Siemens Aktiengesellschaft

Siemens Elema Ab

Pacesetter Ab

Jan Ljungstroem

Kurt Hoegnelid

Liliane Wecke

Asa Hedin

Kjell Noren

Christer Ekwall

Kenth-Ake-Sune Nilsson

Lennart Moberg

Josef Vock

An implantable heart defibrillator and a method for defibrillating a heart, employ a shock pulse generator for delivering a defibrillation shock to a heart, the delivered energy being mechanical. The shock pulse generator includes an electromechanical energy converter which generates, e.g., pressure, by means of a piezoelement, in a pressure chamber. Pressure is transmitted by a fluid in an electrode devised like a hydraulic line to a balloon-like electrode head in contact with heart tissue. The generated pressure causes the electrode head to expand and deliver a mechanical shock to the heart corresponding to the pressure.

Mechanical defibrillator and method for defibrillating a heart

A defibrillation system includes circuitry and other components contained in a defibrillator housing, to which at least two defibrillation electrodes are connected, at least one defibrillation electrode being intended for intracardiac placement. This defibrillation electrode contains a flexible electrode cable with at least one elongate, electrically insulated conductor and at least one defibrillation surface disposed at the distal end of the electrode cable for delivering defibrillation pulses to the heart. The system further includes control components and circuitry for determining when defibrillation therapy, in the form of one or more pulses is to be administered. In order to provide defibrillation employing the intracardiac electrode, with a defibrillation surface that is relatively large so that the defibrillation current can be distributed so as to prevent damage to the heart, while still achieving optimum defibrillation, and so that the defibrillation electrode does not impede the flow of blood in the heart during periods when it is not used to emit pulses, the electrode head is constructed so as to be expandable, and the defibrillator housing includes control elements and circuitry operable on the electrode head via the electrode cable to cause the electrode head to expand, as needed, and to subsequently return to a non-expanded state.

Difibrillation system

Implantable medical device comprising a device for stimulating tissue contractions with adjustable stimulation intensity, whereby the stimulation intensity is set such that a stimulated event is detected after stimulation with a detector device. The detector device detects stimulated tissue contractions in a signal corresponding to the chronological curve of the electrical impedance of the tissue to be stimulated.

Implantable medical device having means for stimulating tissue

A medical device interacting with the body of a patient for stimulating and/or monitoring a physiological function includes control electronics which uses a parameter set which can be fetched from a memory, the parameter set defining the interaction. A number of different parameter sets can be stored in the memory, with a switching system being provided to fetch respectively different parameter sets under differing conditions.

Medical stimulation and/or monitoring device interacting with the body

An implantable medical stimulation system optionally operable in a bipolar or a unipolar mode includes a stimulation device and a bipolar electrode and a unipolar electrode optionally electrically connectable thereto. The electrodes conduct electrical signals between the stimulation device and the body of a patient in whom the system is implanted. The connection located at the stimulation device for the electrodes has a terminal carrying a signal potential and a terminal carrying a reference potential. When the device is switched for unipolar operation, the terminal carrying the reference potential is connected so that reference potential is supplied to the body of the patient by some means other than the unipolar electrode. To avoid danger to the patient if the device is errroneously switched for operation in the bipolar mode when the unipolar electrode is connected, the unipolar electrode and the connector on the stimulation device in combination provide a non-switchable connection to the other means for applying the reference potential.

Implantable medical stimulation system optionally operable in a bipolar

An implantable heart pacemaker includes a detector for natural heart muscle contractions in the region of the atrium and circuitry for stimulating heart muscle contractions in the region of the ventricle, the stimulating circuitry generating a stimulating pulse following the detection of a natural heart muscle contraction in the region of the atrium. The repetition rate of the pulses which stimulate heart muscle contractions in the region of the ventricle is limited to a maximum value which tracks and is not less than the heartbeat frequency adapted to the current physical activity of the pacemaker user.

Implantable heart pacemaker and method for stimulating the heart with

A medical device implantable into the body of a patient with which spontaneous tissue contractions can be detected and tissue contractions can be stimulated, generates a stimulation after the expiration of an adjustable first time interval, started by the respective detection or the stimulation of a tissue contraction, if a spontaneous tissue contraction is not detected before the expiration of the first time interval and if a shorter, second time interval, started by the detection or stimulation of a tissue contraction, has not yet expired. Detection of a spontaneous tissue contraction during the second time interval starts a new second time interval. The duration of the second time interval is automatically set such that it is always shorter by a defined amount than the duration of the first time interval.

Method and implantable medical device for stimulating tissue contractions

A medical device adapted to be implanted in a patient includes components for detecting physiological events and/or for stimulating physiological events, and includes control logic connected to the detecting and or stimulating components, and further components for the telemetric transmission of data relating to the logical status of the control logic to and from an external receiver. The components for telemetrically transmitting data are connected to the control logic, and continuously transmit data identifying the current logical status of the control logic to the external receiver.

Implantable medical device with means for telemetric transmission of data

An implantable medical device for stimulating a physiological event in a patient at a stimulation intensity includes circuitry for adapting the stimulation intensity to the physical activity of the patient with refernce to a parameter contained within a physical activity signal obtained from a sensor. Circuitry is also provided for reducing, under certain circumstances, the sensitivity for the parameter of the physical activity signal which is used to adapt the stimulatin intensity. Reducing the sensitivity ensues dependent on the time over which the stimulation intensity is below a defined threshold. A method for operating the device is also disclosed.

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Solna, Sweden

Jan Ljungstroem