Minimally invasive medical electrical lead

Abstract

A medical electrical lead which may be introduced using a thorascope and is used to electrically stimulate tissue, such as a heart. The lead of the present invention has a "ski-shaped" needle, a strand of between 1-5 cm. attached to the needle, an electrode attached to the strand, and an insulated lead body attached to the electrode. In addition, a test wire is also attached to the needle to permit the electrical characteristics of tissue to be ascertained before the lead is fully inserted. In an alternate embodiment the strand may feature a fixation helix. Due to the shape of the needle and the relatively short strand, the lead is particularly suitable for implantation to a heart using minimally invasive techniques, such as through a trocar.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.