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US 7,181,272 B2Granted
Cardiac restraint with electrode attachment sites
AssigneeMedtronic, Inc.
InventorsChester Struble, Pierre A. Grandjean, Volkert A. Zeijlemaker, Karel F. A. A. Smits
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The invention is directed to techniques for electrode placement around a heart. A harness having one or more attachment sites may be secured around the heart, and electrodes may be secured at the attachment sites as desired by the physician for the patient. The electrodes may be, for example, pacing and sensing electrodes, defibrillation electrodes, or any combination thereof. The harness holds the electrodes in place and also impedes the progress of ventricular dilation. The electrodes attached to the harness may be used for any of several purposes, such as cardiac resynchronization, selective defibrillation, measurement of impedance, pacing and cardioversion.
Claims42
An implantable medical device comprising:
- a harness that generally conforms to the shape of a heart and configured so that when implanted only cardiac tissue supports said harness;
- a plurality of attachment site structures sized and formed on the harness and shaped to receive and hold a plurality of electrodes, wherein said electrodes comprise discrete circular plate members, wherein the attachment site structures occupy less area than a plurality of open portions of said harness;
- a cardiac activity sensing circuit coupled to at least some of said plurality of electrodes, wherein said sensing circuit is adapted to provide mapping of electrical activity of the heart;
- and
- a driver circuit adapted to provide cardiac pacing stimuli and impedance measurements, said driver circuit including addressable switches for the plurality of electrodes.
2 more elements
An implantable medical device comprising:
- a plurality of substantially circular plate-type electrodes;
- a implantable harness that includes at least one attachment site structure and configured so that when implanted only cardiac tissue supports said harness;
- and
- a substantially circular electrode body coupled to each of the electrodes, the electrode body defining a mating structure that mates to the at least one attachment site structure, wherein said harness includes a majority of open areas adjacent the at least one attachment site structure;
- a cardiac activity sensing circuit coupled to at least some of said plurality of substantially circular plate-type electrodes, wherein said sensing circuit is adapted to provide mapping of electrical activity of the cardiac tissue;
- and
- circuitry means for addressing at least a discrete pair of said electrodes to provide cardiac pacing therapy, cardiac defibrillation therapy, and impedance measurements between said at least a discrete pair of the electrodes.
4 more elements
A method comprising:
- coupling at least a pair of a plurality of electrodes to at least a pair of attachment site structures of a harness that generally conforms to the shape of a heart wherein the electrodes comprise substantially circular plate type members and the attachment site structures cooperatively mechanically couple to said electrodes;
- securing the harness around at least a portion of one ventricle of the heart, wherein the harness is configured so that when implanted only cardiac tissue supports said harness;
- sensing cardiac activity via the at least a pair of the plurality of electrodes, wherein said sensing provides mapping of electrical activity of the cardiac tissue;
- and
- selectively addressing said at least a pair of the plurality of electrodes to provide cardiac pacing stimuli, cardiac defibrillation therapy, and impedance measurements therebetween based at least in part upon the mapping of electrical activity of the cardiac tissue.
2 more elements
A method comprising:
- coupling a first electrode to a first attachment site structure on a harness that generally conforms to the shape of a heart, wherein the harness is configured so that when implanted only cardiac tissue supports said harness;
- coupling a second electrode to a second attachment site structure on the harness;
- securing the harness around at least a portion of one ventricle of the heart;
- mapping electrical activity of the cardiac tissue;
- and
- delivering a pacing therapy regimen to the cardiac tissue based at least in part upon the mapped electrical activity of the cardiac tissue,
- wherein the first electrode and second electrode are both substantially circular, plate type metallic members and the first attachment site structure and the second attachment site structure are configured to received the substantially circular, plate type metallic members and the cumulative surface area of the metallic members is less than the cumulative surface area of said harness, and wherein the first electrode and the second electrode are adapted to provide cardiac pacing therapy and to perform impedance measurements therebetween.
4 more elements
A method comprising:
- coupling a first electrode to a first attachment site structure on a harness that generally conforms to the shape of a heart and configured so that when implanted only cardiac tissue supports said harness;
- coupling a second electrode to a second attachment site structure on the harness;
- coupling a third electrode to a third attachment site structure on the harness;
- mapping electrical activity of the cardiac tissue via at least a pair of said first, second and third electrodes;
- delivering a pacing therapy regimen to the cardiac tissue based at least in part upon the mapped electrical activity of the cardiac tissue;
- and
- securing the harness around at least one ventricle of the heart,
- wherein the first electrode and second electrode are both substantially circular, plate type metallic members and the first attachment site structure and the second attachment site structure are configured to received the substantially circular, plate type metallic members and wherein the cumulative surface area of the metallic members is less than the cumulative surface area of said harness, and wherein the first electrode, the second electrode and the third electrode are adapted to provide selective site cardiac pacing therapy and to provide impedance measurements therebetween.
5 more elements
An implantable medical device system comprising:
- a harness means for mechanically restraining a heart and is configured so that when implanted only non-stationary tissue supports said harness means;
- an attachment site structure means sized and formed on the harness means that is shaped to receive and hold an electrode;
- at least two electrodes coupled to a respective attachment site structure, wherein the cumulative area of the electrodes is much less than the cumulative area of said harness and said electrodes are controlled to deliver selective site pacing therapy and impedance measurements therebetween;
- and.
- a pace/sense circuit means operatively coupled to the at least two electrodes and adapted for mapping conduction patterns of the non-stationary tissue for delivering a pacing therapy regimen based at least in part upon the mapped conduction patterns.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.