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Medtronic, Inc.

Douglas P Zipes

Eric N Prystowsky

Inhibition of cardiac arrhythmias such as tachycardia and fibrillation is achieved by determining a refractory period after a selected heartbeat during which a stimulus applied to the heart will not propagate a heart response, determining a time within the refractory period after the selected heartbeat for the application of one or more electrical pulses to the heart to inhibit arrhythmic beats, determining a voltage of the electrical pulse as a function of the time which will inhibit the arrhythmic beats, and applying the electrical pulse to an area of the heart at the determined time to inhibit the arrhythmic beats. A plurality of electrical pulses may be employed having various voltage levels related to the times at which they are applied during the refractory period. One or more electrical pulses may be applied after the refractory period, each having a voltage providing a current less than a threshold current which would propagate a heart response.

Method of inhibiting cardiac arrhythmias

An implantable medical device to deliver cardioverting energy to cardiac tissue in synchrony with detected ventricular depolarizations. The energy renders refractory, areas of the heart associated with a reciprocating or automatic tachycardia, thus reverting these tachyarrhythmias to normal sinus rhythm without the risk of stimulating the heart during the vulnerable portion of repolarization.

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Indianapolis, IN, United States of America

Douglas P Zipes