St. Jude Medical Ab

Pacesetter Ab

Siemens Aktiengesellschaft

Olsen, Linn

Kenneth Dahlberg

Leda Henriquez

Åke Sivard

Nils Holmström

Hans G Strandberg

Martin Obel

Åsa Broomé

Gustav Pellijeff

Anna Norlin

Rolf Hill

Ulf Lindegren

Olof Stegfeldt

Mikael Forslund

Per Erik Jarl

Johan Eckerdal

Ake Sivard

Henrik Djurling

Paul Froberg

Paul Fröberg

Linn Olsen

Patrik Forsström

Asa Broome

Leda Henriques

Patrik Forsrtöm

A medical implantable lead is adapted to be implanted into a human or animal body for monitoring and/or controlling of an organ inside the body, and has in a distal end, a combined fixation means and electrode member in form of a helix, which is rotatable in relation to the lead and extendable out from the distal end by rotation of a tubular torque transferring member. The helix is electrically connected to a connector in the proximal end by at least one electrically conducting wire, which is formed as an electrically conducting coil, which is separate from the tubular torque transferring member and that includes one or more individual wires each having an electrically conducting wire core and a surrounding electrically insulating layer. The tubular torque transferring member has no electrically conducting function to or from the helix. The lead is arranged such that the electrical connection between the helix and the conducting wire is always maintained regardless of the rotational position of the helix while no electrical connection is present between the helix and the tubular torque transferring member although the helix is rotatable by the tubular torque transferring member.

Implantable MRI compatible medical lead

A medical implantable lead adapted to be implanted into a human or animal body for monitoring and/or controlling of an organ inside the body has a fixation in a distal end, which is adapted to fix a distal end of the lead to the organ, an electrode member in the distal end adapted to be in contact with tissue of the organ and receive and/or transmit electrical signals from and/or to the organ, and at least one electrically conducting coil, which includes one or more electrically conducting helical wires and that is adapted to connect the electrode member in the distal end with a monitoring and/or controlling device in a proximal end of the lead. One or more of the individual wires of the coil has a wire core that is provided with a surrounding electrically insulating layer, which in turn is provided with a surrounding electrically conducting shield layer, and the coil is close lapped such that electrically conducting shield layers of adjacent loops of the coil are in electrical contact with each other.

Medical implantable lead and method for the manufacture thereof

An implantable electrode lead for tissue stimulation adapted to be attached to an implantable tissue stimulator provided with a pulse generator, has at least two stimulation electrodes to apply stimulation pulses to said tissue and arranged close to the distal end of the electrode lead, and at least two electrical conductors to connect said electrodes to said pulse generator. The electrode lead further has a switching unit arranged close to the distal end of the electrode lead and adapted to switch the electrode lead between a local pacing mode and a normal pacing mode, the switching unit being controlled by a mode control signal. Further, a pacing module is arranged close to the distal end of the electrode lead and in relation to the switching unit and being connectable to said at least two stimulation electrodes, the pacing module includes a pulse generating unit to generate stimulating pulses to be applied to the tissue by the stimulation electrodes. When the electrode lead is in the local pacing mode the electrical conductors are disconnected from said stimulation electrodes which instead are connected to the pacing module, and when the electrode lead is in the normal pacing mode the electrical conductors are connected to the stimulation electrodes.

Electrode lead

An implantable medical device has a hermetically sealed housing with at least one feedthrough therein for a conductive path between an RF antenna carried by the housing, and an RF telemetry circuit contained in the housing. The feedthrough has a feedthrough housing with a capacitor element therein having first and second capacitor plate configurations, with a first of the capacitor plate configurations being connected to the RF antenna and a second of the capacitor plate configurations being connected to the RF telemetry circuit. The feedthrough functions both as a hermetic seal and as a galvanic isolation for voltage protection of the components of the RF telemetry circuit, and other circuitry in the sealed housing connected thereto.

Implantable medical device with a voltage protection circuit

A medically implantable lead configured for insertion into a human or animal body to be attached in the body with its distal end to tissue inside the body, as a rotatable helix at a distal end thereof that can be screwed into the tissue. The helix serves as an attachment of the lead to the tissue as well as a conductor for conducting electrical signals to the tissue through electrically conducting surfaces on the helix. The surfaces of the helix are partly insulated so as to restrict the conducting of signals between the helix and the tissue to desirable regions. The surfaces of the helix facing inwardly, toward an inner bore of the helix, are electrically insulated. In a method for manufacturing such a lead, the wire forming the helix has protrusions in desired areas and the wire including the protrusions is coated with an electrically insulating layer. The protrusions are uncovered from the insulating layer in desired regions.

Implantable medical lead and method for the manufacture thereof

An implantable lead for delivering electrical stimuli to a human heart has a stimulating electrode for transmitting electrical stimuli to the myocardium after implantation, and a mapping electrode for use during implantation. The mapping electrode is configured to deliver electrical stimuli to the heart and to sense intrinsic cardiac activity, for the purpose of finding a suitable fixation position in the myocardium. During the implantation procedure, the mapping electrode is electrically connected to the conductor. The lead is configured to electrically disconnect the mapping electrode from the conductor after a suitable fixation position has been determined.

Implantable lead with a stimulating electrode and a mapping electrode that is electrically disconnectable

A heart monitoring device has a control circuit that derives an impedance value indicative of the impedance between different electrode surfaces. The control circuit determines and monitors a negative rate of change of the impedance value and determines whether the negative rate of change, or its absolute value, increases or decreases over a number of heart cycles. Alternatively or additionally, the control circuit may determine and monitor a relationship between a positive rate of change and a negative rate of change of the impedance value. The device can, in particular, be used to detect and treat a diastolic dysfunction of a heart.

Heart monitoring device, system and method

A battery unit has a battery encapsulation formed by first and second encapsulation parts joined by a weld along a weld zone, with a battery contained in the battery encapsulation between the first and second encapsulation parts. Either the battery has a recess exstending along the weld zone, or overlaping edges of the first and second encapsulation parts are bent away from the battery to form a recess. The recess provides a heating insulating space that protects the battery from damage during welding along the weld zone.

Battery and a battery encapsulation

A fixation arrangement on the outer surface of an electrode head at distal end of a pacing lead includes an attachment mechanism having at least one tine, the tine being connected to the electrode head by a tine base portion that includes an electrically controlled heat-responsive positioner. The electrically controlled heat responsive positioner allows the angular position of the tine relative to the electrode head to be selective adjusted by a temperature change in the positioner.

Electrode head fixation arrangement

A heart monitoring device has a control circuit, the control circuit being adapted to be electrically connected to electrode surfaces arranged at two different positions of the heart. The control circuit derives an impedance value indicative of the impedance between the electrode surfaces. Furthermore, the control circuit is arranged to determine and monitor a relationship between a positive rate of change and a negative rate of change of the impedance value. The device can, in particular, be used to detect and treat a systolic dysfunction of a heart.

Systolic function monitoring utilizing slope of measured impedance

In a process for manufacturing a female connector for a pacemaker, a tubular ceramic insert is formed with a longitudinal bore and with two radial holes connecting internal contact surfaces with external contact surfaces. The radial holes are filled with conductive material and the internal and external contact surfaces are metallized. The ceramic insert is covered with a layer of metal except for an area around each of the external contact surfaces.

Pacemaker connector part and manufacturing process for making same

An electrode lead for a medical implant, such as a pacemaker, has a proximal end for connection to the implant and a distal end opposite thereto having an electrode and fixation structure for holding the distal end in place relative to surrounding tissue. A distal end part at the distal end has a tape ring shape, in the form of a truncated cone, and the fixation structure forms a helical thread around the distal end part. The height of the thread is such that the crest of the thread is located within an imaginary, second truncated cone that is coaxial with the distal end part. The crest of the thread is located within an imaginary cylinder that is coaxial with the cylindrical lead body and which has the same diameter as the lead body, this imaginary cylinder intersecting the imaginary, second truncated cone.

Electrode for a medical implant

An active medical implant has a hermetically sealable capsule formed by a first part and a second closing part, the capsule being devised to hold a battery unit, an electronics unit, conductors for electrically connecting the battery to the electronics unit, and contacts arranged on the exterior of the capsule for connection to electrodes. The first part is made, at least in part, of a rolled, multi-layer composite sheet or plate, one layer of which is made of a biocompatible material and a second layer of which is made of a diffusion-proof material which is essentially resistant to corrosive chemicals. The two layers are joined by rolling, with the layer made of biocompatible material constituting the outer wall of the capsule. The closing part contains a layer of the biocompatible material serving as the capsule's outer wall and a partition wall made of diffusion-proof material which is essentially resistant to corrosive chemicals, is arranged to form a first essentially closed space for the power source in the first part. A second space for the electronics unit is formed between the wall closing the capsule and the partition wall.

Active medical implant having a hermetically sealed capsule and method

An active medical implant has a hermetically sealable capsule formed by a first part and a second capsule-closing part, whereby the capsule is arranged to hold a battery unit and an electronics unit, conductors for electrically connecting the battery to the electronics unit and contacts with associated conductors arranged on the exterior of the capsule for connection to electrodes. The first part and the second part are made of an essentially biocompatible material, and a partition wall is arranged to form a first essentially closed space in the first part for the battery unit, and an electrically insulating layer, impermeable to battery chemicals, is arranged on the surfaces of the biocompatible material facing the first closed space. An additional space is formed for the electronics between the capsule-closing part and the partition wall.

Active medical implant with a hermetically sealed capsule

An implantable cardiac stimulator has locking device for a pin-like conductor element of an electrode lead, the locking device having a helical coil which can assume a first, locking position, in which it grips the pin-like conductor element inserted into the coil to prevent longitudinal movement of pin-like conductor element, and a second, release position in which the pin-like conductor element is free to move in and out of the coil in relation to the coil's longitudinal axis. The first position is assumed when the coil is not influenced in its helix diameter increasing direction and the second position being assumed when the coil is influenced in its helix diameter increasing direction. The locking device also has a blocking component which only prevents the coil from rotating in the unwinding direction around its longitudinal axis in the locking device.

Growing community of inventors

Stockholm, Sweden

Kenneth Dahlberg