Abstract: Systems, methods, and apparatuses for collecting emboli include an embolic dual-filtration device are disclosed. The embolic dual-filtration device has a first filter and a second filter. The first and second filters have pores. The second filter is positioned adjacent to the first filter. The first and second filters are capable of being selectively rotated with respect to one another. The first and second filter pores of the rotated first and second filters collectively form a moiré lattice structure. The moiré lattice structure has pores smaller than the pores of each of the separate first and second filters.

Abstract: A system and method for identifying and displaying safety alert advisories. The system of the present invention automatically performs a comparison of identification data with a safety alert advisory. The system stores identification data in a plurality of dedicated fields. Each of the dedicated fields contains information related to the patient. Upon the telemetric retrieval of the data by an external programmer, the external programmer automatically cross-correlates the data in the dedicated fields with the safety alert advisories. Upon identification of a match between the data and one of the safety alert advisories, the identified safety alert advisory is displayed to a medical practitioner. In addition, the system provides a dedicated memory to store an advisory flag. The advisory flag is marked when the programmer identifies a safety alert condition that is relevant to one of the dedicated fields.

Abstract: A system and method for identifying and displaying safety alert advisories. The system automatically performs a comparison of identification data with a safety alert advisory. The system stores identification data in a plurality of dedicated fields. Each of dedicated fields contains information related to the patient. Upon the telemetric retrieval of the data by an external programmer, the external programmer automatically cross-correlates the data in the dedicated fields with the safety alert advisories. Upon identification of a match between the data and one of the safety alert advisories, the identified safety alert advisory is displayed to a medical practitioner. In addition, the system provides a dedicated memory to store an advisory flag. The advisory flag is marked when the programmer identifies a safety alert condition that is relevant to one of the dedicated fields.

Abstract: A nonprogrammable automated heart rhythm classifier that may be used alone or in conjunction with a therapy system for delivering shock treatment or therapeutic drugs to a patient, a monitoring or recording system, a paging or alarm system, or other rhythm classifying device. The nonprogrammable heart rhythm classifier is used to determine whether a patient's heart rhythm is normal, monomorphic tachycardia or polymorphic tachycardia from extracted features of the cardiac signal of a patent's heart. The extracted features are cycle length and regularity, and preferably with the addition of morphology. Prior to feature extraction, the cardiac electrical signal is conditioned with a signal conditioning system. The classifier may comprise a trained neural network or a trained discriminant function, which has been previously trained by a known set of classified heart rhythm data. Morphology can be estimated by kurtosis or from the probability density function.

Abstract: A multiple sensor cardiac pacemaker blends the outputs from a fast-reacting Activity sensor and a slower-reacting Minute Ventilation sensor to achieve an optimally desirable pacing rate. The pacemaker conserves battery energy by forcing the Minute Ventilation sensor output to be at its minimum value by disabling the Minute Ventilation algorithm for a predetermined time period when the Activity sensor is at its minimum observed value. Power is conserved because the Minute Ventilation sensor and associated algorithms which normally consume power to operate the circuitry, and to measure impedance are disabled temporarily only during selected periods where the Activity sensor is at its minimum observed value, thereby maintaining optimal blending of the pacemaker sensor outputs in achieving the desired pacing rates.