Abstract: Apparatus and method assure the electrical characteristics of a stimulation waveform to an electrode of an Implantable Neuro Stimulator. The embodiment comprises a regulator, a measurement module, a generator, and a processor. The generator provides an input signal to the regulator. The regulator consequently regulates the input signal in order to form a pulse that is applied to the electrode. The processor instructs the measurement module to perform an electrical measurement that is indicative of an amplitude of the pulse. If the electrical measurement is sufficiently different from a desired value, the processor instructs the generator to be reconfigured in order that the amplitude of the pulse is within an acceptable value. A redundant capacitor pair may be inserted in a capacitor arrangement in order to compensate for a reduced battery voltage, or a detected faulty component such as a capacitor or a regulator may be replaced with a redundant component.

Abstract: Apparatus and method assure the electrical characteristics of a stimulation waveform to an electrode of an Implantable Neuro Stimulator. The embodiment comprises a regulator, a measurement module, a generator, and a processor. The generator provides an input signal to the regulator. The regulator consequently regulates the input signal in order to form a pulse that is applied to the electrode. The processor instructs the measurement module to perform an electrical measurement that is indicative of an amplitude of the pulse. If the electrical measurement is sufficiently different from a desired value, the processor instructs the generator to be reconfigured in order that the amplitude of the pulse is within an acceptable value. A redundant capacitor pair may be inserted in a capacitor arrangement in order to compensate for a reduced battery voltage, or a detected faulty component such as a capacitor or a regulator may be replaced with a redundant component.

Abstract: Multi-site cardiac pacing systems for providing pacing to multiple sites in a patient's heart, e.g., in a single heart chamber or in right and left heart chambers, while avoiding inappropriate responses to double sensing of an evoked depolarization conducted between the sites. A conditional refractory period and further post-event time periods, e.g. a conventional refractory period, are started upon a sense event or pacing pulse sensed at or delivered to a first pace/sense site. A sense event detected at another sense site that occurs during the conditional refractory period is characterized as a conditional refractory event, and it restarts shortened post-event time periods and terminates the conditional refractory period. The restarted post-event time periods are reduced in length by the elapsed time between the starting and termination of the conditional refractory period.

Abstract: A pacing system for selectively sensing spontaneous ventricular cardiac depolarizations at first and second spaced apart ventricular sites during the time-out of an AV delay and delivering pace pulses to the spaced apart ventricular sites in a triggered pacing mode. The first and second ventricular sites are preferably right ventricular (RV) and left ventricular (LV) pace/sense electrode sites, and RV event and LV event signals are sensed at the RV and LV pace/sense electrodes. A V-A pacing escape interval and a ventricular refractory period, a trigger pace window, an upper rate interval and further post-event time periods are started upon a RV or LV sense event or a first ventricular pace pulse delivered upon time-out of the AV delay. A triggered ventricular pace pulse or pulses is delivered to one or both of the RV and LV pace/sense electrode sites upon detecting an RV sense event or LV sense event during the AV delay.

Abstract: Multi-site cardiac pacing systems for providing pacing to multiple spaced apart sites of a patient's heart, including especially but not limited to sites in right heart chamber (RHC) and left heart chamber (LHC), in triggered pacing modes while avoiding inappropriate delivery of triggered pacing to the RHC and/or LHC on a non-refractory sense event that occurs early in the cardiac cycle.

Abstract: A system for pacing in a right and its corresponding left heart chamber provides a predetermined or programmable triggered delay in a predetermined or programmable, right-to-left or left-to right sequence without first determining from which of the two chambers a triggering event originated. Devices that provide cardio defibrillation today often have pacemakers for delivering adjunct therapies, and such devices can also use the invention.

Abstract: An automatic, body-implantable medical device having at least two modes of operation is disclosed. The device is provided with circuitry for automatically detecting when the device has been implanted in a patient, so that the device can automatically switch from a first mode to a second mode of operation upon implantation. In one embodiment, the first mode is a power conserving mode in which one or more non-essential sub-systems of the device are disabled. Prior to detection of implant, at least two conditions of the device known to reflect whether the device has been implanted are monitored. After implant has been detected, situations in which power to the device is disrupted and then restored will cause the device to enter a predefined "power-on-reset" mode of operation. Prior to detection of implant, however, such conditions do not result in the device entering the power-on-reset mode, or this mode is reset.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for the simultaneous administration of multiple pacing therapies in which two or more pacing features which operate to cause the dynamic adjustment of a common operational parameter of a pacing system are activatable at the same time. In one embodiment, a prioritization among multiple pacing features is established, such that when two (or more) features which operate to cause adjustment of a common operational parameter, a lower-priority feature will not override an adjustment made by any higher-priority feature.

Abstract: An automatic, body-implantable medical device having at least two modes of operation is disclosed. The device is provided with circuitry for automatically detecting when the device has been implanted in a patient, so that the device can automatically switch from a first mode to a second mode of operation upon implantation. In one embodiment, the first mode is a power conserving mode in which one or more non-essential sub-systems of the device are disabled. Prior to detection of implant, at least two conditions of the device known to reflect whether the device has been implanted are monitored. After implant has been detected, situations in which power to the device is disrupted and then restored will cause the device to enter a predefined "power-on-reset" mode of operation. Prior to detection of implant, however, such conditions do not result in the device entering the power-on-reset mode, or this mode is reset.

Abstract: A pacemaker control method and apparatus for determining the presence of atrial tachyarrhythmias uses a true interval value and compares it to a predetermined tachy value. The true interval value is updated based on the presence of far field R waves in PVARP that meet certain sequencing criteria. The criteria selected allows the control method and apparatus to reduce or eliminate event sequences that will generate false positive tachy detection and subsequent mode switching, while still allowing for the detection of tachy events in PVARP.