Abstract: Systems and methods are described herein for detecting disturbances in cardiac signals. An electrode apparatus includes a plurality of external electrodes to be disposed proximate a patient's skin. A computing apparatus includes processing circuitry. The computing apparatus is operably coupled to the electrode apparatus. The computing apparatus is configured to monitor electrical activity from tissue of a patient using a plurality of external electrodes to generate a plurality of electrical signals. At least one of the electrical signals of the plurality of electrical signals is filtered. At least one disturbance in the at least one electrical signal is detected using the at least one filtered signal. A temporal location of the at least one disturbance in the at least one electrical signal is determined based on a time that the at least one filtered signal crosses a predetermined threshold.

Abstract: Methods and systems for using evoked neural response to inform aspects of deep brain stimulation therapy are disclosed. According to some embodiments, a series of evoked neural response signals are recorded, and one or more waveform features are extracted from each of the signals. The waveform features can be used as biomarkers and or control signals for informing aspects of the therapy, such as lead implantation/localization, optimization of stimulation parameters, and/or closed loop feedback for maintaining chronic therapy. Embodiments include a check to determine and classify if any of the recorded neural response signals or portions thereof are corrupted. In the event that any of the signals are corrupted, values for the waveform features for the corrupted signals are interpolated using uncorrupted neural response signals in the series and/or uncorrupted portions of the problem neural response signal.

Abstract: An external drive unit for an implantable heart assist pump is provided. The drive unit comprises a motor housing, a transcutaneous drive shaft and a motor for driving the heart assist pump. The motor is connectable to the heart assist pump via the drive shaft, and the motor is arranged inside the motor housing. The drive unit further comprises a catheter surrounding the drive shaft and a purge line for injecting a purge medium into a lumen of the catheter or into a space between the catheter and the drive shaft. The purge line is in thermal contact with an outer surface of the motor housing and/or with an outer surface of a proximal section of the catheter. Due to the thermal contact heat is transferred from the outer surface of the catheter in the proximal section and/or from the outer surface of the motor housing to the purge medium.

Abstract: Vagal nerve stimulation devices and methods are provided herein. A device comprises one or more electrodes having a contact surface for contacting an outer skin surface of a patient and an energy source coupled to the electrodes. The energy source generates one or more electrical impulses and transmits the electrical impulses to the electrodes and transcutaneously through the outer skin surface of the patient at or near a vagus nerve. The one or more electrical pulses comprise bursts of 2 to 20 pulses within each burst with each burst having a frequency of about 5 Hz to about 100 Hz.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for segmenting electrocardiogram (ECG) signals. In one example, a method to segment an electrocardiogram (ECG) signal may include detecting consecutive heartbeats in an ECG signal. The method also includes segmenting the ECG signal into multiple ECG segments surrounding the detected consecutive heartbeats and generating an ECG data set by joining consecutive ECG segments. The generated the ECG data set represents the detected heartbeats. In some such examples, each ECG segment is of a duration to include a QRS complex, a P wave, and a T wave.

Abstract: An electrocardiogram (“ECG”) system is provided. The system includes an ECG device capable of receiving ECG signals from a lead system attached to the user. The ECG device then renders the ECG signals into ECG data, and transmits the ECG data to at least one of a user device, such as a smart phone, or a cloud-based storage system. The user device is capable of rendering the ECG data into an ECG graph, and displaying the ECG graph to the user on an application (“app”). The system also provides for a cloud-based storage system capable storing the ECG data and providing access to the ECG data to the user and to medical personal.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to neuromuscular stimulation and sensing cuffs. The neuromuscular stimulation cuff has at least two fingers and a plurality of electrodes disposed on each finger. More generally, the neuromuscular stimulation cuff includes an outer, reusable component and an inner, disposable component. One or more electrodes are housed within the reusable component. The neuromuscular stimulation cuff may be produced by providing an insulating substrate layer, forming a conductive circuit on the substrate layer to form a conductive circuit layer, adhering a cover layer onto the conductive circuit layer to form a flexible circuit, and cutting at least one flexible finger from the flexible circuit. The neuromuscular stimulation cuff employs a flexible multi-electrode design which allows for reanimation of complex muscle movements in a patient, including individual finger movement.

Abstract: The application relates to an external drive unit (7) for an implantable heart assist pump. The proposed drive unit (7) comprises a motor (35) for driving the heart assist pump, wherein the motor (35) is connectable to the heart assist pump via a transcutaneous drive shaft (3). The drive unit (7) further comprises a heat spreader (19) comprising a contact surface configured to contact and/or directly contact and/or lie flat against a skin of a patient. The contact surface is connected or connectable with the motor (35) in a thermally-conductive manner to transfer heat generated by the motor (35) to tissue of the patient.

Abstract: This application relates to a breast implant and an apparatus for sensing an abnormality of the breast implant. In one aspect, the breast implant includes a shell including an injection hole and forming an outer cover of the breast implant and a filler of a gel state injected into the shell through the injection hole. The breast implant may also include a first patch configured to seal the injection hole, the first patch including a first sensor module. The breast implant may further include a second patch configured to be attached on at least one of a second position facing the first position and a third position to which a pressure due to a gravity is applied when the breast implant is inserted in a breast and a body is kept upright without an external pressure applied, the second patch including a second sensor module.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus for detecting and/or validating a detection of a state change by matching the shape of one or more of an cardiac data series, a heart rate variability data series, or at least a portion of a heart beat complex, derived from cardiac data, to an appropriate template.

Abstract: The present disclosure may be embodied as methods and/or systems for non-contact measuring of an on-body and/or inside-body motion of an individual. A sensing signal is provided within a near-field coupling range of a motion to be measured. In this way, a measurement signal may be generated as the sensing signal modulated by the motion. The sensing signal may be an ID-modulated signal. In some embodiments, the sensing signal is a backscattered RFID link provided a wireless tag. A downlink signal may be provided to power the wireless tag. The sensing signal may be a harmonic of the downlink signal. The measurement signal is detected. The motion is measured based on the measurement signal. The measurement signal may be detected as far-field radiation after transmission through a source of the motion. The measurement signal may be detected as reflected from a source of the motion as antenna reflection.

Abstract: A system is provided that includes one or more electrodes configured to be implanted proximate to a sensing site, and a memory configured to store first and second sets of filter parameters that define first and second noise stop bands. The system also includes an implantable medical device (IMD) that has inputs configured to receive sensed signals, the sensed signals include frequency components associated with physiology activity and frequency components associated with noise. The IMD also includes a band-stop filter communicating with the sensing channel inputs. When executing program instructions, a processor switches the band-stop filter from the first set of filter parameters to the second set of filter parameters to shift from the first noise stop band to the second noise stop band based on the noise in the environment of the patient.

Abstract: An apparatus comprising: a first displacement current sensor comprising a first sensing electrode and a first guard electrode, wherein the first displacement current sensor is configured to measure a first sensed signal dependent upon electrical activity of a subjects heart; a second displacement current sensor comprising a second sensing electrode and a second guard electrode, wherein the second displacement current sensor is configured to measure a second sensed signal dependent upon electrical activity of a subjects heart; and circuitry configured to process at least the first sensed signal to compensate for artefacts arising from motion of the subject.

Abstract: An implantable medical device system delivers a pacing pulse to a patient's heart and starts a first pacing interval corresponding to a pacing rate in response to the delivered pacing pulse. The system charges a holding capacitor to a pacing voltage amplitude during the first pacing interval. The system detects an increased intrinsic heart rate that is at least a threshold rate faster than the current pacing rate from a cardiac electrical signal received by a sensing circuit of the implantable medical device. The system starts a second pacing interval in response to an intrinsic cardiac event sensed from the cardiac electrical signal and withholds charging of the holding capacitor for at least a portion of the second pacing interval in response to detecting the increased intrinsic heart rate.

Abstract: A computer implemented method and system for monitoring types of capture within a distributed implantable system having a leadless implantable medical device (LIMD) to be implanted entirely within a local chamber of the heart and having a subcutaneous implantable medical device (SIMD) to be located proximate the heart are provided. The method is under control of one or more processors of the SIMD configured with program instructions. The method collects far field (FF) evoked cardiac signals following the pacing pulses delivered by the LIMD for an event and analyzes the FF evoked cardiac signals to identify a type of HIS capture as loss of capture (LOC), selective capture, myocardial tissue-only (MT-only) capture, or a non-selective (NS) capture and records a label for the event based on the type of HIS capture identified.

Abstract: An ORIF implant has an electronics module with a stimulus light and optical sensors for sensing fluorescent emissions coupled to a near-field digital radio. The implant is used with a near-field radio to receive a sequence of fluorescent emissions readings from the implant into a processor that fits the sequence of readings to a bone-specific kinetic model that is a superposition of a plug flow model of periosteal perfusion and a two-compartment model of endosteal perfusion of perfusion of bone. A system for use during ORIF surgery has an injector for fluorescent dye, a camera to send a sequence of images of fluorescent emissions from fluorescent dye in a bone of a subject to an image processor when the bone is illuminated with a stimulus light, the processor configured to fit the sequence of images to a model of perfusion of bone.

Abstract: Techniques for patient pressure injury prevention (PPIP) include receiving, from a plurality of pressure sensors configured to be disposed in a spatial arrangement in contact with a patient, samples that indicate pressure measurements by the plurality of sensors at each of a plurality of different times. At each of the plurality of different times an angular orientation of the pressure is determined based on the samples. A change in the angular orientation of the pressure is determined at each successive time of the plurality of different times. A value of a patient movement parameter is determined based on the change in angular orientation of the pressure. A pressure injury category for the patient based on the value of the patient movement parameter is presented on a display device for a caregiver. Treatment of the patient by the caregiver is based on the pressure injury category.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for pulsed electric field (PEF) neuromodulation via an intra-to-extravascular approach, e.g., to effectuate irreversible electroporation or electrofusion, necrosis and/or inducement of apoptosis, alteration of gene expression, changes in cytokine upregulation and other conditions in target neural fibers. In some embodiments, an apparatus includes an intravascular catheter having one or more electrodes configured for intra-to-extravascular placement across a wall of patient's vessel into proximity with target neural fibers. With the electrode(s) passing from an intravascular position to an extravascular position prior to delivery of the PEF, a magnitude of applied voltage or energy delivered via the electrode(s) and necessary to achieve desired neuromodulation may be reduced relative to an intravascular PEF system having one or more electrodes positioned solely intravascularly.

Abstract: A ventricular pacemaker is configured to determine a ventricular rate interval by determining at least one ventricular event interval between two consecutive ventricular events and determine a rate smoothing ventricular pacing interval based on the ventricular rate interval. The pacemaker is further configured to detect an atrial event from a sensor signal and deliver a ventricular pacing pulse in response to detecting the atrial event from the sensor signal. The pacemaker may start the rate smoothing ventricular pacing interval to schedule a next pacing pulse to be delivered upon expiration of the rate smoothing ventricular pacing interval.

Abstract: An electrode system includes an electrode, a connector, and a cable with an in-line radio-frequency filter module comprising resistors and inductors without any deliberately added capacitance. The resistors are arranged in an alternating series of resistors and inductors, preferably with resistors at both outer ends, and connected electrically in series. The in-line module is located at a specific location along the wire, chosen through computer modeling and real-world testing for minimum transfer of received RF energy to a patient's skin, such as between 100 cm and 150 cm from the electrode end of a 240 centimeter cable. The total resistance of the resistors plus cable, connectors and solder is 1000 ohms or less; while the total inductance is roughly 1560 nanohenries. The inductors do not include ferrite or other magnetic material and are, together with the resistors, stock components thereby simplifying manufacture and reducing cost.