Method and apparatus to terminate ventricular tachycardia via pacing
AssigneeMedtronic, Inc.
InventorVinod Sharma
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An implantable device for terminating ventricular tachycardia is disclosed. The device includes a processor configured to determine a first antitachycardia pulse routine of N pulses. In the routine the first N−1 pulses are separated by a first cycle length and the Nth pulse is separated by a second cycle length that is shorter than the first cycle length. The device also comprises a lead coupled to the processor. The lead comprises an electrode configured to sense a tachycardia and further configured, under control of the processor, to administer the antitachycardia pulse routine.
Claims13
An implantable device for terminating ventricular tachycardia comprising:
- a processor having means for generating a first antitachycardia pulse routine of N pulses comprising N−X pulses separated by a first cycle length and N−X+1 to N pulses separated by a second cycle length that is shorter than the first cycle length;
- and
- means for generating additional antitachycardia pulse routines of N−X pulses separated by the first cycle length and N−X+1 to Nth pulses separated by a final cycle length selected based on a return cycle length until the ventricular tachycardia is terminated, if the first antitachycardia pulse routine failed to terminate the ventricular antitachycardia;
- and
- a lead coupled to the processor, the lead comprising an electrode configured to sense the ventricular tachycardia and further configured, under control of the processor, to administer the first antitachycardia pulse routine and the additional antitachycardia pulse routines.
A method of controlling a ventricular tachycardia characterized by a ventricular tachycardia wave circulating within a ventricular tachycardia circuit at a ventricular tachycardia cycle length, the method comprising:
- delivering a plurality of evenly spaced pulses at a first cycle length, the first cycle less than the ventricular tachycardia cycle length;
- and
- terminating the ventricular tachycardia wave with a last pulse following the plurality of evenly spaced pulses, the last pulse sent at a second cycle length, the second cycle length less than the first cycle length, the last pulse producing an orthodromic block in an inhomogeneous region of the ventricular tachycardia circuit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.