Biotronik Crm Patent Ag

Biotronik Se Co. Kg

Biotronik Mess-und Therapiegeraete Gmbh & Co.

Biotronik Gmbh & Co.

Gerald Czygan

Michael Lippert

Olaf Skerl

Stefan Paule

Thomas Kraemer

Michael Vollkron

Albrecht Urbaszek

Tibor A Nappholz

Max Schaldach, Jr, Legal Representative

Bernhard Fahn

Heinrich Reinke

Thomas Krämer

An electromedical implant for monitoring a thoracic property of a living being is provided that includes a detector arrangement including an impedance measuring unit and an electrode arrangement, which are equipped to capture a measurement signal associated with the thoracic property in the form of an impedance signal; a monitoring arrangement, which is connected to the detector arrangement and equipped to generate a parameter from the measurement signal that is indicative of the thoracic property, and an evaluation unit, which is connected to the monitoring arrangement and equipped to determine an evaluation result regarding the thoracic property based on the parameter. According to the invention, the electrode arrangement comprises at least a plurality of mutually isolated electrodes, which are disposed on the housing and operatively connected by way of the impedance measuring unit and which can be separately controlled, wherein an electrode body has a strip shape.

Electromedical implant and monitoring system

A monitoring device for a patient for predicting a cardiovascular anomaly and a method for operating a monitoring device is provided. Furthermore, an implantable electrotherapy device, such as an implantable cardiac pacemaker, an implantable cardioverter, or an implantable defibrillator, having a monitoring device are also provided. In an embodiment, the monitoring device acquires a value change of a hemodynamic parameter, which occurs as a result of a detected value change of a state parameter, for example, as a result of an activation or deactivation of a cardiac resynchronization therapy. By suitable evaluation of the value change of the hemodynamic parameter, the monitoring device can output an evaluation result signal which is indicative of an imminence of a cardiovascular anomaly, such as a cardiac decompensation, long beforehand and with high specificity.

Monitoring device and method for operating a monitoring device

A system which generates a warning signal in the event of looming pulmonary edema and/or looming decompensation. The system has an impedance detection unit for determining impedance values, which represent a transthoracic impedance course, and an impedance analysis unit (), which is connected to the impedance detection unit. The impedance analysis unit () is implemented to determine the degree of modulation for a particular impedance course detected by the impedance detection unit.

System and method for analyzing an impedance course

A monitoring apparatus having a signal input for signals representing measurement values of one or more physiological parameters, and an evaluation and processing unit connected to the signal input. The evaluation and processing unit is designed to select, or differently weight, individual values from the values received for further processing based on one or more criteria such that measurement values raising doubts as to the validity thereof are not selected or given a very low weighting.

Apparatus and method for processing physiological measurement values

Embodiments relate to a heart monitor, which is connected to or can be connected to at least one sensor for pressure and volume data or equivalent substitute variables and which comprises an evaluation unit for processing at least one input signal reflecting the temporal course of pressure and volume data or equivalent substitute variables of the heart. The evaluation unit is configured such that it segments the input signal in accordance with individual completed cardiac cycles and examines segments of the input signal obtained in this way as to whether a particular segment of the input signal represents a PV diagram, which corresponds to specified quality conditions regarding the direction of circulation, morphology and distance between a starting and end values.

Heart monitor

A heart stimulation system comprises an electrode lead comprising at least one stimulation electrode a stimulation pulse generator adapted to generate electric stimulation pulses and being connected to said electrode lead for delivering electric stimulation pulses to at least one chamber of a heart via said stimulation electrode, and a control unit that is connected to said stimulation pulse generator. The electrode lead is a coronary sinus lead adapted to be placed inside the coronary sinus of a human heart and comprises an ultrasonic transducer that is adapted to measure a velocity of blood flow across a mitral valve of a human heart and that is placed on said coronary sinus lead such that the ultrasonic transducer is placed in the coronary sinus or the great cardiac vein when the coronary sinus lead is in its implanted state.

Implantable medical system with acoustic sensor to measure mitral blood flow

An electromedical implant () for monitoring a cardiac blood flow (B) of a patient includes a detector (&#x2033;) which obtains a first measurement signal (S) associated with the cardiac blood flow (B) and a second measurement signal (S) associated with the epithoracic, peripheral blood flow (B). A monitoring assembly () then generates a first parameter (P) from the first measurement signal (S) which is indicative of a time (t) at which blood is ejected from the heart, and a second parameter () from the second measurement signal (S) which is indicative of a time (t) of a blood pulse in the thoracic tissue which is associated with the ejection of blood. An evaluation unit () then generates a pulse transit time (&#x394;t=t&#x2212;t) from the first parameter (P) and the second parameter (P). The detector (&#x2033;) includes an impedance measuring unit () having an electrode assembly (') for detection of at least the second measurement signal (S) in the form of an impedance signal.

Electromedical implant and monitoring system including the electromedical implant

An implantable biosensor, which comprises a measuring (or first) chamber filled with the test fluid, which is able to convert a change of the concentration of a predetermined analyte or ion type into a change of a physical variable. To this end, the measuring chamber is closed by at least one membrane, which is permeable to the analyte or ion type and impermeable to the test fluid. In addition, the biosensor is equipped with at least one microacoustic sensor, which is operatively connected to the test fluid such that it can detect the physical variable that changes with the concentration of the analyte or ion type. Further relates to a sensor arrangement comprising at least one such implantable biosensor, the arrangement including a polling system that is wirelessly coupled to the biosensor.

Implantable biosensor and sensor arrangement

An implantable medical device has an impedance or admittance determination unit, an alternating current or voltage source, a measuring unit, and an analysis unit which is connected to the alternating current or AC voltage source and the measuring unit to calculate an impedance value or an admittance value at different times. The impedance or admittance determination unit may generate measuring current having two different frequencies (preferably below 100 kHz), and the analysis unit may calculate pairs of impedance or admittance values which are chronologically assigned to one another for different frequencies of the measuring current, and calculate a value for a blood impedance or blood admittance component which is independent of the impedance of the body tissue surrounding a particular blood vessel, The analysis unit may also determine trends in this value over time as an indicator for a change of blood hematocrit value.

Implantable medical device for blood conductivity, blood impedance, and/or hematocrit measurement

An electromedical implant includes a measuring signal generator, an impedance measuring unit to determine the impedance of human or animal tissue, a control unit which, for controlling the measuring signal generator and the impedance measuring unit, is at least indirectly connected to the measuring signal generator and to the impedance measuring unit, as well as an electrode arrangement comprising at least two electrodes which can be directly or indirectly connected or at least temporarily connected to the measuring signal generator and to the impedance measuring unit, or to a connection for such an electrode arrangement. The measuring signal generator is designed to generate and emit a current pulse or a series of current pulses, and the control unit is designed at a specific point in time to cause the measuring signal generator (to generate and emit a current pulse, and to cause the impedance measuring unit to measure the voltage that is present between the electrodes connected to the measuring signal generator and the impedance measuring unit after the passing of at least two time periods of different length that start with commencement of the current pulse being emitted and end before the end of emitting the current pulse, and to issue a voltage value which in each case represents the measured voltage.

Device for determining thoracic impedance

A device for detecting the state of a heart on the basis of intracardial impedance measurement. The device has an impedance measuring unit, which has electrical terminals, configured to be electrically connected or to be connected to electrodes for delivering and detecting a current or voltage, and is implemented to ascertain an impedance on the basis of the dimension of the delivered current or voltage and the voltage drop caused by the current or the current caused by the voltage, as well as an analysis unit, which is connected to the impedance measuring unit and is implemented to derive a cardiac function parameter from a time curve of the impedance ascertained using the impedance measuring unit. The analysis unit analyzes the impedance curve assigned to a diastole and derives a cardiac function parameter characterizing the behavior of a heart during the diastole (filling phase of the ventricle).

Device for determining cardiac function parameters

A device is connected to electrode leads which performs intracardiac impedance measurements, conducts a transient pacing protocol, analyses the impedance measurements, and generates an LV lead position quality factor. The transient pacing protocol includes a repeated change ('transitions') between ventricular intrinsic rhythm and biventricular paced rhythm and may also include a variation of the atrioventricular delay (AVD) and/or the interventricular delay (VVD). The quality factor expresses the degree to which hemodynamic properties have improved due to BiV stimulation for the current LV lead position compared to intrinsic ventricular rhythm.

Implantable medical device and method for LV coronary sinus lead implant site optimization

The invention concerns implantable cardiac stimulation devices in general which have at least one stimulation pulse generator (A-STIM; RV-STIM; LV-STIM) to selectively generate a stimulation pulse for delivery to one of at least two different chambers of a heart, said chambers include right and left atria and right and left ventricles, at least one impedance measuring stage (I, U, IMP) being connected to electrodes or connectors for such electrodes to measure an intracardiac impedance when in use, a control unit (CTRL) connected to the stimulation pulse generator and to the impedance measuring unit and being adapted to process a minimum impedance value for a heart cycle to trigger stimulation pulses for two different chambers of the heart with an adjustable time delay (VVD; AVD) and to adjust said time delay depending upon the measured intracardiac impedance minimum value. According to the invention the control unit is adapted to adjust the time delay such that the minimum value of the intracardiac impedance during one heart cycle is minimized or such that the AVD delay is equal to the time interval between an atrial event and the point of time when the minimum impedance value occurs after said atrial contraction.

Cardiac pacemaker

Certain embodiments of the present invention disclose an implantable electrotherapy device comprising a housing in which are arranged an activity sensor, an impedance or conductivity measuring unit and an evaluation unit, wherein the evaluation unit is connected to the impedance or conductivity measuring unit and to the activity sensor and is adapted to evaluate the impedance or conductivity signal produced by the impedance or conductivity measuring unit and the respectively time-associated activity level signal and for producing and outputting a contractility signal, in such a way that the contractility signal is derived from the impedance or conductivity signal and the activity level signal and reflects the respective contractile state of a heart associated with an activity level signal value.

Electrotherapy device

A device for electrostimulation of body tissue through a stimulation electrode, in which a stimulation outcome is detected, at least after delivery of a stimulation pulse, on the basis of detecting a drop in a voltage over time or a rise in a short-circuit current over time at a capacitance including at least one Hemholtz capacitance produced on the surface of the stimulation electrode in conjunction with surrounding body fluid or the body tissue, and wherein the drop in voltage or the rise in short-circuit current is representative of a characteristic drop in a myocardium impedance of the body tissue.

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Buckenhof, Germany

Gerald Czygan