Safety pacing in multi-site crm devices
AssigneeCardiac Pacemakers, Inc.
InventorsJeffrey E. Stahmann, Andrew P. Kramer, Hugh Calkins
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Safety pacing in multi-site cardiac rhythm management (CRM) devices is provided. According to various method embodiments, a first cardiac signal from a first cardiac region and a second cardiac signal from a second cardiac region are sensed. The first cardiac region is paced to maintain at least a minimum cardiac rate, and the second cardiac region is paced to maintain at least the minimum cardiac rate when a pace in the first cardiac region is inhibited. Other aspects and embodiments are provided herein.
Claims32
A method for using at least two electrodes implanted in or proximate to a heart chamber, wherein the at least two electrodes include a first electrode and a second electrode, the method comprising:
- using the first electrode operationally positioned proximate to a first site of the heart chamber to pace the first site or to sense a cardiac activation at the first site, wherein the second electrode is not used with the first electrode to pace the first site;
- and
- using the second electrode operationally positioned proximate to a second site of the heart chamber to provide pacing redundancy for the heart chamber by pacing the second site if a failure or an algorithm inhibits a pace to the first site or to provide sensing redundancy for the heart chamber, wherein the second electrode is used instead of the first electrode to pace the heart chamber if the second electrode provides pacing redundancy for the heart chamber.
A method for using multiple electrodes implanted in or proximate to the left ventricle, the method comprising:
- using a first electrode operationally positioned proximate to a first site of the heart chamber to pace the first site or to sense a cardiac activation at the first site, wherein the second electrode is not used with the first electrode to pace the first site or to sense the cardiac activation at the first site;
- and
- using at least one alternative electrode to the first electrode if a failure or an algorithm inhibits a pace to the first site of the left ventricle or to provide sensing redundancy for the left ventricle, wherein the at least one alternative electrode is operationally positioned to the left ventricle and is used to provide pacing redundancy for the left ventricle by pacing the left ventricle at an alternative site to the first site if a failure or an algorithm inhibits a pace to the first site or to provide sensing redundancy for the heart chamber, wherein the at least one alternative electrode is used instead of the first electrode to pace the heart if the at least one alternative electrode provides pacing redundancy for the left ventricle.
A method for using multiple electrodes implanted in or proximate to the left ventricle, the method comprising:
- using a first electrode operationally positioned proximate to a first site of the left ventricle to pace the first site or to sense a cardiac activation at the first site;
- and
- using at least one additional electrode to the first electrode if a failure or an algorithm inhibits a pace to the first site of the left ventricle or to provide sensing redundancy for the left ventricle, wherein the at least one additional electrode is operationally positioned to the left ventricle and is used to provide pacing redundancy for the left ventricle by pacing the left ventricle at another site if a failure or an algorithm inhibits a pace to the first site or to provide sensing redundancy for the heart chamber by sensing the cardiac activation at the other site.
A method for using at least two electrodes implanted in or proximate to a heart chamber, comprising:
- using a first electrode operationally positioned proximate to a first site of the heart chamber to pace the first site or to sense a cardiac activation at the first site;
- sensing at the first site;
- and
- using a second electrode operationally positioned proximate to a second site of the heart chamber to provide pacing redundancy for the heart chamber based on the sensing at the first site.
A method for using at least two electrodes implanted in or proximate to a heart chamber, comprising:
- using a first electrode operationally positioned proximate to a first site of the heart chamber to pace the first site or to sense a cardiac activation at the first site;
- verifying electrical propagation in heart tissue attributed to the pace or the sensed cardiac activation using multiple site cross-checking;
- and
- using a second electrode operationally positioned proximate to a second site of the heart chamber to provide pacing redundancy for the heart chamber based on the multiple-site cross checking.
A method for using at least two electrodes implanted in or proximate to a heart chamber, wherein the at least two electrodes include a first electrode and a second electrode, the method comprising:
- pacing a first site of the heart chamber using the first electrode;
- and
- verifying that the first site of the heart chamber is paced, wherein verifying includes sensing cardiac activation at a second site of the heart chamber using the second electrode.
A method for using at least two electrodes implanted in or proximate to a heart chamber, wherein the at least two electrodes include a first electrode and a second electrode, the method comprising:
- sensing a cardiac event at a first site of the heart chamber using the first electrode;
- and
- verifying the sensed cardiac event, wherein verifying includes sensing cardiac activation at a second site of the heart chamber using the second electrode.
An implantable medical device, comprising:
- at least a first electrode and a second electrode;
- means for using the first electrode operationally positioned proximate to a first site of a heart chamber to pace the first site or to sense a cardiac activation at the first site, wherein the second electrode is not used with the first electrode to pace the first site or to sense the cardiac activation at the first site;
- and
- means for using the second electrode operationally positioned proximate to a second site of the heart chamber to provide pacing redundancy for the heart chamber by pacing the second site if a failure or an algorithm inhibits a pace to the first site or to provide sensing redundancy for the heart chamber, wherein the second electrode is used instead of the first electrode to pace the heart or to sense the cardiac activation.
An implantable medical device, comprising:
- at least one implantable lead configured to position at least a first electrode and a second electrode in or proximate to a heart chamber;
- a pace output circuit configured to pace a first site of the heart chamber using the first electrode;
- a sensing circuit configured to sense cardiac activation at a second site of the heart chamber using the second electrode;
- a control circuit connected to the pace output circuit and to the sensing circuit, wherein the control circuit is configured to verify that the first site of the heart chamber is paced to induce a conducted event by sensing the conducted event at the second site.
An implantable medical device, comprising:
- at least one implantable lead configured to position at least a first electrode and a second electrode in or proximate to a heart chamber;
- a first sensing circuit configured to sense cardiac activation at a first site of the heart chamber;
- a second sensing circuit configured to sense cardiac activation at a second site of the heart chamber;
- and
- a control circuit connected to the first and second circuits, wherein the control circuit is configured to verify an event sensed using the first sensing circuit by sensing the event using the second sensing circuit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.