Abstract: Retroperfusion control apparatus for supplying arterial blood of a patient to the venous side of the patient's heart including a pump having an inlet and an outlet and a piston movable through a pump stroke for moving a liquid from the inlet to the outlet of the pump. A stepper motor is provided which drives the piston. Electronic circuitry is provided for driving the stepper motor and senses the presence of an R wave in a patient to operate the stepper motor in response to the sensed R wave.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for implanting an automatic implantable defibrillator without the need for major surgery is disclosed. Preconfigured electrodes are straightened by the use of a stylet or by the surrounding catheter and inserted into the intrapericardial space through catheters. The catheters may be removed or may be left in place and attached to the pericardium or surrounding tissue to hold the electrodes in place.

Abstract: A heart monitoring device for use under emergency conditions including a portable housing, a pair of electrodes and a pair of electrical wires connecting the electrodes to the housing and to an electrical circuit carried therein. The electrodes are usable in two modes. One mode is a precordial mode wherein the electrodes are mounted on the exterior of the housing in spaced positions fixed with respect to the housing in commonly outwardly facing relation so as to be conveniently engageable with the skin of the chest of a user by manually engaging the housing and moving it with the electrodes fixed thereto into housing retained operative positions on the chest skin. The second mode is a non-precordial mode wherein the electrodes are removed from the housing and, preferably, self-retained within the armpits.

Abstract: A noise-immune blood pressure measurement system filters out high frequency noise and blood pulses. The system also recognizes and filters out slow, large noise signals in the range of 0.5 Hz. Such noise signals result when a patient wearing the system makes slow, large finger movements, or is slowly transported by a vehicle over a large bump, for instance. The system accurately derives systolic, mean arterial, and diastolic pressures even when used in a noisy emergency vehicle or battlefield situation.

Abstract: An implantable medical device for controlling a physiological function includes functional apparatus for controllably duplicating the selected normal physiological function of the patient's body. A sensor detects the physical orientation of the implanted medical device within the body, which is indicative of whether the patient is standing, sitting or reclining. The sensor is also responsive to forces of acceleration on the medical device within the body, indicative of the state of rest or activity movement of the patient. Apparatus in the device is responsive to the physical position and the physical state of the patient, as detected by the sensor, to control the duplication of the normal physiological function according to that position and state. In one embodiment, the medical device is a cardiac pacemaker and the physiological function is heart rate.

Abstract: An implantable lead has conductors wound in a multi-pole helix. The conductors are individually insulated by a first insulating material and the insulated conductors are embedded in, and axially separated from each other by a second tube-formed insulating material. The inner opening of the tube receives a helically wound stylet guide coil which may also be a multi-pole conductor arrangement. The conductors may be helically wound, multi-filament wires. Preferably, all helically wound arrangements in the lead are wound in the same direction so that the lead is still when rotating it in one direction and flexible when rotating it the other way.

Abstract: A device having a planar body with communicating flexible tubular members on its opposite sides having a one-way air valve therebetween may be used by a person performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on a second person such as in the practice of cardiopulmonary resuscitation commonly referred to as CPR. One of the flexible tubular members is designed to be positioned in the mouth of the person receiving the resuscitation and retained therein by portions of the planar body of the device being held against the person's lips and cheeks while the other of the flexible tubular members is positioned in the mouth of the person performing the mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. The one-way air valve controlling communication between the flexible tubular members is arranged to permit air to be delivered into the mouth of the person receiving the resuscitation and to prevent air from the receiving person's mouth from moving upwardly into the mouth of the person performing the mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.