Patents Examined by Jon-Eric C. Morales
  • Patent number: 11000220
    Abstract: Described embodiments include a system, including sample-and-hold circuitry, configured to sample a plurality of intracardiac electrocardiographic (ECG) signals acquired by respective electrodes disposed within a heart of a subject, and a processor. The processor is configured to receive, from one or more contact-indicating sensors, contact-indicating signals that indicate respective likelihoods of the electrodes being in contact with tissue of the heart, and, in response to the likelihoods being different from each other, cause the ECG signals to be sampled, by the sample-and-hold circuitry, at different respective sampling frequencies. Other embodiments are also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2021
    Assignee: Biosense Webster (Israel) Ltd.
    Inventors: Vadim Gliner, Assaf Govari
  • Patent number: 10987089
    Abstract: Provided are an ultrasound imaging apparatus and method of generating an ultrasound image. The ultrasound imaging apparatus includes: a memory configured to store instructions; and at least one processor configured to execute the stored instructions to: generate, based on echo signals reflected from an object, a first image showing a tissue of the object and a second image showing a contrast medium injected into the object; generate a third image by removing at least a portion of the tissue from the second image based on the first image; and display the generated third image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: SAMSUNG MEDISON CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Ho-kyung Kang, Jong-geun Park, Ki-won Sohn, Won-chul Bang
  • Patent number: 10987514
    Abstract: Provided is a system and method for cavernosal neuromodulation as directed by a wireless remote controller and power supply. The system including: an implantable lead having at least one electrode structured and arranged to be disposed proximate to the cavernous nerve in a penis; a portable power supply; and a controller having wireless communication electronics and control circuitry associated with the wireless communication electronics structured and arranged to wirelessly couple the power supply to the at least one electrode, the controller further structured and arranged to permit a user to select at least one instruction set for the at least electrode. The controller and power supply may be provided by a control ring. An associated method of use is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Inventors: Kenneth M. Peters, Larry T. Sirls
  • Patent number: 10973573
    Abstract: A method and device for modulating the autonomic nervous system adjacent a pericardial space to treat cardiac arrhythmia includes a treatment source arranged to supply a treatment medium, a catheter having an end sized for insertion into the pericardial space, a medium delivery assembly having a distal end arranged to be positioned by the catheter into the pericardium, with the distal end of the delivery assembly comprising a delivery tip arranged to extend away from the distal end of the catheter into the pericardial space. A connector operatively couples the delivery tip of the medium delivery assembly to the treatment source, and the delivery tip of the medium delivery assembly including a plurality of delivery points for delivering the treatment medium at a plurality of treatment areas within the pericardial space. The device performs modulation or ablation of the autonomic nervous system at selected treatment areas within the pericardium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2021
    Assignee: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
    Inventors: Samuel J. Asirvatham, Mark B. Knudson
  • Patent number: 10967188
    Abstract: Systems and methods for controlling blood pressure by controlling atrial pressure and atrial stretch are disclosed. In some embodiments, a stimulation circuit may be configured to deliver a stimulation pulse to at least one cardiac chamber of a heart of a patient, and at least one controller may be configured to execute delivery of one or more stimulation patterns of stimulation pulses to the at least one cardiac chamber, wherein at least one of the stimulation pulses stimulates the heart such that an atrial pressure resulting from atrial contraction of an atrium overlaps in time a passive pressure build-up of the atrium, such that an atrial pressure of the atrium resulting from the stimulation is a combination of the atrial pressure resulting from atrial contraction and the passive pressure build-up and is higher than an atrial pressure of the atrium would be without the stimulation, and such that the blood pressure of the patient is reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2021
    Assignee: BackBeat Medical, LLC
    Inventors: Yuval Mika, Darren Sherman, Robert S. Schwartz, Robert A. Van Tassel, Daniel Burkhoff
  • Patent number: 10960200
    Abstract: A heart pump including a housing defining a cavity including at least one inlet and at least one outlet, an impeller provided within the cavity, the impeller including vanes for urging fluid from the inlet to the outlet upon rotation of the impeller, a drive that rotates the impeller within the cavity, a magnetic bearing including at least one bearing coil that controls an axial position of the impeller within the cavity, a sensor that senses an axial position of the impeller within the cavity and a controller. The controller includes an electronic processing device that, in response to a change in axial hydraulic forces on the impeller determines an axial position of the impeller within the cavity, determines a reference power in accordance with the determined axial position and controls the magnetic bearing to cause the impeller to move until a bearing power indicator indicative of the power used by the magnetic bearing reaches the reference power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2021
    Assignee: BiVACOR Inc.
    Inventors: Frank Nestler, Nicholas Greatrex, Daniel Timms, Matthias Kleinheyer
  • Patent number: 10960203
    Abstract: One aspect of the present disclosure relates to a system that can modulate the intensity of a neural stimulation signal over time. A pulse generator can be configured to generate a stimulation signal for application to neural tissue of an individual and modulate a parameter related to intensity of a pattern of pulses of the stimulation signal over time. An electrode can be coupled to the pulse generator and configured to apply the stimulation signal to the neural tissue. A population of axons in the neural tissue can be recruited with each pulse of the stimulation signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2021
    Assignee: CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Dustin Tyler, Daniel Tan, Matthew Schiefer
  • Patent number: 10952663
    Abstract: A dementia determination device in a dementia information output system includes an obtainer which obtains, on a per unit period basis, the result of measuring body motion of a user in a sleep time period; and an outputter which outputs dementia information indicating the likelihood that the user is developing a mild cognitive disorder based on the occurrence frequency of a unit period in which the magnitude of a difference between reference data on body motion of a healthy subject in a sleep time period and the result of measuring obtained by the obtainer exceeds a predetermined threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2021
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takashi Nishiyama, Yoshihiro Matsumura, Kengo Abe
  • Patent number: 10945664
    Abstract: A protective case for a wearable electronic device. The wearable electronic device may include a housing and a band that is configured to secure the wearable electronic device to a user. A protective of removable case may be configured to attach to the external features of the housing and include a body portion and a set of curved protrusions that extend from the body portion to cover the corners of the housing. The device may include an optical sensor and the case may include an aperture formed in the body portion that is substantially aligned with the optical sensor. A gasket, positioned along a perimeter of the aperture, may be configured to provide an optical barrier for the optical sensor of the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2021
    Assignee: Apple, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael J. Webb
  • Patent number: 10940319
    Abstract: Methods and systems are described for managing synchronous conducted communication for an implantable medical device (IMD). The IMD further comprises electrodes and sensing circuitry. The sensing circuitry is configured to detect physiologic events. A receiver amplifier is coupled to the electrodes. The receiver amplifier is configured to receive conducted communications signals via the electrodes. A controller is configured to establish synchronous conducted communication with a transmit device. The controller includes a receive window timing (RWT) module configured to manage an on-off cycle of the receiver amplifier based on first and second receive window timing schemes. The RWT module switches between the first and second receive window timing schemes based on a condition of the synchronous conducted communication.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2021
    Assignee: Pacesetter, Inc.
    Inventors: Timothy Edward Ciciarelli, Benjamin Persson
  • Patent number: 10933249
    Abstract: A medical equipment management system is described that includes a database including status and software information for medical equipment, a user interface configured to display at least one summary level indicator comprising a summary level status indicator for at least one group of the medical equipment, wherein the group of medical equipment corresponds to a user-defined geographic region, and a computer located remotely from the medical equipment and communicatively coupled to the user interface and the database, the computer configured to establish a communicative connection with the medical equipment, receive status updates from the medical equipment, update the status information in the database based on the status updates, receive a request to access the database, and provide the updated status information for the group of medical equipment to the user interface, wherein the summary level status indicator at the user interface is based on the updated status information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2021
    Assignee: ZOLL Medical Corporation
    Inventors: Ziad F Elghazzawi, Ian B Durrant, Henry Clay Constantine, III
  • Patent number: 10918876
    Abstract: Disclosed are systems, devices and methods that produce at least two distinct temporal components from two distinct endocardial electrogram (EGM) signals collected concurrently, determines a non-temporal 2D characteristic representative of the cardiac cycle to be analyzed, from the variations of one of the temporal components as a function of another of the temporal components and comparing the characteristic of the current cycle to two reference characteristics previously obtained and stored, one in a situation of complete capture and the other in a situation of spontaneous rhythm. Respective values of similarity descriptors are derived of these two comparisons, which are used to calculate a metric quantifying a fusion rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: Sorin CRM SAS
    Inventors: Paola Milpied, Delphine Feuerstein
  • Patent number: 10918857
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to an array of electrodes on a flexible scaffolding, with the ability to collapse into an axial configuration suitable for deploying through a narrow cylindrical channel. The electrode arrays can be placed into the ventricular system of the brain, constituting a minimally invasive platform for precise spatial and temporal localization of electrical activity within the brain, and precise electrical stimulation of brain tissue, to diagnose and restore function in conditions caused by abnormal electrical activity in the brain.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: Precision Neuroscience LLC
    Inventors: Benjamin I. Rapoport, Demetrios Papageorgiou, Jason Chen
  • Patent number: 10912872
    Abstract: A cardiac pump and an assist system is provided that increases blood ejection from a compromised heart. An implantable cardiac pump acting as an assist device provided includes an attachment system and locating features that enable a minimally invasive procedure to implant and deploy one or more aortic blood pumps in a patient. The insertable cardiac pump is replaceable without resort to a conventional open surgical procedure. Monitoring of cardiac pump operation allows for replacement in advance of chamber failure. The dynamics of blood-contacting interface of the cardiac assist device mimic the dynamics of the blood-contacting interface of a naturally occurring left ventricle, thereby minimizing flow-related device-associated pathologic disturbances of intravascular clotting mechanisms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2021
    Assignee: VIADERM LLC
    Inventor: Allen B. Kantrowitz
  • Patent number: 10912937
    Abstract: Disclosed are devices, electrodes, systems, methods, and other implementations, including a device that includes an electrode comprising an elongated body, a plurality of electrode contacts disposed on a first side of the elongated body, and a cannulation channel defined along a longitudinal axis of the electrode. The device further includes a guiding mechanism received within the cannulation channel, the guiding mechanism configured to guide the electrode for placement at a target area inside a body of a patient. In some embodiments, the cannulation channel is configured to receive irrigation fluids dispensed through a perforated end located near a leading tip of the elongated body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2021
    Assignee: Tufts Medical Center, Inc.
    Inventor: James Kryzanski
  • Patent number: 10910106
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present technology include a wearable physiological monitoring device, related algorithms and software that are tied to a portable electronic device for readout. The wearable device can perform real-time measurement of a number of physiological and environmental parameters including heart rate, pulse oximetry, respiration, movement, environmental particulate matter, moisture, temperature (e.g., ambient air and body temperatures) and geospatial location. Some embodiments may establish a physiological baseline for a patient by measuring the above parameters during a healthy state. Collected data can be wirelessly transmitted to a portable electronic device or monitoring and feedback platform where software will analyze the data and make assessments of the device wearer's health based upon the wearer's baseline.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Assignee: The Regents of the University of Colorado
    Inventors: Robin Deterding, Tam Vu
  • Patent number: 10888236
    Abstract: The present invention concerns a system (100) for analyzing electrophysiological data, especially intracardial electrogram data, the system (100) comprising a data processing and control unit (15) for processing the electrophysiological data, a data output unit comprising a data output screen (324) for displaying results of electrophysiological data analysis, wherein the data processing and control unit (15) being configured to receive electrophysiological data obtained from a mapping catheter assembly (110, 111) that comprises an electrode assembly (120, 80) with a plurality of n electrodes (82), each electrode (82) configured for measuring electrophysiological data in the form of electrogram signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2021
    Assignee: Ablacon Inc.
    Inventor: Peter Ruppersberg
  • Patent number: 10881862
    Abstract: Methods and/or devices may be configured to estimate right ventricular-timings from left ventricular (LV) sensing times for adaptive cardiac therapy using DDD/VDD LV pacing without using a right ventricular (RV) lead. One embodiment employs a subcutaneous device (SD) in a patient and a leadless pacing device (LPD) coupled to a patient's heart. Heart activity including atrial and ventricular events are sensed from the patient's heart using the SD. Left ventricular events (LVS) are sensed using the LPD. The SD is used to determine whether cardiac resynchronization pacing therapy (CRT pacing) is appropriate based upon the heart activity sensed by the SD. The SD is further configured to determine timing of CRT pacing pulses for delivery to cardiac tissue through the LPD.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2021
    Assignee: Medtronic, Inc.
    Inventor: Subham Ghosh
  • Patent number: 10874847
    Abstract: Devices and methods for manipulating devices such as micro-scale devices are provided. The devices can include a tether of various materials surrounded by a stiff body. The tether interfaces with microscale devices to draw them against the stiff body, holding the microscale devices in a locked position for insertion into or extraction out of tissue. The tensional hook and stiff body are configurable in a multitude of positions and geometries to provide increased engagement. Such configurations allow for a range of implantation and extraction surgical procedures for the device within research and clinical settings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Assignee: Modular Bionics Inc.
    Inventors: Ian Loren Halpern, Mark William Merlo
  • Patent number: 10874320
    Abstract: A system includes a display device configured to present a cardiac map; and a processing unit configured to: receive electrical signals; generate the cardiac map; and facilitate display of the cardiac map, where each electrical signal corresponds to a map location. The processing unit is also configured to receive a user selection of a selected portion of the cardiac map, the selected portion including a set of map locations, each of the set of map locations corresponding to an electrical signal of a set of signals that is a subset of the received electrical signals. The set of map locations has a first spatial arrangement and the processing unit is configured to facilitate display of a set of electrical signal representations, each representation corresponding to one of the set of electrical signals, the set of electrical signal representations having a second spatial arrangement, which corresponds to the first spatial arrangement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel Klebanov, Stefano Capellino, Vasiliy E. Buharin, Brian Stewart, Arun Ramasamy, Nathan H. Bennett