Cardiac Pacemakers, Inc.

Cameron Health, Inc.

Westlund, Randy

Heil, Ronald W., Jr.

Repasky, Christina

Bye, Lyle A.

Warren, Jay A.

Kelley, Peter T.

Scheiner, Avram

Tockman, Bruce

Soltis, Brian D.

Bruce Alan Tockman

Randy W Westlund

Brian D Soltis

Lili Liu

Ronald W Heil, Jr

G Shantanu Reddy

Stuart R Chastain

Rodney W Salo

Eric Thomas Johnson

M Jason Brooke

Alok S Sathaye

Peter J D'Aquanni

John S Greenland

Jeffrey E Stahmann

Avram Scheiner

Arthur J Foster

Brendan Early Koop

Rene H Wentkowski

Kent C B Stalker

Russell E Anderson

Julio Cesar Spinelli

Jay A Warren

Peter T Kelley

Randall M Peterfeso

Yongxing Zhang

Juan Gabriel Hincapie Ordonez

Mohan Krishnan

Timothy R Jackson

Larry L Hum

Eric Falbe Hammill

Neil M Becker

Muralidharan Srivathsa

Gwen Crevensten

Aaron W Janke

Scott A Stockmoe

Lyle A Bye

Frank Vandeputte

Mary N Hinders

Christina Repasky

Allan Charles Shuros

David R Wulfman

Paul E Zarembo

Mark J Bly

Christopher Alan Fuhs

Christopher M Zerby

Peter J Wolf

Gary Hague

Gayla A Smith

Cindy L Sherman

Kevin M Phillips

Randall W Westlund

Bruce H KenKnight

Yinghong Yu

Gerrard Merrill Carlson

Sunipa Saha

Dan Li

Barun Maskara

Morton M Mower

Gregory M Hyde

William Earl Webler, Jr

Eric G Lovett

Pu Zhou

Jason Alan Shiroff

Wade A Bowe

Yunlong Zhang

Bruce M Wilson

David Joseph Parins

Brian R Reynolds

Henry John Pepin

Geng Zhang

David M Flynn

Peter Tachi Callas

Howard D Simms, Jr

Jeffrey A Hall

Gregory R Ley

Brice Lee Shireman

Lawrence S Baumann

Brian D Pederson

Jon A Becker

Bryan J Swackhamer

Paul Craig Haldeman

Angelo Auricchio

Dwight A Skinner

Kimberly A Morris

Andrea E Acuna

Theodore J Schulte

Bruce H Kenknight

David B Yingling

Martin McDaniel

Chris Zerby

Emanuel H Silvermint

Pramote Hochareon

Mary Lowden

Gary L Hauge

David L White

Anne-Marie Bustillos

Stuart A Chastain

John A Greenland

David Robert Wulfman

Eric Hammill

New methods for implanting a cardiac therapy system include implanting a lead of the system substernally anterior of the heart without attaching to the myocardium or pericardium. An illustration includes placement of an anchor beneath the sternum in the vicinity of one of the sternal angle, a location superior of the ventricles, the area bounded by the 2nd or 3rd ribs, and level with the aortic arch. A tension element or tether is attached to the anchor and a lead is introduced over the tension element or tether and secured in a desired position relative to the anchor. Other examples also include implantation, substernally, of a lead without the use of a pre-tunneling tool or sheath over the lead itself, for example by using an advancing tool for pushing the lead into position.

Substernal placement of a pacing and/or defibrillating electrode

Medical devices and methods for making and using medical devices are disclosed. An example medical device may include an implantable medical device. The implantable medical device may include an implantable pacing member having a housing and a lead input. A lead may be coupled to the lead input. The lead may be designed to extend along a pericardial space, epicardium, or both and engage a heart chamber. A passageway may be defined along a portion of the length of the lead.

Implantable medical devices and methods for making and delivering implantable medical devices

Methods and tool kits for implanting a lead subcutaneously. Examples include tool kits and methods for establishing first and second subcutaneous tunnels at an angle relative to one another to facilitate introduction of a lead to the subcutaneous space. In an example, a first insertion tool is used to establish a first subcutaneous tunnel, and a second insertion tool, with or without the use of a blunt dissector, sheath, guidewire, or steering mechanism, is used to initiate or form the second subcutaneous tunnel. Such methods and tool kits may reduce the number of incisions needed to implant a subcutaneous lead along a subcutaneous path having a curve therein.

Minimally invasive method to implant a subcutaneous electrode

Various aspects describe a lead delivery system for percutaneous introduction of a lead to a stimulation site near a neural target, such as the vagus nerve for nerve stimulation. The lead delivery system may include a needle assembly having a needle adapted to cut through tissue and provide initial access into the carotid sheath. The needle may be retracted into the lead delivery system to prevent cutting structures in the carotid sheath. The lead delivery system may also include a dilator assembly having one or more dilators to dilate a path to the stimulation site. The lead delivery system may further comprise a dilator assembly including a retractable needle adapted to cut through tissue. One or more locating elements, alternatively or in addition to one or more imaging elements, may be used on individual components of the lead delivery system for enhanced trackability and locatability within the body.

Percutaneous tools for minimally invasive access to the carotid sheath for vagus nerve stimulation

The disclosure relates to a needle assembly for delivering a lead and methods of use. The needle assembly is configured to cut tissue and reduce the potential for cutting vulnerable bodily structures. The needle assembly includes an outer needle with a blunt tip and an inner needle with a sharp tip. The outer needle may be curved, and the inner needle may be curved. When the inner needle is rotated with respect to the outer needle, the inner needle protracts or retracts with respect to the outer needle. A stopping feature on the needle assembly may be included to resist over-rotation or over-extension. The needle assembly provides an initial path that may be further dilated for delivering a lead, such as a vagus nerve stimulation lead to a target site. The target site may be electrically tested with some embodiments.

Needle assembly with retractable cutting edge

Approaches for selecting an electrode combination of multi-electrode pacing devices are described. Electrode combination parameters that support cardiac function consistent with a prescribed therapy are evaluated for each of a plurality of electrode combinations. Electrode combination parameters that do not support cardiac function are evaluated for each of the plurality of electrode combinations. An order is determined for the electrode combinations based on the parameter evaluations. An electrode combination is selected based on the order, and therapy is delivered using the selected electrode combination.

Method and apparatus to perform electrode combination selection

Devices or methods such as for stimulating excitable tissue or sensing physiologic response or other signals that can use separate fixation mechanism is described. An implantable apparatus can include a modular electrostimulation electrode assembly that can include a first module and a second module that can be end user-attachable to each other and end user-detached from each other. The first module can include an electrostimulation electrode fixation support member that can be laid flat against or otherwise conform to a surface of a heart, and can define a centrally located open portal such as for permitting electrode access to the surface of the heart. The second module can include an electrostimulation electrode that can be inserted through the portal of the fixation support member such as to contact the surface of the heart such as to deliver chronic electrostimulation to the heart.

Implantable medical devices with separate fixation mechanism

Various embodiments concern implanting a lead to directly stimulate the bundle of His. Various embodiments can include introducing a curve of an outer guide catheter into the right ventricle, extending a curve of an inner guide catheter from a lumen of the outer guide catheter, extending a fixation element on a distal tip of an anchor wire from a lumen the inner guide catheter, and anchoring the anchor wire to target tissue within the right ventricle, the target tissue along the septal wall and proximate the tricuspid valve and the bundle of His. A distal tip of an implantable lead with a lumen can then be advanced over the anchor wire to the target tissue as the anchor wire guides the distal tip of the lead to the target tissue.

His bundle lead delivery system

Various embodiments concern a guide catheter for delivery of an implantable lead within the coronary vein. Such a guide catheter can comprise a tubular body having a main lumen and at least one preformed bend. The tubular body can comprise a liner defining an inner surface, braiding circumferentially surrounding the liner, a jacket covering the braiding and defining an exterior surface of the tubular body, and a plurality of inflation tubes embedded within the jacket. The guide catheter can include a balloon mounted on the tubular body, each of the plurality of inflation tubes in communication with the balloon. The guide catheter can further include a hub providing access to the main lumen, the hub comprising a first port for introduction of contrast media into the main lumen and a second port in communication with the plurality of inflation tubes.

Guide catheter occlusion balloon with active inflation

Growing community of inventors

Scandia, MN, United States of America

Bruce Alan Tockman