Medtronic, Inc.

F.j. Tieman B.v.

Koen J Weijand

Robert Leinders

Alexis C Renirie

Richard P Houben

Markus Haller

Vincent J Schouten

David E Francischelli

Richard P M Houben

Daniel R Greeninger

Alexis C M Renirie

David L Thompson

Johann J Neisz

John D Wahlstrand

John J Grevious

David K Peterson

Pierre Andre Grandjean

Todd P Goblish

Robert A Neumann

Kendra K Gealow

Martinus A G M Bakx

John Hammargren

Jon Werder

Marty Bakx

Jeff Wilkinson

Patrick J Combs

The invention is directed to a programmer for communication with different medical devices that utilize different telemetry communication techniques. The programmer receives telemetry signals from a given medical device, and selects an appropriate communication mode, which can be pre-programmed into the programmer as one of a plurality of possible communication modes. The programmer can configure itself for communication with a given medical device based on the telemetry signal it receives. Specifically the programmer is implemented as a software based, power efficient receiver/transmitter based upon an inexpensive, simple motor-controller DSP.

Multi-mode programmer for medical device communication

An implantable beneficial agent infusion device featuring a unique energy recovery circuit and a deflectable energy storing member such as a piezo-electric membrane is disclosed. The circuit and deflectable energy storing member cooperate to permit electrical energy employed to activate the member to be at least partially recovered. In a preferred embodiment, the deflectable energy storing member is connected to a seal which is opened to permit the delivery or infusion of a pre-determined amount of a beneficial agent to a patient when the member is deflected or actuated through the application of a sufficiently high voltage thereacross. Charge stored on or in the deflectable energy storing member as a result of the voltage being applied thereacross is recovered by a novel circuit when the deflectable energy storing membrane is permitted to return to its non-actuated state or position.

Drive circuit having improved energy efficiency for implantable beneficial agent infusion or delivery device

There is provided an implantable system and method for monitoring pancreatic beta cell electrical activity in a patient in order to obtain a measure of a patient's insulin demand and blood glucose level. A stimulus generator is controlled to deliver stimulus pulses so as to synchronize pancreatic beta cell depolarization, thereby producing an enhanced electrical signal which is sensed and processed. In a specific embodiment, the signal is processed to determine the start and end of beta cell depolarization, from which the depolarization duration is obtained. In order to reduce cardiac interference, each stimulus pulse is timed to be offset from the QRS signal which can interfere with the pancreas sensing. Additionally, the beta cell signals are processed by a correction circuit, e.g., an adaptive filter, to remove QRS artifacts, as well as artifacts from other sources, such as respiration. The thus obtained insulin demand signal is used either to control delivery of insulin from an implanted insulin pump, or to control ongoing pancreatic stimulation of a form to enhance insulin production.

System for delivering insulin

An implantable beneficial agent infusion device featuring a unique safety valve assembly is disclosed. In one embodiment of the present invention, a seal in the safety valve assembly is normally closed and only opens upon a deflectable or moveable member to which the seal is attached being electrically, magnetically or electromagnetically activated. The valve assembly is preferably small in size and made of corrosion resistant materials. The valve assembly may be employed in either a passive or an active implantable drug or beneficial agent infusion system.

Safety valve assembly for implantable benefical agent infusion device

Floating and non-floating on-chip capacitors are formed by vertical walls and/or large aspect ratio deep trenches disposed in semiconductor material. By optimizing the through spacing and substrate voltage, a very small parasitic to intended capacitance ratio may be obtained. Capacitors so formed may be used as on-chip charge storage and other types of on-chip capacitors, and eliminate or reduce the number of off-chip capacitors that would otherwise be required. The deep trench capacitors find particularly efficacious application in implantable medical devices where volume, cost and electrical energy consumption must be minimized, and preferably have capacitances which range between about 10 nF and about 1000 uF.

Deep trench semiconductor capacitors having reverse bias diodes for implantable medical devices

A system for and method of providing power to an implanted medical device within a patient is disclosed. The system ( ) includes a first ( ) and a second heat conduit ( ) positioned within the patient. A thermoelectric device ( ) is connected to the first and second heat conduits for thermally converting the temperature difference between the conduits to a voltage. A DC-DC converter ( ) is connected to the thermoelectric element and increases the voltage. A storage element ( ) is connected to the DC-DC converter-for receiving the increased voltage. The storage element is also connected to the implanted medical device ( ), thereby providing power to the implanted medical device.

Body heat powered implantable medical device

There is provided a system and method for continually monitoring the occurrence of contraction during stimulation of skeletal muscle which is employed in a cardiac assist-type system. During delivery of a periodic burst, or train of stimulus pulses, the impedance of the muscle between the electrodes through which the pulses are delivered is monitored, and evaluated to determine whether or not stimulation has been achieved. In a particular embodiment, the impedance and impedance derivative values are accumulated throughout the burst, and assessed to determine whether the impedance change corresponded to a full muscle contraction. In the event of failure to stimulate the muscle to contraction, the system can automatically adjust the pulse output parameters to achieve reliable contraction.

System and method of determining skeletal muscle contraction by serial lead impedance measurements

There is provided an implanted system and method for delivering subsonic mechanical waves to one or more selected patient areas, said areas including the patient's heart and/or lungs. The mechanical waves are delivered for the purpose of treating fibrillation or like arrhythmias, for enhancing lung gas exchange, enhancing cardiac muscle fiber relaxation, and enhancing coronary perfusion. Mechanical waves are generated in a frequency range of about 1,100,000 Hz, and preferably 1-50,000 Hz. The waves may be delivered continuously for short or long time periods, or may be controlled in timing either with respect to detected portions of a patient's heartbeat signal or in response to a detected event such as fibrillation. In one preferred embodiment, the implantable system includes a defibrillation shock generator and control for responding to a defibrillation event by first delivering a sequence of mechanical waves and then delivering an electrical defibrillation shock. In another embodiment, the system and method treat incipient fibrillation or arrhythmia by delivering mechanical waves of predetermined timing to the patient's heart and/or lungs. In a specific embodiment, mechanical waves are delivered through an array of transducers to the patient's atrial wall, to treat atrial fibrillation.

System for delivering mechanical waves

System and a corresponding method for treating defibrillation in a heart

There is provided a telemetry system with a receiver which enables detection of pulsed high frequency data (hf) signals in a manner which suppresses noise which may be present within the high frequency bandwidth. The transmitter carrier, which may be subject to some instability, is encoded at a symbol rate which is generated at a lower frequency than the hf, but which is reliably stable. The receiver detects the phase of each received hf pulse, and generates a phase-locked signal which is synchronized to the transmitter symbol signal. The phase-locked signal in turn is used to demodulate the received pulsed signals. In a specific DSP embodiment, the phase-lock loop has a numerically controlled oscillator which has a center frequency which corresponds to the aliased phase difference between the hf carrier phase and the phase of each pulse, thereby obtaining a signal which carries information as to the exact symbol rate. This information is used either to calculate the timing of a narrow window which gates a pulse detector coincident with each next expected symbol time, or to trigger generation of a replica signal which is used in the detect circuit, thereby providing high resolution detection of the pulses and good noise rejection.

Telemetry system with phase-locking noise suppressing receiver

A system and method for locating an implantable medical device. The system consists of a flat &ldquo;pancake&rdquo; antenna coil positioned concentric with the implantable medical device target, e.g. the drug reservoir septum. The system further features a three location antenna array which is separate from the implantable device and external to the patient. The antenna array features three or more separate antennas which are used to sense the energy emitted from the implanted antenna coil. The system further features a processor to process the energy ducted by the antenna array. The system senses the proximity to the implant coil and, thus, the implant device by determining when an equal amount of energy is present in each of the antennas of the antenna array and if each such ducted energy is greater than a predetermined minimum. When such a condition is met, the antenna array is aligned with the implant coil. Thus the needle port through the antenna array is lined up with the septum of the drug reservoir. Alternative embodiments are further disclosed in which the processor and antenna array are positioned within the implanted device while the coil is external to the patient.

System for locating implantable medical device

A medical system having improved telemetry, the medical system featuring a programmer having a programming head. The system provides improved telemetry due to the unique antenna scheme within the programmer head. The antenna scheme utilizes a first antenna and a second antenna, the antennas disposed in a concentric and co-planar manner. This concentric and co-planar disposition permits the programmer head to be of much smaller and, thus, a more portable size than was previously possible. The antenna is further coupled with circuitry or software or both to reduce far field response (noise). The antenna may be constructed using printed circuit board, and thus be integrated with circuitry.

Medical system having improved telemetry

Method of obtaining a measure of blood glucose

System for pancreatic stimulation and glucose measurement

A Braille device includes a plurality of Braille cells that comprise a plurality of pins that are actively positioned to present information to a user via tactile feel. The Braille device also allows the user to depress at one or more of the pins in order to make a selection analogous to point and click of a mouse. To allow the user to move a screen cursor and make selections via the Braille pins, the Braille cell includes pin position sensing circuitry that senses the position of each of the plurality of Braille pins. A system controller (e.g., a CPU) reads the information from the sensing circuitry to determine which pins, if any have been depressed. Advantageously, the Braille pins are used as an output device that allows a user to read information, and also as an input device by allowing the user to depress the Braille pins in order to make a selection. In addition, depositing the electronics onto the piezoelectric bimorph reduces the overall size of the Braille device.

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Rockanje, Netherlands

Koen J Weijand