Pacesetter, Inc.

Junyu Mai

Gene A Bornzin

Euljoon Park

Joseph J Florio

Kelly Hobart McClure

Anne Margaret Pianca

Lee Jay Mandell

Alan B Vogel

Eric Falkenberg

Harold C Schloss

A system and method are provided for compensating for the drop in blood pressure upon standing. Upon transition from prolonged sitting, lying down, or standing position, the pacemaker abruptly increasing its pacing rate upon postural transition. This pacing rate is triggered when a patient stands after a prolonged reclined or supine/prone position.

System and method for modulating the pacing rate based on patient activity and position

An implantable cardiac stimulation device which determines stimulation based upon the patient's body position and activity level while eliminating special implantation or calibration procedures. To eliminate such special implantation and calibration procedures, the stimulation device correlates the patient's body position using a multi-axis DC accelerometer or other sensor during times of high activity and determines a patient's standing position value. During other times, the stimulation device compares the signals from the accelerometer to the standing position value to determine the patient's current body position. Based upon the current body position and the activity level, the stimulation device determines the necessary stimulation to deliver to the patient.

AC/DC multi-axis accelerometer for determining patient activity and body position

A system and corresponding method are disclosed for discriminating between far field R-waves and actual atrial events that are sensed on an atrial sense channel. In one embodiment, such information is used to prevent mode switching. In another embodiment, the information is used to extend an atrial blanking period so that the far field R-waves are no longer sensed on an atrial channel.

System and method for far-field R-wave detection

An implantable cardiac device detects a progression or regression in heart disease such as congestive heart failure. An activity sensor and a respiration sensor generate raw signals indicative of the patient's activity level and respiration level. Degradation or improvement of the patient's activity and respiration over a predetermined time corresponds to an indication of the progression or regression of the heart disease. A processor coupled to the sensors is programmed to process the raw sensor signals over the predetermined time and stores the processed sensor signals in a memory having a data storage area. A telemetry circuit coupled to the memory is configured to transmit the stored sensor signals to an external monitor for subsequent display. The processor further controls pacing of the heart, adjusts pacing therapy responsive to the process signals, and process the raw respiration signals when the patient is in a number of different active states.

Implantable cardiac device for managing the progression of heart disease and method

A system and method for determining the onset and termination of cardiac events, such as the R-wave, the T-wave and the far-field signals sensed in the atria associated with the R-wave (FFR) and T-wave (FFT). The onset is defined as the time of the first sampled point of the cardiac signal whose magnitude exceeds a pre-defined threshold for the particular event. Once the onset of an event is positively determined, the cardiac signal is sampled at given intervals. The change in magnitude of these sampled points is determined. The termination of the event is identified through an algorithm that compares the difference in magnitude of these sampled points.

System and method of automatically determining the onsets and ends of cardiac events and far-field signals

A system and method for use in an implantable cardiac device permits the monitoring of progression and regression in heart disease, such as congestive heart failure. During a monitoring period, a sensing circuit produces an electrogram signal of the patient's heart and a sound sensor produces a phonocardiogram of the patient's heart. A processor determines a predetermined characteristic of the heart sounds, such as amplitude, time intervals between selected heart sounds, and time intervals between selected heart sound and selected electrogram features for each cardiac cycle occurring during a monitoring period. The predetermined characteristics are thereafter averaged and stored in a memory for later retrieval. Relative changes in the average time intervals over time provides an indication of the progression or regression of the heart disease.

Implantable cardiac stimulation device for monitoring heart sounds to detect progression and regression of heart disease and method thereof

A rate smoothing technique is applied by the pacing device to sensed and paced heart signals so as to prevent a sharp drop in heart rate, particularly for use within patients prone to vasovagal syncope. The rate smoothing technique is applied by the pacing device during the calculation of an escape interval employed by the device in determining whether to pace the heart. The rate smoothing technique has the effect of adjusting the escape interval to ensure the heart is paced for a period of time subsequent to a sharp drop in the natural heart rate of the patient permitting the heart rate to decrease gradually rather than suddenly. The rate smoothing technique however does not interfere with a sharp increase in heart rate as may be required during sudden physical exertion. System and method examples are described herein.

System and method for preventing sudden heart rate drop using implantable cardiac pacing device

A system and method for automatically adjusting the sensing parameters in an implantable cardiac stimulation device is described. The adjustment is based on the amplitudes and the onsets and ends of cardiac events, such as R-waves, T-waves, far-field R-waves, and/or far-field T-waves. Having determined the onset and termination of the cardiac events for a given number of cardiac cycles, particular variables that characterize these cardiac events can be averaged and stored in memory. Such variables include the peak amplitudes sampled during a cardiac event, the duration of the cardiac event, and the duration between cardiac events. Based on the averaged variables, the system automatically adjusts the sensing parameters, such as sensitivity, and blanking and refractory periods.

System and method of automatically adjusting sensing parameters based on temporal measurement of cardiac events

A system and method are provided for compensating for the drop in blood pressure upon standing. Upon transition from prolonged sitting, lying down, or standing position, the pacemaker abruptly increasing its pacing rate upon postural transition. The pacing rate is abruptly increased to about 80-100 bpm in 20 seconds-one minute. The pacing rate then decreases slowly to another high rate in two or three minutes and then follows the metabolically indicated rate. This pacing rate is triggered whenever a patient stands after a prolonged reclined or supine/prone position as indicated by activity variance measurements.

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Valencia, CA, United States of America

Junyu Mai