Abstract: Systems, methods and implantable devices configured to provide cardiac resynchronization therapy and/or bradycardia pacing therapy. A first device located in the heart of the patient is configured to receive a communication from a second device and deliver a pacing therapy in response to or in accordance with the received communication. A second device located elsewhere is configured to determine an atrial event has occurred and communicate to the first device to trigger the pacing therapy. The second device may be configured for sensing the atrial event by the use of vector selection and atrial event windowing, among other enhancements. Exception cases are discussed and handled as well.

Abstract: Systems and methods for detecting atrial tachyarrhythmia are discussed. An exemplary atrial tachyarrhythmia detection system includes an arrhythmia detector circuit configured to receive physiologic information of a patient, generate a morphological similarity metric between the received physiologic information and a sinus rhythm (SR) template representing a morphology of conducted sinus beats during normal SR, and generate a morphological variability metric indicative of a variability in morphology between heart beats in the received physiologic information. The arrhythmia detector circuit may detect an atrial tachyarrhythmia episode the morphological similarity and morphological variability metrics.

Abstract: An implantable medical device (IMD) that includes a housing, a first electrode secured relative to the housing, a second electrode secured relative to the housing, and a gyroscope secured relative to the housing. The IMD may include circuitry in the housing in communication with the first electrode, the second electrode, and the gyroscope. The circuitry may be configured to determine and store a plurality of torsion data measurements, from which a representation of a twist profile may be determined.

Abstract: Systems, methods and implantable devices configured to provide cardiac resynchronization therapy and/or bradycardia pacing therapy. A first device located in the heart of the patient is configured to receive a communication from a second device and deliver a pacing therapy in response to or in accordance with the received communication. A second device located elsewhere is configured to determine an atrial event has occurred and communicate to the first device to trigger the pacing therapy. The second device may be configured for sensing the atrial event by the use of vector selection and atrial event windowing, among other enhancements. Exception cases are discussed and handled as well.

Abstract: Systems and methods for detecting heart sound information from a subject's head are described. A system embodiment includes a headgear to be worn on the subject's head, and first and second sensors to sense respectively first and second physiologic signals each representing vibration, motion, or displacement conducted through patient body tissue. The sensed physiologic signals contain heart sound information. At least one of the first or the second sensor is included in the headgear, and placed at a head location to sense a physiologic signal indicative of heart sounds. The system includes a processor to generate a composite signal using the sensed first and second physiologic signals. The system may generate a heart sound metric using the composite signal, and detect a cardiac event such as an arrhythmia or worsening heart failure.

Abstract: Methods, systems and devices for providing cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) to a patient using a leadless cardiac pacemaker (LCP) and an extracardiac device (ED). The system is configured to identify atrial events to use as timing markers for the LCP to deliver CRT, and further to determine whether the timing markers are incorrectly sensed and to make adjustment or call for re-initialization as needed.

Abstract: An apparatus comprises plurality of sensors and a processor. Each sensor provides a sensor signal that includes physiological information and at least one sensor is implantable. The processor includes a physiological change event detection module that detects a physiological change event from a sensor signal and produces an indication of occurrence of one or more detected physiological change events, and a heart failure (HF) detection module. The HF detection module determines, using a first rule, whether the detected physiological change event indicative of a change in HF status of a subject, determines whether to override the first rule HF determination using a second rules, and declares whether the change in HF status occurred according to the first and second rules.

Abstract: This document discusses, among other things, systems and methods to generate a first pacing waveform during a first pacing period and a second pacing waveform during a second pacing period, and alternate the first and second pacing periods to provide pacing-based hypertension therapy to a heart of a patient to reduce patient blood pressure, wherein the first pacing waveform has a first atrioventricular (AV) delay and the second pacing waveform has a second AV delay longer than the first AV delay. Physiologic information can be received from the patient, and one of the first or second pacing period for delivery to the patient can be determined using the received physiologic information.

Abstract: This document discusses, among other things, systems and methods to generate a first pacing waveform during a first pacing period and a second pacing waveform during a second pacing period, to alternate first and second pacing periods to provide pacing-based hypertension therapy to a heart of a patient to reduce patient blood pressure, to receive information indicative of patient metabolic demand, and to determine an adjusted pacing-based hypertension therapy parameter using the received information indicative of patient metabolic demand, wherein the first pacing waveform has a first atrioventricular (AV) delay and the second pacing waveform has a second AV delay longer than the first AV delay.

Abstract: This document discusses, among other things, systems and methods to generate a first pacing waveform during a first pacing period and a second pacing waveform during a second pacing period, to alternate first and second pacing periods to provide pacing-based hypertension therapy to a heart of a patient to reduce patient blood pressure, and to determine an increased pacing rate for the first pacing waveform during the first pacing period using the first AV delay, wherein the first pacing waveform has a first atrioventricular (AV) delay and the second pacing waveform has a second AV delay longer than the first AV delay.

Abstract: This document discusses, among other things, systems and methods to receive physiologic information from a patient during different first and second pacing periods having respective, different first and second atrioventricular (AV) delays, determine first and second physiologic parameters using respective received physiologic information from the first and second pacing periods, and adjust the first AV delay using the determined first and second physiologic parameters, wherein the second AV delay is longer than the first AV delay

Abstract: In some examples, cardiac cycle detection may be used as a more or less default approach to cardiac activity tracking. Additional rate measurement relying on different sources or analyses may require extra power consumption over the cycle detection methods. Therefore, new methods and devices are disclosed that selectively activate a second cardiac rate measurement when needed. In some illustrative methods and devices, decisions are made as to whether and which previously collected data, if any, is to be discarded, replaced, or corrected upon activation of the second cardiac rate measurement.

Abstract: An implantable medical device (IMD) that includes a housing, a first electrode secured relative to the housing, a second electrode secured relative to the housing, and a gyroscope secured relative to the housing. The IMD may include circuitry in the housing in communication with the first electrode, the second electrode, and the gyroscope. The circuitry may be configured to determine and store a plurality of torsion data measurements, from which a representation of a twist profile may be determined.

Abstract: Methods and devices for combining multiple signals from multiple sensing vectors for use in wearable or implantable cardiac devices. Signals from multiple vectors may be combined using weighting factors and/or by conversion to different coordinate systems than the original inputs, which may or may not be normalized to patient anatomy. Signals from multiple sensing vectors may be combined prior to or after several analytical steps or processes including before or after filtering, and before or after cardiac cycle detection. Cardiac cycle detection information may be combined across multiple sensing vectors before or after analysis of individual vectors for noise or overdetection. Cardiac cycle detection information may also be combined across multiple sensing vectors to identify noise and/or overdetection.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to imaging a body part using sounds. In embodiments, a system comprises a motion sensor and a processing device communicatively coupled to the motion sensor. The motion sensor is configured to sense an acceleration wave produced by a sound emitted by a source and generate acceleration measurements in response to sensing the acceleration wave, wherein the source is associated with the body part of a subject. The processing device is configured to receive the acceleration measurements and determine a location of the source using a location of the motion sensor and the acceleration measurements. In addition, the processing device is configured to image the body part of the subject using the determined location of the source and the acceleration measurements.

Abstract: New and alternative approaches to the monitoring of cardiac signal quality for external and/or implantable cardiac devices. In one example, signal quality is monitored continuously or in response to a triggering event or condition and, upon identification of a reduction in signal quality, a device may reconfigure its sensing state. In another example, one or more trends of signal quality are monitored by a device, either continuously or in response to a triggering event or condition, and sensing reconfiguration may be performed in response to identified trends and events. In yet another example, a device may use a looping data capture mode to track sensing data in multiple vectors while primarily relying on less than all sensing vectors to make decisions and, in response to a triggering event or condition, the looped data can be analyzed automatically, without waiting for additional data capture to reconfigure sensing upon identification of the triggering event or condition.

Abstract: Methods and devices for combining multiple signals from multiple sensing vectors for use in wearable or implantable cardiac devices. A preferred sensing configuration may be selected at a given point in time, for example under clinical conditions. Signal quality for the preferred sensing configuration is then monitored, and if the signal quality degrades under selected conditions, re-analysis may be performed to select a different sensing vector configuration for at least temporary use. If signal quality increases for the preferred sensing configuration, temporary use of the different sensing vector configuration may cease and reversion to the preferred sensing configuration takes place if certain conditions are met. The conditions for reversion may depend in part of a history of sensing signal quality for the preferred sensing configuration.

Abstract: A ventricularly implantable medical device that includes a sensing module that is configured to identify a search window of time within a cardiac cycle to search for an atrial artifact. Control circuitry in the ventricular implantable medical device is configured to deliver a ventricular pacing therapy to a patient's heart, wherein the ventricular pacing therapy is time dependent, at least in part, on an atrial event identified in the search window of time.

Abstract: A ventricularly implantable medical device that includes a sensing module that is configured to gather information during a cardiac cycle and to identify a cardiac interval based at least on part on the gathered information. Control circuitry in the implantable medical device is configured to deliver a ventricular pacing therapy to a patient's heart, wherein the ventricular pacing therapy is time dependent, at least in part, on the identified cardiac interval.

Abstract: A ventricularly implantable medical device that includes a sensing module that is configured to detect an artifact during ventricular filling and to identify an atrial event based at least on part on the detected artifact. Control circuitry of the implantable medical device is configured to deliver a ventricular pacing therapy to a patient's heart, wherein the ventricular pacing therapy is time dependent, at least in part, on the identified atrial event.