US 8,078,280 B2Granted

Implantable biomedical electrical connectors having integral side and inner walls

AssigneeMedtronic, Inc.

InventorShahn S. Sage

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Abstract

Low resistivity, implantable electrical connectors and biomedical leads having the connectors mechanically coupled to low resistivity wires in a non-welded attachment to extend implanted device battery life. One implantable electrical connector has an inner longitudinal aperture and two opposed flanges angled away from the longitudinal axis and coupled through a radially flexible inner circumferential wall to form a single piece, low resistance path. An elastic member can urge the flexible inner circumferential wall portion inward. In one connector, the electrically conductive, flexible inner wall portion can resiliently contact an inserted electrode. The connector body can include at least one hole adjacent a mechanically deformable sidewall for mechanically securing an electrical conductor inserted within the hole. The low resistivity, implantable, biocompatible electrical connectors and leads can be used in neurological and cardiac applications.

Claims9

Dependent claims

An implantable electrical connector having a longitudinal axis and an inner longitudinal aperture therethrough, the connector comprising:

a body including a first flange and a second flange, each of the first and second flanges having an outer edge and at least one region disposed substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal axis and having an inner surface and an outer surface, wherein each of the first and second flanges are formed from the same sheet of material as an electrically conductive and radially flexible inner circumferential wall portion having an inner facing convex surface and an outer facing concave surface and constructed of flexible material disposed about the inner longitudinal aperture and including a plurality of ribs having first ends and second ends and separated by inter-rib spaces and supported and connected to each other at the first ends by the first flange and at the second ends by the second flange, and wherein the inner facing convex surface curves radially outward to form the outer surfaces of the first and second flanges and the outer facing concave surface curves radially outward to form the inner surfaces of the first and second flanges;
and
an elastic member disposed around the entire flexible inner circumferential wall portion.

An implantable electrical connector assembly comprising:

an implantable electrical connector comprising a longitudinal axis and an inner longitudinal aperture there through, the connector further comprising:
a body including a first flange and a second flange, each of the first and second flanges having an outer edge and at least one region disposed substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal axis and having an inner surface and an outer surface, wherein the first and second flanges are formed from the same sheet of material as an electrically conductive and radially flexible inner circumferential wall portion having an inner facing convex surface and an outer facing concave surface and constructed of flexible material disposed about the inner longitudinal aperture and including a plurality of ribs having first ends and second ends and separated by inter-rib spaces and supported and connected to each other at the first ends by the first flange and at the second ends by the second flange, wherein the inner facing convex surface curves radially outward to form the outer surface of the first flange and the outer facing concave surface curves radially outward to form the inner surface of the flange;
and an elastic member disposed around the entire flexible inner circumferential wall portion;
and
an electrical conductor secured to the connector by a non-welded, mechanical attachment.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.