Lead introducer with defibrillation electrode and method of atrial defibrillation

Abstract

There is provided a system and method for treating cardiac arrhythmias such as atrial defibrillation, and in particular a method for providing temporary atrial defibrillation which involves insertion of only one defibrillation lead. A lead introducer is provided having a sheath with an electrode configured around the outside of the sheath and a lumen for receiving therethrough a standard defibrillation lead. After insertion of the introducer into a patient's vein and positioning it so that the introducer electrode is placed within the vein, a defibrillation lead is passed through the introducer lumen. The defibrillation lead carries at least one electrode, suitably an electrode spaced from its distal end so that it can be positioned in the patient's coronary sinus. When the introducer electrode and the defibrillation lead electrode are optimally placed, they are electrically connected to a defibrillation unit for generation and delivery of a defibrillation pulse or pulses across the two electrodes, thereby providing therapy against the atrial fibrillation. In a preferred embodiment, the introducer electrode is a very flexible coil, and is positioned in the patient's subclavian vein; the defibrillation lead electrode is positioned in the patient's coronary sinus. Alternately, the electrode can be any other conductor configuration which provides the desired surface area and flexibility, e.g., a braid or woven wire configuration.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.