value of the one or more R-wave amplitude metrics based on amplitudes of R-waves identified in the far-field cardiac EGM, detecting dislodgement of the ventricular lead based on at least one of the near-field value or the far-field value of the one or more R-wave amplitude metrics; and providing a lead dislodgment alert in response to detecting the dislodgement of the ventricular lead.

Abstract: In various method embodiments for operating an implantable neural stimulator to deliver a neural stimulation therapy to an autonomic neural target, the method comprises using the implantable neural stimulator to deliver the neural stimulation therapy to the autonomic neural target, and evaluating an evoked response to the neural stimulation bursts. The neural stimulation therapy includes a plurality of neural stimulation bursts where each neural stimulation burst includes a plurality of neural stimulation pulses and successive neural stimulation bursts are separated by a time without neural stimulation pulses. Evaluating the evoked response includes sensing the evoked response to the neural stimulation bursts where sensing the evoked response includes sensing at least one physiological parameter affected by the neural stimulation bursts, comparing the sensed evoked response against a baseline, and determining if the evoked response substantially returns to the baseline between neural stimulation bursts.

Abstract: The invention relates to a fluid pump, in particular to a liquid pump having a rotor with at last one rotor blade for conveying the fluid, the rotor being variable with respect to its diameter between a first, compressed state and a second expanded state. In order to produce a simple compressibility and expandability of the rotor of the pump, it is provided according to the invention that at least one rotor blade is deformable between a first state which it assumes in the compressed state of the rotor and a second state which it assumes in the expanded state of the rotor by means of a fluid counterpressure during a rotation of the rotor during pump operation.

Abstract: Systems and methods for monitoring a heart muscle function identify anomalies in the heart muscle function of a patient, relative to a predetermined cardio-profile. Concurrently, they also detect aberrations in the characteristics of perturbations that may have caused the anomaly. In detail, the aberrations are detected relative to a predetermined response matrix for the perturbation, and characteristics of the perturbation are weighted according to their potential influence on the anomaly. The anomalies that are identified from the cardio-profile are then evaluated relative to the corresponding perturbation aberration to determine whether clinical intervention is warranted.

Abstract: An implantable device and associated method for delivering multi-site pacing therapy is disclosed. The device comprises a set of electrodes including a first ventricular electrode and a second ventricular electrode, spatially separated from one another and all coupled to an implantable pulse generator. The device comprises a processor configured for selecting a first cathode and a first anode from the set of electrodes to form a first pacing vector at a first pacing site along a heart chamber and selecting a second cathode and a second anode from the set of electrodes to form a second pacing vector at a second pacing site along the same heart chamber. The pulse generator is configured to deliver first pacing pulses to the first pacing vector and delivering second pacing pulses to the second pacing vector. The pulse generator generates a recharging current for recharging a first coupling capacitor over a first recharge time period in response to the first pacing pulses.

Abstract: A method for assessing ergonomics of a human user in an environment is disclosed. The method includes generating a visual skeletal signal by using a visual sensor. The method further includes determining a first posture sample based on the skeletal signal, by using an electronic controller. The posture sample includes skeletal information including one or both of joint information and positioning information. The method further includes comparing the posture sample with an ergonomically ideal posture sample and determining an ergonomic report based on the comparing of the posture sample and the ergonomically ideal posture sample. The method further includes providing the ergonomic report via an output device.

Abstract: Described herein are systems, devices, and methods for cardiac monitoring. In particular, the systems, devices, and methods described herein may be used to conveniently sense the presence of an intermittent arrhythmia in an individual. The systems, devices, and methods described herein may be further configured to sense an electrocardiogram.