Electrode construction for implantable medical electrical leads
AssigneeMedtronic, Inc.
InventorsVishal R Nazareth, Gregory A Boser, Lorraine R Gaunt
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Abstract
An implantable electrode for electrical stimulation of a body, for example, being a component of an implantable medical electrical lead, is preferably in the form of a coiled conductor wire, wherein the wire is formed by a tantalum (Ta) core directly overlaid with a platinum-iridium (Pt—Ir) cladding. When a maximum thickness of the Pt—Ir cladding defines a cladded zone between an outer, exposed surface of the electrode and the Ta core, a surface of the Ta core encroaches into the cladded zone by no more than approximately 50 micro-inches. The tantalum core may be cold worked to improve surface quality or formed from a sintered and, preferably, grain stabilized tantalum.
Claims9
An implantable electrode lead for electrical stimulation of a body, comprising:
- an elongated insulative lead body;
- a conductor within the lead body;
- and
- an electrode coupled to the conductor comprising a coiled wire comprising a platinum-iridium cladding directly overlaying an un-smoothed melt quality tantalum core, the cladding forming an exposed surface of the electrode and having a maximum thickness of less than three microns.
A method of producing an implantable electrode lead for electrical stimulation of a body of the type comprising an elongated insulative lead body, a conductor within the lead body;
- and an electrode coupled to the conductor, comprising:
- including as the electrode a coiled wire comprising a platinum-iridium cladding directly overlaying an un-smoothed melt quality tantalum core, the core wire cladding forming an exposed surface of the electrode and having a maximum thickness of less than three microns.
A method of producing an implantable electrode lead for electrical stimulation of a body of the type comprising an elongated insulative lead body, a conductor within the lead body and an electrode coupled to the conductor, comprising:
- employing Anomet, Inc to apply a platinum-iridium cladding to a tantalum core to produce an electrode wire in which the cladding forms an exposed surface of the electrode having a maximum thickness of less than three microns;
- and
- coiling the wire to form the electrode and further comprising mounting the coiled wire electrode extending outward from the insulative lead body.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.