Abstract: An implantable medical device includes an integrated or connectable implantable three-dimensional acceleration sensor, and a ballistocardiogram (BCG) capturing unit that is connected or connectable to the acceleration sensor. The BCG evaluation unit processes an acceleration signal provided by the acceleration sensor and derives a BCG from the 3D accelerometer output signal. A BCG evaluation unit is connected to the BCG capturing unit, and is designed to evaluate a BCG provided by the BCG capturing unit and supply an output signal representing stroke volume.

Abstract: An implantable medical device has an impedance or admittance determination unit, an alternating current or voltage source, a measuring unit, and an analysis unit which is connected to the alternating current or AC voltage source and the measuring unit to calculate an impedance value or an admittance value at different times. The impedance or admittance determination unit may generate measuring current having two different frequencies (preferably below 100 kHz), and the analysis unit may calculate pairs of impedance or admittance values which are chronologically assigned to one another for different frequencies of the measuring current, and calculate a value for a blood impedance or blood admittance component which is independent of the impedance of the body tissue surrounding a particular blood vessel, The analysis unit may also determine trends in this value over time as an indicator for a change of blood hematocrit value.

Abstract: A blood flow rate sensor has at least one transmitter for emitting waves into a blood vessel, the propagation of which is deflected by cellular blood components, and at least two receiver units for receiving waves emitted by the transmitter. The receiver units are spaced from each other in the direction of blood flow, and are situated such that each receives waves from a different path through the blood. The output signal of each receiver unit is filtered or otherwise processed to obtain a noise component, and the noise components from the receiver units are cross-correlated to determine a time offset between the output signals. The time offset is inversely proportional to the blood flow rate.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for determining the position of a catheter in a blood vessel relative to a change in the vascular cross section, comprising the steps: providing a catheter that includes at least two electrodes which can be brought into electrically conductive contact with the surrounding blood while the catheter is being positioned in the blood vessel, wherein the two electrodes are installed on the catheter along the longitudinal axis at a defined distance from each other; advancing the catheter in the vessel to be treated, toward the change in the vascular cross section; and measuring the impedance across the two electrodes while the catheter is being advanced; and to a catheter for use in a method of this type.

Abstract: An implant predicts decompensation of a patient's heart based on an acoustic pressure measurement. The implant includes first and second acoustic transducers, which are matched to each other and which rest in/on the patient's thorax. The first acoustic transducer emits an acoustic signal which has at least one first signal portion having a first frequency. The second acoustic transducer is designed to receive and re-emit the emitted acoustic signal, or to reflect it, such that the first acoustic transducer receives the emitted acoustic signal. A signal processing unit communicates with at least one of the two acoustic transducers and determines an attenuation value as a function of the attenuation of the received acoustic signal versus the originally emitted acoustic signal, and provides a prediction signal as a function of a comparison of the attenuation value to a threshold value, wherein the prediction signal indicates the development of decompensation.

Abstract: A medical device includes a preload determination unit for determining the preload of a ventricle for a cardiac cycle and providing a preload value representing the preload; a contractility determination unit for determining the contractility of the ventricle for the cardiac cycle and providing a contractility value representing the contractility; and an evaluation unit connected to the preload determination unit and the contractility determination unit, with the evaluation unit being configured to evaluate contractility values versus associated preload values.

Abstract: An electromedical implant includes a measuring signal generator, an impedance measuring unit to determine the impedance of human or animal tissue, a control unit which, for controlling the measuring signal generator and the impedance measuring unit, is at least indirectly connected to the measuring signal generator and to the impedance measuring unit, as well as an electrode arrangement comprising at least two electrodes which can be directly or indirectly connected or at least temporarily connected to the measuring signal generator and to the impedance measuring unit, or to a connection for such an electrode arrangement.

Abstract: An electromedical implant for monitoring a thoracic property of a living being is provided that includes a detector arrangement including an impedance measuring unit and an electrode arrangement, which are equipped to capture a measurement signal associated with the thoracic property in the form of an impedance signal; a monitoring arrangement, which is connected to the detector arrangement and equipped to generate a parameter from the measurement signal that is indicative of the thoracic property, and an evaluation unit, which is connected to the monitoring arrangement and equipped to determine an evaluation result regarding the thoracic property based on the parameter. According to the invention, the electrode arrangement comprises at least a plurality of mutually isolated electrodes, which are disposed on the housing and operatively connected by way of the impedance measuring unit and which can be separately controlled, wherein an electrode body has a strip shape.

Abstract: An electromedical implant (100, 101, 102, 103) for monitoring a cardiac blood flow (B1) of a patient includes a detector (10, 10?, 10?) which obtains a first measurement signal (S1) associated with the cardiac blood flow (B1) and a second measurement signal (S2) associated with the epithoracic, peripheral blood flow (B2). A monitoring assembly (20) then generates a first parameter (P1) from the first measurement signal (S1) which is indicative of a time (tsys) at which blood is ejected from the heart, and a second parameter (2) from the second measurement signal (S2) which is indicative of a time (tgef) of a blood pulse in the thoracic tissue which is associated with the ejection of blood. An evaluation unit (30) then generates a pulse transit time (?t=tgef?tsys) from the first parameter (P1) and the second parameter (P2).

Abstract: A monitoring device for a patient for predicting a cardiovascular anomaly and a method for operating a monitoring device is provided. Furthermore, an implantable electrotherapy device, such as an implantable cardiac pacemaker, an implantable cardioverter, or an implantable defibrillator, having a monitoring device are also provided. In an embodiment, the monitoring device acquires a value change of a hemodynamic parameter, which occurs as a result of a detected value change of a state parameter, for example, as a result of an activation or deactivation of a cardiac resynchronization therapy. By suitable evaluation of the value change of the hemodynamic parameter, the monitoring device can output an evaluation result signal which is indicative of an imminence of a cardiovascular anomaly, such as a cardiac decompensation, long beforehand and with high specificity.

Abstract: A biventricular cardiac stimulator is disclosed, comprising a right ventricular stimulation unit, a left ventricular stimulation unit, and a pacemaker timer. In order to detect the effect of a particular atrioventricular delay time (AVD) and a particular interventricular delay time (VVD), the cardiac stimulator has a detector for sensing a hemodynamic benefit. To optimize AVD and VVD, the pacemaker timer is connected to a memory for a particular instantaneous value for the atrioventricular delay time (AVDinst) and the interventricular delay time (VVDinst), and may be used to trigger at certain points in time at least one right ventricular trigger signal and one left ventricular trigger signal, based on new values for the atrioventricular delay time (AVDtest) and the interventricular delay time (VVDtest) which differ from the instantaneous values for the atrioventricular delay time (AVDinst) and the interventricular delay time (VVDinst).

Abstract: A device for detecting the state of a heart on the basis of intracardial impedance measurement. The device has an impedance measuring unit, which has electrical terminals, configured to be electrically connected or to be connected to electrodes for delivering and detecting a current or voltage, and is implemented to ascertain an impedance on the basis of the dimension of the delivered current or voltage and the voltage drop caused by the current or the current caused by the voltage, as well as an analysis unit, which is connected to the impedance measuring unit and is implemented to derive a cardiac function parameter from a time curve of the impedance ascertained using the impedance measuring unit. The analysis unit analyzes the impedance curve assigned to a diastole and derives a cardiac function parameter characterizing the behavior of a heart during the diastole (filling phase of the ventricle).

Abstract: An implantable cardiac stimulator includes at least one first sensing unit for detecting intrinsic cardiac activities of a first ventricle, at least one ventricular stimulation unit for stimulating a second ventricle, and a stimulation control unit connected to the first sensing unit. The stimulation unit processed output signals of the first sensing unit and generates control signals for the stimulation units. The stimulation control unit derives a current intrinsic RR interval from detected ventricular intrinsic cardiac activities R of the first ventricle, and to determine from the RR interval a delay interval ?, which begins with a ventricular event of the first ventricle and at the end of which the stimulation control unit triggers a stimulation of the second ventricle (unless it is suppressed).

Abstract: A device is connected to electrode leads which performs intracardiac impedance measurements, conducts a transient pacing protocol, analyses the impedance measurements, and generates an LV lead position quality factor. The transient pacing protocol includes a repeated change (“transitions”) between ventricular intrinsic rhythm and biventricular paced rhythm and may also include a variation of the atrioventricular delay (AVD) and/or the interventricular delay (VVD). The quality factor expresses the degree to which hemodynamic properties have improved due to BiV stimulation for the current LV lead position compared to intrinsic ventricular rhythm.

Abstract: A monitoring apparatus having a signal input for signals representing measurement values of one or more physiological parameters, and an evaluation and processing unit connected to the signal input. The evaluation and processing unit is designed to select, or differently weight, individual values from the values received for further processing based on one or more criteria such that measurement values raising doubts as to the validity thereof are not selected or given a very low weighting.

Abstract: Embodiments relate to a heart monitor, which is connected to or can be connected to at least one sensor for pressure and volume data or equivalent substitute variables and which comprises an evaluation unit for processing at least one input signal reflecting the temporal course of pressure and volume data or equivalent substitute variables of the heart. The evaluation unit is configured such that it segments the input signal in accordance with individual completed cardiac cycles and examines segments of the input signal obtained in this way as to whether a particular segment of the input signal represents a PV diagram, which corresponds to specified quality conditions regarding the direction of circulation, morphology and distance between a starting and end values.

Abstract: The invention concerns implantable cardiac stimulation devices in general which have at least one stimulation pulse generator (A-STIM; RV-STIM; LV-STIM) to selectively generate a stimulation pulse for delivery to one of at least two different chambers of a heart, said chambers include right and left atria and right and left ventricles, at least one impedance measuring stage (I, U, IMP) being connected to electrodes or connectors for such electrodes to measure an intracardiac impedance when in use, a control unit (CTRL) connected to the stimulation pulse generator and to the impedance measuring unit and being adapted to process a minimum impedance value for a heart cycle to trigger stimulation pulses for two different chambers of the heart with an adjustable time delay (VVD; AVD) and to adjust said time delay depending upon the measured intracardiac impedance minimum value.

Abstract: An implantable measurement arrangement for intracorporeal acoustic measurement of geometric parameters and motion parameters in and on organs and/or tissues of a patient includes an implantable device, in particular an electromedical device; an implantable sonic transducer for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves, the transducer being in signal connection with the implantable device; and an implantable reflector in communication with the implantable device and situated at a distance from the sonic transducer for reflecting the ultrasonic waves back in the direction of the sonic transducer. The electromedical device can analyze the ultrasonic waves picked up and reflected back by the sonic transducer.

Abstract: A detector for atrial fibrillation and/or atrial flutter comprises an atrial input for receiving an atrial signal representing an intraatrial electrogram or a time course of an intraatrial impedance, a ventricular input for receiving a ventricular event signal comprising information on an occurrence of a cyclically reoccurring ventricular event in chronological association to an atrial signal received via atrial input, an averaging unit adapted to average a plurality of sections of said atrial signal, each section to be considered for averaging starts or ends at a predetermined offset before a ventricular event, and to put out an averaged atrial signal, a peak amplitude determination unit adapted to determine peak-to-peak amplitude of said averaged atrial signal, and threshold comparator adapted to compare peak-to-peak amplitude of averaged atrial signal to predetermined reference value and to generate an AF warning signal if peak-to-peak amplitude of averaged atrial signal is less than predetermined threshol

Abstract: Atrial fibrillation or flutter detector having impedance unit, with measurement input, connected to atrial electrode line having electrode for unipolar measurement of atrium impedance and implemented to generate atrial impedance signal obtained in unipolar manner so that impedance signal comprises multiple impedance values detected at different instants within particular atrial cycle for each atrial cycle, comprising atrial contraction and the following relaxation of the atrium, and having a signal input, via which ventricle signal is supplied to detector, which reflects instants of ventricular contractions in chronological assignment to impedance signal, the detector having an analysis unit, implemented to average multiple sequential impedance signal sections of unipolar atrial impedance signal, delimited by two sequential ventricular contractions with one another and determine maximum amplitude of averaged unipolar atrial impedance signal section, compare to comparison value, and if maximum amplitude of ave