Abstract: A system and method for automated collection and analysis of regularly retrieved patient information for remote patient care is described. A set of collected measures retrieved on a substantially regular basis is periodically received from a medical device having a sensor for monitoring at least one physiological measure of an individual patient. The collected measures set includes individual measures which each relate to patient information recorded by the medical device. The collected measures set is stored into a patient care record for the individual patient within a database organized to store one or more patient care records which each include a plurality of the collected measures sets. One or more of the collected measures sets in the patient care record for the individual patient is analyzed relative to one or more other collected measures sets stored in the database to determine a patient status indicator.

Abstract: An electrotherapy apparatus, such as a defibrillator, includes a connecting mechanism coupled between an energy source and electrodes. The connecting mechanism allows selective coupling of the energy source to the electrodes. The energy source includes a capacitor and a high voltage power supply for charging the capacitor. The electrotherapy apparatus further includes a waveform measuring device for measuring a patient ECG waveform. The electrotherapy apparatus also includes a controller coupled to the connecting mechanism, the energy source, and the waveform measuring device. The controller actuates the connecting mechanism to deliver a bi-phasic waveform to the patient. In addition, the controller analyzes the ECG waveform to detect when the patient is experiencing either course arrhythmia or fine arrhythmia.

Abstract: The disclosure pertains to a graphical display method and apparatus relating to an electrogram signal received from at least one lead used in conjunction with an implantable medical device. Specifically, the disclosure provides a time-expanded waveform of a portion of a signal relating to a single heartbeat. Sensitivity threshold information is also graphically displayed on the waveform. Further, a programmer assembly comprises an analyzer for locating marking desired characteristics of the electrogram signal with a plurality of markers to produce a marked electrogram signal. A processor receives the electrogram signal from the analyzer and recognizes the marked desired characteristics of the electrogram signal. The processor also receives sensitivity threshold information from a particular lead.

Abstract: A non-invasive method is provided for treating erectile dysfunction using electroporation enhanced with delivery of a vasoactive or androgenic composition applied to the penis which affords an alternative treatment for patients afflicted with erectile dysfunction (ED). Sufficient electric pulses temporarily create new pathways in the penile skin thereby driving a composition, such as a vasoactive or androgenic medication, into the corporal cavernosum.

Abstract: An electrotherapy apparatus, such as a defibrillator, includes a connecting mechanism coupled between an energy source and electrodes. The connecting mechanism allows selective coupling of the energy source to the electrodes. The energy source includes a capacitor and a high voltage power supply for charging the capacitor. The electrotherapy apparatus further includes a waveform measuring device for measuring a patient ECG waveform. The electrotherapy apparatus also includes a controller coupled to the connecting mechanism, the energy source, and the waveform measuring device. The controller actuates the connecting mechanism to deliver a bi-phasic waveform to the patient. In addition, the controller analyzes the ECG waveform to detect when the patient is experiencing either course arrhythmia or fine arrhythmia.

Abstract: A PEMF therapy system uses a single-coil PEMF transducer for generating PEMF stimulation signals. The coil has a “bi-phasic” operation, such that current flows through it in two directions A drive circuit recovers the flyback energy from the transducer coil and dumps voltage to an energy recovery capacitance circuit. The transducer is thereby energized and de-energized to provide the electromagnetic field. The single coil transducer may be fabricated on a flexible substrate and the wiring may be formed with printed circuit techniques. The same concepts may be applied to series-connected coils.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for treating post-defibrillation electromechanical dissociation (“EMD”). A first embodiment comprises an implantable defibrillator, which may include cardioversion and pacemaker capabilities, which has the capability of detecting and treating post defibrillation EMD. The stimulator/defibrillator has one or more leads with electrodes. At least one electrode for defibrillation may be an endocardial or epicardial electrode or other suitable defibrillation electrode. A sense circuit senses the electrical condition of the heart of the patient. A hemodynamic sensor senses a parameter correlated to the state of blood flow. The cardiac stimulator/defibrillator detects ventricular tachyarrhythmia including fibrillation and terminates ventricular tachyarrhythmia. After termination of the ventricular tachyarrhythmia, the stimulator/defibrillator can detect the presence of electrical rhythm in the heart correlated, however, with inadequate blood flow to sustain life.

Abstract: In an automatic external defibrillator (AED) having a ventricular fibrillation detector, the ventricular fibrillation detector may generally be defined as a filter containing both an adaptive non-linear section and a linear section. The non-linear section is preferably a complex-domain neural network that can be trained to differentiate between various rhythm patterns and produce linear data for input to the linear section. The linear section is preferably an ongoing, continuous operation based on a sliding window of a predetermined time period, e.g., a tapped time-delay filter. In combination the non-linear section and linear section of the filter operate to detect and extract artifacts from a patient's ECG signal in a substantially accurate fashion so that the determination to deliver a defibrillation pulse may be accurately made.

Abstract: A system and a method for providing normalized voice feedback from an individual patient in an automated collection and analysis patient care system are described. A set of collected measures retrieved on a substantially regular basis is periodically received from a medical device having a sensor for monitoring at least one physiological measure of an individual patient. The collected measures set includes individual measures which each relate to patient information recorded by the medical device. The collected measures set are stored into a patient care record for the individual patient within a database. The database is organized to store one or more patient care records which each include a plurality of the collected measures sets. Voice feedback is spoken by the individual patient into a remote client substantially contemporaneous to the collection of an identifiable device measures set.

Abstract: A rate-adaptive pacemaker includes an impedance measuring device for measuring a waveform over time of the intracardial impedance over at least a predetermined portion of one cardiac cycle. An impedance processing device obtains an impedance value from the waveform. A rate determining device is connected downstream of the impedance processing device, and controlled by a sequence controller, determines the adaptive stimulation rate (HR) using the impedance value. The impedance processing device has an integrator stage for determining the time integral of the impedance waveform over the predetermined portion of the cardiac cycle as the primary impedance value.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods for locating hyperactive parathyroid tissue in a patient. The methods comprise providing a radiopharmaceutical which produces during a time window after administration of the radiopharmaceutical to the patient, a detectably greater radioactivity in the hyperactive parathyroid tissue than in adjacent thyroid tissue in the patient; administering the radiopharmaceutical to the patient; surgically opening an operative field in the proximity of the hyperactive parathyroid tissue; and introducing into the operative field during the time window, a probe, which detects the radioactivity produced by the hyperactive parathyroid tissue to determine the location of the hyperactive parathyroid tissue upon moving the probe within the operative field. The method is particularly applicable to radioguided parathyroidectomy using a 99mTc Sestamibi and a hand-held gamma detection probe. The gamma detection probe is also used to verify ex vivo that the resected tissue is parathyroid adenoma.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for removing tissue from a volume surrounding a region of interest with a body part of a patient is disclosed. The tissue removal volume and location is determined by stereotactic radiography. The size of the tissue removal volume surrounding the region of interest is derived by placing boundaries around the region of interest in each stereotactic radiographic image. A tissue removal tool is moved within the derived tissue removal volume. The tissue in the region of interest which has been previously diagnosed as cancerous can be marked with a radioactive isotope, for example, and the removal of such tissue from the removal volume which surrounds the region of interest can be monitored to determine whether the tissue in the region of interest has been completely removed.

Abstract: An electrocardiography monitoring system is provided, which includes (a) an electrocardiography electrodes holder including (i) a flexible nonconductive flattened article having a fixed precordial configuration, the article featuring a first plane and an opposite second plane, the article serving for holding electrocardiography electrodes; (ii) electrocardiograph electronics attached to the article and in electrical communication with the electrocardiography electrodes; and (iii) a transmitter attached to the article, the transmitter communicating with the electrocardiograph electronics and serving for communicating electrocardiograph signals to a compatible receiver; (b) a receiver compatible for operation with the transmitter; and (c) a computer communicating with the receiver for storing, presenting and/or analyzing the electrocardiograph signals.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for treating post-defibrillation electromechanical dissociation (“EMD”). A first embodiment comprises an implantable defibrillator, which may include cardioversion and pacemaker capabilities, which has the capability of detecting and treating post defibrillation EMD. The stimulator/defibrillator has one or more leads with electrodes. At least one electrode for defibrillation may be an endocardial or epicardial electrode or other suitable defibrillation electrode. A sense circuit senses the electrical condition of the heart of the patient. A hemodynamic sensor senses a parameter correlated to the state of blood flow. The cardiac stimulator/defibrillator detects ventricular tachyarrhythmia including fibrillation and terminates ventricular tachyarrhythmia. After termination of the ventricular tachyarrhythmia, the stimulator/defibrillator can detect the presence of electrical rhythm in the heart correlated, however, with inadequate blood flow to sustain life.

Abstract: A method for healing an injury of a patient using an electrical stimulator and acupuncture needles is provided. The method can include the step of positioning a plurality of acupuncture needles coupled to the electrical stimulator at specific acupuncture points. The next step includes applying a current to the acupuncture needles. The first half of the treatment, a current is applied through the needles until a stinging sensation (or pain) is felt by the patient. Halfway through the treatment, the current is increased until a stinging sensation is again felt by the patient. At least four acupuncture needles are positioned at specific acupuncture points and alternating the polarity of the needles. The method may also include the use of Auriculotherapy, electrical stimulation without needles, in conjunction with the acupuncture needles and electric stimulator. The method may also be applied to the treatment of peripheral vascular disease, due to the effect of increasing blood flow and oxygen to the vessels.

Abstract: A temporary pacemaker lead including a wire having an electrically conductive portion, a first connector portion on the wire, and an electrode having a second connector portion. The second connector portion is releasable engagement with the first connector portion so as to establish electrical conduction between the electrode and the electrically conductive portion of the wire. The electrode may be permanently affixed to the heart tissue and the wire may be easily released from and connected to the electrode.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for treating post-defibrillation electromechanical dissociation (“EMD”). A first embodiment comprises an implantable defibrillator, which may include cardioversion and pacemaker capabilities, which has the capability of detecting and treating post defibrillation EMD. The stimulator/defibrillator has one or more leads with electrodes. At least one electrode for defibrillation may be an endocardial or epicardial electrode or other suitable defibrillation electrode. A sense circuit senses the electrical condition of the heart of the patient. A hemodynamic sensor senses a parameter correlated to the state of blood flow. The cardiac stimulator/defibrillator detects ventricular tachyarrhythmia including fibrillation and terminates ventricular tachyarrhythmia. After termination of the ventricular tachyarrhythmia, the stimulator/defibrillator can detect the presence of electrical rhythm in the heart correlated, however, with inadequate blood flow to sustain life.

Abstract: A multi-capacitor module carries vertically-oriented surface mount tantalum capacitors. The module provides at least one conductor for coupling to the substrate capacitor terminals that are distal thereto. The module occupies less space, when mounted to a circuit board substrate, than individually mounting the bases of the surface mount capacitors to the substrate. This allows more efficient use of volume within an implantable cardiac rhythm management device, reducing its size, or alternatively, increasing its implanted longevity.

Abstract: A method and system for ventricular defibrillation by coordinating the delivery of defibrillation shocks with sensed ventricular fibrillation complexes in a way which improves the probability of success of the defibrillation shock. Ventricular electrical activity is monitored in two ventricular locations during ventricular fibrillation to detect coarse ventricular fibrillation complexes and contractions of the ventricular cardiac tissue. The defibrillation shock is delivered in coordination with the occurrence of coarse ventricular fibrillation complexes and the contractions of ventricular cardiac tissue, and specifically to occur on the up-slope portion thereof, for optimal probability of success.

Abstract: A cardiac assist device and method of use for assisting the function of a heart. The assist device includes a compressor positioned against the epicardial wall of the heart and a field generator for driving a fluid coupled to the compressor to exert pressure on the heart. The field generator may be a magnetic field generator and the fluid coupled to the compressor may be a ferrofluid. The compressor may include two containment regions containing ferrofluid on opposite sides of the heart, and a pair of compression portions coupled to the containment regions. The filled generator may be electromagnetic which includes two electromagnets having corresponding core portions and corresponding coils. The electromagnets may be disposed with their north and south poles in alignment and separated by a gap to allow relative movement. The electromagnets may be external or internal to the body.