Medtronic, Inc.

St. Jude Medical, Inc.

Chad Qingshen Cai

James M Olsen

Richard T Stone

Michael Robert Klardie

Timothy R Abraham

Mark J Conroy

Michael J Kern

Spencer M Bondhus

Brian T Stolz

Bruce R Mehdizadeh

Spencer Fodness-Bondhus

Steven D Kruse

Peter Nicholas Braido

Bernard Q Li

Paul Edward Ashworth

Bob Allan

Xingfu Chen

Lise LaChance

Jay K Lahti

Yi-Ren Woo

James Grant Skakoon

James A Alexander

James L Kurk

Steve D Kruse

Avrom M Brendzel

Kristin J Malekkhosravi

Kristin J Schneider

Stephen A Peterson

Mark J Conway

Lise Lachance

Stephen D Kruse

A shield located within an implantable medical lead may be terminated in various ways at a metal connector. The shield may be terminated by various joints including butt, scarf, lap, or other joints between insulation layers surrounding the lead and an insulation extension. The shield may terminate with a physical and electrical connection to a single metal connector. The shield may terminate with a physical and electrical connection by passing between an overlapping pair of inner and outer metal connectors. The metal connectors may include features such as teeth or threads that penetrate the insulation layers of the lead. The shield may terminate with a physical and electrical connection by exiting a jacket of a lead adjacent to a metal connector and lapping onto the metal connector.

Termination of a shield within an implantable medical lead

A medical electrical lead having a conductor assembly covered by an insulating layer, and a shield covering positioned adjacent or proximate to at least a portion of the insulating layer in order to shield the conductor assembly from one or more electromagnetic fields. The shield covering is formed of a polymer-matrix composite. The polymer-matrix composite includes a polymeric resin having discontinuous conductive fillers provided therein. The discontinuous conductive fillers include one or more of nano-sized metal structures and nano-sized non-metallic conductive structures. The nano-sized non-metallic conductive structures can have a coating formed of one or more metals. The nano-sized non-metallic conductive structures can be formed of carbon. In turn, the nano-sized non-metallic conductive structures can include one or more of carbon nanofibers, carbon filaments, carbon nanotubes, and carbon nanoflakes.

Discontinuous conductive filler polymer-matrix composites for electromagnetic shielding

A shield located within an implantable medical lead may be terminated in various ways. The shield may be terminated by butt, scarf, lap, or other joints between insulation layers surrounding the lead and an insulation extension. For lap joints, a portion of an outer insulation layer may be removed and a replacement outer insulation layer is positioned in place of the removed outer insulation layer, where the replacement layer extends beyond an inner insulation layer and the shield. The replacement layer may also lap onto a portion of the insulation extension. The barbs may be located between the replacement layer and the inner insulation layer or the insulation extension. The shield wires have ends at the termination point that may be folded over individually or may be capped with a ring located within one of the insulation layers of the jacket.

Radiopaque markers represent that a lead is suitable for a particular medical procedure such as a magnetic resonance image scan and are added to the lead or related device. The markers may be added after implantation of the lead in various ways including suturing, gluing, crimping, or clamping a radiopaque tag to the lead or to the device. The markers may be added by placing a radiopaque coil about the lead, and the radiopaque coil may radially contract against the lead to obtain a fixed position. The markers may be added by placing a polymer structure onto the lead where the polymer structure includes a radiopaque marker within it. The polymer structure may include a cylindrical aperture that contracts against the lead to fix the position of the polymer structure. The polymer structure may form a lead anchor that includes suture wings that can be sutured to the lead.

Radiopaque markers for implantable medical leads, devices, and systems

A shield located within an implantable medical lead may be terminated in various ways. The shield may be terminated by butt, scarf, lap, or other joints between insulation layers surrounding the lead and an insulation extension. For lap joints, a portion of an outer insulation layer may be removed and a replacement outer insulation layer is positioned in place of the removed outer insulation layer, where the replacement layer extends beyond an inner insulation layer and the shield. The replacement layer may also lap onto a portion of the insulation extension. Barbs may be located between the replacement layer and the inner insulation layer or the insulation extension. The shield wires have ends at the termination point that may be folded over individually or may be capped with a ring located within one of the insulation layers of the jacket.

A medical electrical lead having a conductor assembly covered by an insulating layer, and a shield covering positioned adjacent or proximate to at least a portion of the insulating layer in order to shield the conductor assembly from one or more electromagnetic fields. The shield covering is formed of a material that is electrically conductive, where the material is in a wrapped or woven form. The material is selected so as to have an effective combination of small size and high conductive surface area, e.g., as opposed to metal wire or coatings thinner than metal wire. As such, the shield covering exhibits sufficient conductivity in the presence of one or more high frequency electromagnetic fields so that interference to the operation of the conductor assembly is minimized. The material can have a coating formed of one or more metals. The material can include carbon. In turn, the carbon can be formed of one or more of carbon fiber, carbon nanofiber, and single or multi-walled carbon nanotube.

Continuous conductive materials for electromagnetic shielding

An implantable medical lead has a torsional stiffness and is rotationally coupled to a stylet. Applying rotation directly to the lead in turn causes rotation of the stylet. Where the stylet has a bent tip for purposes of steering the lead, the rotation applied to the lead rotates the bent tip so that the lead can be steered by rotating the lead rather than rotating a hub of the stylet. The rotational coupling may be achieved through one or more features provided for the lead and/or the stylet, such as a feature within a lumen of the lead that mates to a feature along the stylet or a feature of the stylet hub that engages the proximal end of the lead. The torsional stiffness of the lead may be provided by adding a feature within the lead body, such as a braided metal wire or an overlapping foil.

Steering an implantable medical lead via a rotational coupling to a stylet

A method of making a prosthetic heart valve may include providing an annular stent having a plurality of annularly spaced commissure portions having tips, covering each of the tips with a first fabric cover, covering the first fabric covers and the remainder of the stent with a second fabric cover, covering the second fabric cover with a first tissue membrane, and covering the outside of the first tissue membrane with a second tissue membrane, the second tissue membrane forming leaflet portions that extend inwardly between the commissure portions.

Prosthetic heart valve including stent structure and tissue leaflets, and related methods

Radiopaque markers represent that a lead is suitable for a particular medical procedure such as a magnetic resonance image scan and are added to the lead or related device. The markers may be added after implantation of the lead in various ways including suturing, gluing, crimping, or clamping a radiopaque tag to the lead or to the device. The markers may be added by placing a radiopaque coil about the lead, and the radiopaque coil may radially contract against the lead to obtain a fixed position. The markers may be added by placing a polymer structure onto the lead where the polymer structure includes a radiopaque marker within it. The polymer structure may include a cylindrical aperture that contracts against the lead to fix the position of the structure. The polymer structure may form a lead anchor that includes suture wings that can be sutured to the lead.

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Woodbury, MN, United States of America

Chad Qingshen Cai