Cordis Corporation

Barry M Yomtov

John H Livingston

Marvin L Sussman

An improved control system for a neural stimulator allowing either the patient or physician to effect the level of output by application of an external magnet. Such application of a magnet for a predetermined period of time initiates an incrementally increasing output, under control of an implanted microprocessor, allowing human feedback from the patient to determine the effective level of output current to fix the output at the selected effective level.

System for controlling an implanted neural stimulator

The apparatus comprises: a comparator for comparing the voltage at which the constant current pulses are being supplied to the load with an increasing reference voltage; a counter for counting the number of voltage pulses that are greater in magnitude than the increasing reference voltage over a sampling period; and signal processing circuitry for correlating the count of pulses over the sampling period with the impedance of the load required to generate that number of constant current pulses at the voltage required for same.

Apparatus for measuring impedance

The stimulation output of an implanted cardiac pacer is applied between a cathode at the end of a pacer lead in the heart and an anode whose location is programmable. An electronic switch accessed via programming designates the pulse generator pace as the anode for an additional electrode located near the end of the pacer lead, thus changing the pacer from unipolar to bipolar operation or vice-a-versa after implantation. Different programming pulse rates are used to program different functional characteristics. For example, pulses at one rate select mode, high or low frequency range, sensitivity and anode location while pulses at another frequency set the pulse generation rate and output current.

Implantable cardiac pacer having dual frequency programming and

The stimulation output of an implanted cardiac pacer is applied between a cathode at the end of a pacer lead in the heart and an anode whose location is programmable. An electronic switch accessed via programming designates the pulse generator case as the anode for an additional electrode located near the end of the pacer lead, thus changing the pacer from unipolar to bipolar operation or vice-a-versa after implantation. Different programming pulse rates are used to program different functional characteristics. For example, pulses at one rate select mode, high or low frequency range, sensitivity and anode location while pulses at another frequency set the pulse generation rate and output current.

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Pembroke Pines, FL, United States of America

Barry M Yomtov