Abstract: A multi-leaded, filter feed-thru assembly for implantable medical devices, such as heart pacemakers, defibrillators, and neurostimulators, which integrates both multi-element semiconductor devices and passive component devices, or multi-element combinations thereof, together with a discoidal capacitive filter device to provide filtration of electromagnetic interference is provided. The assembly additionally provides for the suppression of high voltage transients from defibrillation and electrocautery procedures, as well as providing additional circuit and network functions.

Abstract: An implantable medical device such as a cardiac pacemaker or implantable cardioverter/defibrillator with the capability of receiving communications in the form of speech spoken by the patient. An acoustic transducer is incorporated within the device which along with associated filtering circuitry enables the voice communication to be used to affect the operation of the device or recorded for later playback.

Abstract: An implantable cardiac device that is adapted to periodically measure a body parameter, such as transthoracic impedance, at time periods selected so that the body parameter is primarily indicative of the respiration of the patient. In this way, a ventilation parameter, such as minute ventilation, can be reconstructed from the signals without requiring filtering of the sampled signals. In one embodiment, the implantable cardiac device measures transthoracic impedance during each quiescent period of the heart and thereby obtains a plurality of transthoracic impedance data points which are then used to reconstruct a ventilation signal. As the transthoracic impedance data points are obtained during the quiescent period, the contribution of the heart to the resulting transthoracic impedance measurement can be ignored and the resulting measurements are indicative of the action of the heart.

Abstract: A defibrillator comprising an implantable housing (10) and an implantable electrode set which includes at least a right-ventricular electrode (2) and a coronary sinus electrode (3), wherein arranged in the housing (10) is a control device (11) for the electrodes of the electrode set wherein the housing (10) is conducting and is connected as an electrode.

Abstract: An implantable cardioverter/defibrillator applies a quantity of electrical energy to a heart to terminate an arrhythmia of the heart. The cardioverter/defibrillator employs therapy delivery timing to avoid delivery of the therapy during vulnerable periods of the heart. The cardioverter/defibrillator includes an arrhythmia detector that detects an arrhythmia of the heart, a ventricular activation detector that detects ventricular activations of the heart, and an atrial activation detector that detects atrial activations of the heart. A ventricular timer, resettable by detected ventricular activations, and an atrial timer, resettable by detected atrial activations, keep time responsive to the arrhythmia detector detecting the arrhythmia. A generator applies the quantity of electrical energy to the heart responsive to the arrhythmia detector detecting the arrhythmia, when neither chamber is in its vulnerable period.

Abstract: A cardiological apparatus is provided having a sensor (1) for picking up electrical signals from a heart and a signal processor connected to the sensor (1) and which is adapted to process signals received from the sensor (1) and includes a pre-processor, wherein the processor includes a reference time generator (8) which is adapted to output a time signal upon the occurrence of a periodically recurring signal feature, averaging features (11, 12, 22, 6) which are adapted to form a signal portion which is averaged over a plurality of signal portions between each two time signals, an average store (7) which is adapted to store the average values, a parameter determining feature (9), and scatter value determining features (31) which are adapted to output a scatter value for time-successive signals.

Abstract: An implantable defibrillation lead with steerable characteristics, allowing the lead to be more easily placed within the coronary sinus. The lead comprises an elongated lead body having a proximal end and a distal end. Adjacent the distal end, there is an electrode, preferably a coiled defibrillation electrode placed on the exterior of the elongated lead body. The distal end of the lead body has a permanent set or bend. A torque tube, extending through a lumen in the lead body from the proximal end of the lead to an anchor block adjacent the distal end of the lead, can be rotated by a physician to orient the bend in the lead. A cable passes through the torque tube from the proximal end of the lead through the anchor block to the distal end of the lead. This cable is affixed to a wall of the lumen, preferably in the direction of the bend. Pulling on the cable temporarily changes the bend in the distal end of the lead.

Abstract: An implantable ventricular cardioverter/defibrillator applies a quantity of electrical energy to a heart for terminating a ventricular arrhythmia while preventing the induction of atrial fibrillation. The cardioverter/defibrillator includes a ventricular arrhythmia detector and an atrial pacer that delivers atrial pacing pulses to an atrium of the heart when the ventricular arrhythmia detector detects a ventricular arrhythmia. A generator applies a quantity of electrical energy to the heart in timed relation to a delivered atrial pacing pulse to terminate the ventricular arrhythmia to avoid inducing atrial fibrillation.

Abstract: A method for the detection of changes in dynamic properties of brain electrical activity is used to characterize and differentiate between physiological and pathological conditions, and to anticipate epileptic seizures. The detection of changes in dynamic properties of brain electrical activity is accomplished by constructing reference dynamics (Sref) of a normal state from an EEG, comparing the reference dynamics (Sref) with dynamics of a test segment (St), and computing the similarities over the entire EEG recordings by sliding the test segment (St) periodically.

Abstract: A dilatable cardiac electrode arrangement for implantation in particular in the coronary sinus of the heart is provided with a defibrillator electrode of the type of a stent and of an expandable, electrically conductive structure; with annular pacemaker electrodes; with insulation zones between the pacemaker electrodes on the one hand and the defibrillator electrode on the other; and with electric lines for the defibrillator and pacemaker electrodes.

Abstract: A defibrillator, which selectively delivers a defibrillation pulse to a patient, includes electrodes adapted for placement on the patient, a monitoring circuit for providing an electrocardiogram (ECG) of the patient, and a defibrillation pulse generator having an energy store for delivering a defibrillation pulse. A switch in electrical communication with the ECG monitoring circuit and the defibrillation pulse generator selectively electrically connects the monitoring circuit and the defibrillation pulse generator to the electrodes. A microprocessor is in electrical communication with the monitoring circuit, the defibrillation pulse generator, and the switch. The microprocessor causes the switch to electrically connect the monitoring circuit to the electrodes in order to provide the ECG of the patient. The microprocessor also determines a scaling exponent for the patient from the ECG thereof.

Abstract: An electromedical implant (1), in particular a cardiac pacemaker, having a close-range telemetry device for data exchange with an external apparatus (2), which includes at least a close-range antenna (47) and a close-range transmitter/receiver unit with a close-range transmitter (44), a telemetry unit (45) connected thereto and an antenna interface device (46) which is connected to the telemetry unit (45) and by way of which the close-range antenna (47) is connected to the close-range transmitter/receiver unit, wherein there is provided a long-range transmitter (48) connected to the telemetry unit (45) to provide a long-range telemetry device.

Abstract: A system and method for detection of specific cardiac depolarization events, such as atrial and ventricular beats. Cardiac electrical activity is sensed to generate a sense signal that is decomposed into components by orthogonal filters. Statistical features are extracted from the components and analyzed to detect a specific event. In one embodiment, the sense signal is decomposed into frequency components by bandpass filtering. The design of the bandpass filters is such that the frequency components can be analyzed to determine whether they match the frequency components of a template signal corresponding to the specific cardiac depolarization event.

Abstract: Medical electrical leads for sensing or electrical stimulation of body organs or tissues, particularly implantable cardiac leads for delivering pacing pulses and cardioversion/defibrillation shocks, and/or sensing the cardiac electrogram (EGM) or other physiologic data and their methods of fabrication are disclosed. A lead body sheath is co-extruded in a co-extrusion process using bio-compatible, electrically insulating, materials of differing durometers in differing axial sections thereof, resulting in a unitary lead body sheath having differing stiffness sections including axial segments or webs or lumen encircling rings or other structures in its cross-section. The lead body sheath is co-extruded to have an outer surface adapted to be exposed to the environment or to be enclosed within an outer sheath and to have a plurality of lead conductor lumens for receiving and enclosing a like plurality of lead conductors of the same or differing types.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a device for picking up biological electrical signals, and more precisely auditory evoked potentials generated by acoustic and/or electrical and/or mechanical stimulation of the cochlear, or of a portion of the auditory system in man or animal. The implantable device for measuring or picking up auditory evoked potentials comprises at least two extracochlear pickup electrodes connected to the inputs of a differential amplifier.

Abstract: An implantable electrode arrangement which includes an electrode line (10, 10′) with a plurality of electrically conductive surface regions (14, 16) in the region of the distal end of the electrode line for outputting electrical signals to a heart and/or for receiving signals from a heart, which can be electrically connected by way of the electrode line (10, 10′) to a cardioelectric device such as a defibrillator or cardiac pacemaker, which device receives electrical signals and/or outputs pulses, wherein there are switching means (20, 22; 34) which are of such an arrangement and configuration that the connection between individual ones of the electrically conducting surface regions (14, 16) and the cardioelectric device can be permanently switched on or off in the region of the electrode line (10, 10′).

Abstract: A solid-state defibrillation circuit for applying a multiphasic defibrillation pulse to a patient is disclosed. The circuit eliminates the need for a mechanical relay, and provides for a current limiting circuit for limiting leakage currents that would otherwise flow to the patient from the solid-state components, and for preventing the short-circuiting of a defibrillation pulse from a second defibrillator. In one embodiment, the output circuit of the defibrillator comprises an H-bridge, and the current limiting circuit comprises a plurality of resistors coupled in parallel with each of the legs of the H-bridge. The plurality of resistors allow current flow which reduces the voltage potential across the patient that is caused by the leakage currents through the output circuit. The current limiting circuit also includes a shunt resistor for shunting leakage currents away from the patient.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for creating a lumen through a total vascular occlusion. A directional cutter is advanced ahead of a number of proximal electrodes that engage a vessel wall. Blood in the vessel between the directional cutter and the proximal electrodes is removed by sealing the vessel with an occluding balloon and pumping a bio-compatible gas into the vessel to displace the blood. A signal source is applied to the directional cutter and used to measure the impedance between the directional cutter and each of the proximal electrodes. If the cutter engages a vessel wall, the impedance between the cutter and the proximal electrode decreases. A physician monitors the impedance to know when the vessel wall is engaged and turns the direction of the cutter away from the vessel wall such that the cutter continues creating a lumen within the occluding material.

Abstract: An implantable electrode arrangement which includes an electrode line (10) with a plurality of electrically conductive surface regions in the region of the distal end of the electrode line (10) for outputting electrical signals to a heart and/or for receiving signals from a heart, which can be connected by way of at least one electric line (18) of the electrode line (10) to a cardioelectric device such as a defibrillator or cardiac pacemaker, which device receives electrical signals and/or outputs pulses, wherein arranged in the electrode line (10) are switching means which are connected to the electric line (18) and at least one electrically conducting surface region and which are such that they can make or break a connection between the electrically conducting surface region and the cardioelectric device in the region of the electrode line (10), and arranged in the electrode line (10) are control means which are connected to the electric line (18) for receiving control signals and to the switching means for

Abstract: A portable programming apparatus for use with an implantable medical device is disclosed. The programming apparatus includes a housing, at least one auxiliary component, and a lip. The housing contains computer circuitry and defines a storage compartment. The auxiliary/y component is configured to assist with programming an implantable medical device, perform programming and data transmission functions in cooperation with a remote data center, and interfaces with the computer circuitry via an associated cable. The lip is configured to extend along at least a portion of a perimeter of the storage compartment. With this configuration, the lip selectively maintains the cable within the storage compartment thereby minimizing potential damage to the cable.