Pacesetter, Inc.

Afx Inc.

Mary Elizabeth Bush

Steven Roger Conger

Rolf Hill

Olof Stegfeldt

Dany Berube

Jay Snell

Mae-Mae Shieh

An implantable active fixation lead includes an outer sheath, a protector member having a peripheral surface extending between its distal and proximal end surfaces with a helical groove formed in the peripheral surface, and a fixation helix integral with the outer sheath. The fixation helix includes a tip end engageable with body tissue and slidably engaged with the helical groove for relative translation and rotation. A longitudinal force on the lead firmly engages the protector member's distal end surface with the body tissue. With the fixation helix initially retracted proximally of the protector member's distal end surface and disengaged from the body tissue, upon application of torque to the outer sheath, the distal end surface of the protector member is moved proximally with respect to the fixation helix which, simultaneously, is extended distally beyond the distal end surface of the protector member to an extended position into engagement with the body tissue.

Bipolar screw-in lead

Exemplary systems, devices, and methods pertaining to cardiac related therapy and particularly to interferential cardiac preconditioning and depolarization are described. A cardiac arrhythmia is detected from electrogram data sensed from a patient's heart and a region of the heart affected by the cardiac arrhythmia is determined. The affected region is interferentially energized by multiple cycles of two concurrently delivered alternating currents which are offset in frequency.

Interferential cardiac preconditioning and depolarization

A microwave ablation assembly and method including a relatively thin, elongated probe () having a proximal access end () and an opposite distal penetration end () adapted to penetrate into bio-tissue (). The probe () defines an insert passage () extending therethrough from the access end () to the penetration end () thereof. An ablation catheter includes a coaxial transmission line () with an antenna device () coupled to a distal end of the transmission line () for generating an electric field sufficiently strong to cause tissue ablation. The coaxial transmission line () includes an inner conductor () and an outer conductor () separated by a dielectric material medium (). A proximal end of the transmission line () is coupled to a microwave energy source. The antenna device () and the transmission line () each have a transverse cross-sectional dimension adapted for sliding receipt through the insert passage () while the elongated probe () is positioned in the bio-tissue (). Such sliding advancement continues until the antenna device () is moved to a position beyond the penetration end () and further into direct contact with the bio-tissue ().

Microwave ablation instrument with insertion probe

A system for providing medical electrical stimulation includes a pulse generator coupled to a lead having two electrodes for placement in the right atrium or for placement of one in the right atrium and one in the coronary sinus or coronary vein. In the preferred embodiment the surface area of the first electrode is smaller than that of the second electrode so that the sensed signal from the first electrode is less than that from the second. The system provides dual site pacing with essentially single site sensing without the use of extra switches, connectors, or adaptors.

Growing community of inventors

Santa Clarita, CA, United States of America

Mary Elizabeth Bush