Neuro-stimulation to control pain during cardioversion defibrillation
AssigneeAngeion Corporation
InventorTheodore P. Adams
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system and method for reducing the perceived pain by a patient occurring during cardioversion/defibrillation countershocks to the heart. The system comprises an electrode subsystem for positioning at least one electrode in contact with a patient, a pain reducing stimulation subsystem for providing pain reducing electromagnetic stimulation to the electrode subsystem, a cardioversion/defibrillation countershock subsystem so that delivery of pain reducing stimulation to the patient begins prior to a cardioversion/defibrillation countershock.
Claims8
An improved implantable cardioverter defibrillator system, the implantable cardioverter defibrillator system being a self-contained implantable device for implant within a human patient's body including a pulse-generating capacitor system that stores a high voltage electrical charge, a battery system that internally charges the pulse-generating capacitor system, and a control system that detect cardiac arrhythmias and, in response, selectively discharges the high voltage electrical charge in the pulse-generating capacitor system through therapy-delivery electrodes for implant within the patient's body, the improvement comprising:
- a pain-blocking electrode subsystem for implant within the patient's body proximate the vagi nerves and operably connected to the implantable device;
- and
- a pain-blocking electrical stimulation system within the implantable device that is electrically connected to the pain-blocking electrode subsystem and the control system and that provides electromagnetic pain nerve blocking stimulation to the pain-blocking electrode subsystem in response to detection of a cardiac arrhythmia and prior to discharge of a high voltage electrical charge.
An improved implantable cardioverter defibrillator system, the implantable cardioverter defibrillator system being a self-contained implantable device for implant within a human patient's body including a pulse-generating capacitor system that stores a high voltage electrical charge, a battery system that internally charges the pulse-generating capacitor system, and an control system that detects cardiac arrhythmmias and, in response, selectively discharges the high voltage electrical charge in the pulse-generating capacitor system through therapy-delivery electrodes for implant within the patient's body, the improvement comprising:
- a pain-blocking electrode subsystem for implant within the patient's body proximate the thoracic dorsal spinal nerves and operably connected to the implantable device;
- and
- a pain-blocking electrical stimulation system within the implantable device that is electrically connected to the pain-blocking electrode subsystem and the control system and that provides electromagnetic pain nerve blocking stimulation to the pain-blocking electrode subsystem in response to detection of a cardiac arrhythmia and prior to discharge of a high voltage electrical charge.
An improved implantable cardioverter defibrillator system, the implantable cardioverter defibrillator system being a self-contained implantable device for implant within a human patient's body including a pulse-generating capacitor system that stores a high voltage electrical charge, a battery system that internally charges the pulse-generating capacitor system, and a control system that detects cardiac arrhythmias and, in response, selectively discharges the high voltage electrical charge in the pulse-generating capacitor system through therapy-delivery electrodes for implant within the patient's body, the improvement comprising:
- a pain-blocking electrode subsystem comprising a plurality of electrodes mounted along a transvenous lead for implant within the venous vasculature of the patient's body and operably connected to the implantable device;
- and
- a pain-blocking electrical stimulation system within the implantable device that is electrically connected to the pain-blocking electrode subsystem and the control system and that provides electromagnetic pain nerve blocking stimulation to the pain-blocking electrode subsystem in response to detection of a cardiac arrhythmia and prior to discharge of a high voltage electrical charge.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.