Abstract: A cardiac rhythm management system provides a phonocardiographic image indicative of a heart's mechanical events related to hemodynamic performance. The phonocardiographic image includes a stack of acoustic sensor signal segments representing multiple cardiac cycles. Each acoustic sensor signal segment includes heart sounds indicative of the heart's mechanical events and representations of the heart's electrical events. The stack of acoustic sensor signal segments are aligned by a selected type of the heart's mechanical or electrical events and are grouped by a cardiac timing parameter for presentation.

Abstract: A cardiac rhythm management system provides for assessment of cardiac mechanical dyssynchrony based on heart sound morphology and optimization of pacing parameters based on the effect of pacing on the cardiac mechanical dyssynchrony assessment. A degree of cardiac mechanical dyssynchrony is measured by the time delay between tricuspid valve closure and mitral valve closure and/or the time delay between pulmonary valve closure and aortic valve closure. A cardiac resynchronization therapy is optimized by determining therapy parameters to provide an approximately minimum degree of cardiac mechanical dyssynchrony by cardiac pacing.

Abstract: A wall covering having a plurality of panels. The panels are molded to disguise the panel's individuality after installation. The panel's outline is jagged to terminate horizontal and vertical partition lines of the panel's front surface. The partition of the panel's front surface is not aligned with the horizontal and vertical edges of the front surface's outline. The panels are attached to a wall to create a substantially random appearance. This invention is especially suited to create wall covering with the appearance of random ashlar stone layout. Multiple molded panels having different front face partitions may be used to increase the random appearance. Molding the panels is simplified by molding parts of the panel interlock mechanism separately.

Abstract: A cardiac rhythm management system provides for assessment of cardiac mechanical dyssynchrony based on heart sound morphology and optimization of pacing parameters based on the effect of pacing on the cardiac mechanical dyssynchrony assessment. A degree of cardiac mechanical dyssynchrony is measured by the time delay between tricuspid valve closure and mitral valve closure and/or the time delay between pulmonary valve closure and aortic valve closure. A cardiac resynchronization therapy is optimized by determining therapy parameters to provide an approximately minimum degree of cardiac mechanical dyssynchrony by cardiac pacing.

Abstract: A cardiac rhythm management system measures a time interval between a first fiducial marker indicative of a ventricular depolarization (e.g., a Q-wave, an R-wave, etc.) and a second fiducial marker indicative of a subsequent mitral valve closure (MVC) occurring during the same cardiac cycle. Such time intervals are used for detecting atrioventricular (AV) dissociation. The AV dissociation may, in turn, be used for discriminating between a supraventricular tachyarrhythmia (SVT) and a ventricular tachyarrhythmia (VT) or for any other diagnostic or therapeutic purpose. The AV dissociation and/or SVT/VT discrimination information may be communicated from an implantable cardiac rhythm management device to an external interface and/or used to determine the nature of therapy delivered to the subject. In a further example, amplitudes indicative of the MVCs are also used for determining whether AV dissociation exists.

Abstract: A microscope lens system is provided which facilitates rapid, convenient, and accurate substitution of one eyepiece lens for another. The microscope tube is provided with an opening and an internal receptacle communicating with that opening at the location where an eyepiece is to be supported. Each eyepiece lens unit comprises an actual eyepiece lens mounted in a clip member that encircles the lens and that meets with the receptacle to securely and precisely retain the eyepiece lens at the appropriate position along the optical axis of the microscope. A light shield, preferably integral with the remainder of the eyepiece lens unit, masks the opening in the tube when the eyepiece lens is in place within the tube.