Med-el Elektromedizinische Geraete Gmbh

Martin Zimmerling

Erwin Hochmair

Claude Jolly

Dominik Hammerer

Stefan B Nielsen

Carolyn Garnham

Fabrice Béal

Anup Ramachandran

Davide De Luca

Stefan Hofer

Philipp Schindler

Bernhard Jamnig

Josef Baumgartner

Andreas Jäger

Erwin S Hochmair

Gene Y Fridman

Geoffrey R Ball

Clemens M Zierhofer

Werner Lindenthaler

Ingeborg Hochmair

Anandhan Dhanasingh

Marek Polak

Charles Coleman Della Santina

Wolfgang Amrhein

Stefan Strahl

Peter Nopp

Philipp Spitzer

Roland Hessler

Karl-Bernd Hüttenbrink

Markus Nagl

Peter Lampacher

Marcus Schmidt

Martin J Kerber

Gunther Weidenholzer

Daniel Sieber

Andreas Jáger

Eckhard Schulz

Tanja Schulze

Edith Sebesta

Franz Berger

Hansjörg Schoesser

Gerhard Mark

Christoph Von Ilberg

Andreas Jager

Martin Kerber

Hansjorg Schoesser

A magnet arrangement for an implantable medical device is described. An implantable coil case contains a communications coil and is made of biocompatible resilient material with a top lateral surface. A magnet receptacle is located within the coil case and has a receptacle opening in the top lateral surface. An implant magnet fits within the magnet receptacle and has opposing end surfaces, and a center body region located between the end surfaces. An elastic opening clamp is located radially around the receptacle opening and is configured to normally be closed around the receptacle opening to maintain the implant magnet within the magnet receptacle. The elastic opening clamp also is configured to cooperate with a surgical handling tool to expand the receptacle opening to permit the implant magnet to be removed from the magnet receptacle through the receptacle opening without needing to move the coil case.

Fixation of a removable magnet or a similar element in an elastic implant material

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to an implantable hearing implant, such as cochlear implants. The implantable hearing implant includes an implant device containing signal processing circuitry configured to receive an implant communications signal transmitted from an external transmitting coil. The implantable hearing implant further includes an implant magnet configured to cooperate with a corresponding external holding magnet in an external device located over the overlying skin to magnetically hold the external device against the overlying skin. The implant magnet has a north magnetic pole, a south magnetic pole, and as a whole has an overall magnetic dipole moment that is parallel to or at an angle of 30° or less with respect to the outermost surface. The implant magnet has a north end portion and a south end portion, each having an individual magnetic dipole moment that is inclined with respect to the overall magnetic dipole moment.

Holding magnets and magnet system for implantable systems optimized for MRI

A magnet arrangement for a hearing implant device is described. A magnet case is contained within an implantable device and has a central case axis of symmetry that is perpendicular to the outermost surface of the implantable device. The magnet case is configured to be freely rotatable within the implantable device about the case axis of symmetry. An implant magnet is contained within the magnet case and consists of a single cylindrical magnet having a central magnet axis of symmetry perpendicular to the case axis of symmetry. The implant magnet is configured to be freely rotatable within the magnet case about the magnet axis of symmetry.

Cylindrical implant magnet optimized for MRI

An implantable medical device includes an implantable coil case that contains a communications coil. A magnet receptacle is located within the coil case at the radial center and has a magnet opening in one of the lateral surface or the medial surface of the coil case. A magnet fitting groove is recessed into one of the lateral or medial surface of the coil case and extends from the magnet opening to the outer circumference of the coil case. A u-shaped implant magnet clip has parallel clip legs that are connected at a closed end of the u-shape, and an implant magnet is attached to one of the clip legs. The coil case and the magnet clip are configured to cooperate for a portion of the coil case to fit between the clip legs and the implant magnet to slide through the magnet fitting groove and fit through the magnet opening into the magnet receptacle.

Cochlear implant with clippable magnet

An implantable magnet that can freely turn in response to an external magnetic field, thus avoiding torque and demagnetization on the implantable magnet. The implantable magnet can be combined with an electric switching function depending on the orientation of an external magnetic field, thus protecting an implanted coil and/or implant electronics against induction of over-voltage or performing an electric switching function for other various purposes. The magnetic switch may further include, for example, a first switching contact and a second switching contact. A magnetically soft body that includes an electrically conductive surface is shiftable between a first position where the body is in simultaneous contact with the first and second switching contacts, and a second position where the body is out of contact with at least one of the first and second switching contacts. The body and the implantable magnet are positioned such that the body is shifted to one of the first position and the second position as a function of the external magnetic field resulting in a magnetic force between the magnet and the magnetically soft body.

Reducing effect of magnetic and electromagnetic fields on an implant's magnet and/or electronics

A magnet arrangement for an implantable medical device is described. An implantable coil case contains a communications coil and is made of biocompatible resilient material with a top lateral surface and an opposing bottom medial surface. A magnet receptacle is located within the coil case and has opposing receptacle openings in the top lateral surface and the bottom medial surface. An implant magnet fits within the magnet receptacle and has opposing end surfaces, and a center body region located between the end surfaces. The center body diameter is larger than the end diameters. The implant magnet and the magnet receptacle are configured to cooperate to permit the implant magnet to be inserted into or removed from the magnet receptacle through either of the receptacle openings.

An external unit for an implantable neuro stimulator system and a method of operating the same, comprising an external coil inductively couplable to an implant coil of an implantable neural stimulator unit when in close proximity to each other. An RF-signal generating module for generating and outputting an RF-signal to the coil for inductive power and/or data transfer to the implantable neural stimulator unit, a measurement unit connected to the coil for measurement of an electrical parameter at the coil and a controller connected to the measurement unit and comprising a comparator and a storage for storing the electrical parameter. The controller is configured to operate at least in normal operating and corrective action mode, and when in the normal operating mode, to repeatedly measure the electrical parameter with the measurement unit, determine with the comparator a change of the measured electrical parameter in relation to the stored electrical parameter switch the controller into a corrective action mode when the change exceeds a threshold; and otherwise modify the stored electrical parameter by the measured electrical parameter.

External unit for an implantable neuro stimulator system

An insertion system for inserting an implantable electrode carrier includes an insertion instrument having a housing with a proximal end and a distal end, and a vibration generator coupled adjacent to the housing. The proximal end is configured to hold the implantable electrode carrier. The vibration generator is configured to generate vibrations in at least a portion of the electrode carrier.

Insertion system for inserting implantable electrode carrier

An external component housing is described for a cochlear implant system. A signal processing stage is contained within the housing for generating an electrical signal for an implanted portion of the system. An external coil is also within the housing for transmitting the electrical signal transcutaneously through the skin of a patient to the implanted portion. An impact absorber shields the system components from the impact energy associated with a mechanical impact to the housing.

Impact protector for an external element of a partially implantable system

A magnetic arrangement is described for an implantable system for a recipient patient. An implantable coil housing contains a signal coil for transcutaneous communication of an implant communication signal. Freely rotatable within the coil housing is a cylindrical implant magnet for transcutaneous magnetic interaction with a corresponding external attachment magnet. The implant magnet has a central cylinder axis of symmetry, and a magnetization direction along a magnetic axis angled away from the axis of symmetry at a non-zero angle less than 45 degrees.

MRI-safe implant magnet with angular magnetization

An implantable electric lead arrangement for a medical implant system includes an implantable electric lead with parallel lead wires wound in an elongated helix about a central longitudinal axis. At least one support wire is parallel to the lead wires and has a higher strain energy absorption capacity than the lead wires to mechanically strengthen the lead wires against external impact force.

Impact protection for implantable electric lead

Reducing effect of magnetic and electromagnetic field on an implant's magnet and/or electronics

An inductive coil arrangement is described for an ear canal of a recipient patient. An inner transmitter coil inserts into the ear canal for transmitting a communication signal through the skin of the outer wall of the ear canal. The transmitter coil includes transmission wire loops that lie substantially in a common plane which curves around the central axis of the ear canal conformal to the outer wall of the ear canal. An outer receiver coil is implantable under the skin of the outer wall of the ear canal for receiving the communication signal from the transmitter coil. The receiver coil includes receiver wire loops that lie substantially in a common plane which curves around the central axis of the ear canal substantially parallel to the transmitter coil.

Inductive signal and energy transfer through the external auditory canal

A surgical tool lifts an overlying layer of skin away from underlying bone to prepare the bone to accommodate a convex element of an implantable device. The tool includes a lifting shell for insertion between the skin and the bone so as to lift the skin away from bone. A tool base supports the lifting shell and is supported by the bone. A drill template opening in the tool base provides access for preparing the bone to accommodate the convex element.

Surgical tool for implantation of a device with a convex element

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Patsch, Austria

Martin Zimmerling