Medtronic, Inc.

Covidien LP

Medtronics, Inc.

Michael J Kern

Michael Robert Klardie

Brian T Stolz

James M Olsen

Bruce R Mehdizadeh

Richard T Stone

Timothy R Abraham

Mark J Conroy

Chad Qingshen Cai

Bruce A Behymer

Marty D Martens

Thomas C Bischoff

Spencer Fodness-Bondhus

Spencer M Bondhus

Jacob Silverberg

Robert L Olson

Jay K Lahti

William V Ferris, Jr

William Sanford Krimsky

Lev Abramovich Koyrakh

Michael E Calcutt

David M Costello

Thomas David Magnuson

Michael R Klardle

Behruz Mehdizadeh

A shield located within an implantable medical lead may be terminated in various ways at a metal connector. The shield may be terminated by various joints including butt, scarf, lap, or other joints between insulation layers surrounding the lead and an insulation extension. The shield may terminate with a physical and electrical connection to a single metal connector. The shield may terminate with a physical and electrical connection by passing between an overlapping pair of inner and outer metal connectors. The metal connectors may include features such as teeth or threads that penetrate the insulation layers of the lead. The shield may terminate with a physical and electrical connection by exiting a jacket of a lead adjacent to a metal connector and lapping onto the metal connector.

Termination of a shield within an implantable medical lead

A system for monitoring an approach to a target includes a luminal device including a distal portion, a sensor coupled to the distal portion of the luminal device, and a surgical instrument including one or more indicators having a detectable property located along at least a portion of the surgical instrument. The luminal device is configured to be inserted into a patient, and the distal portion of the luminal device is configured to be guided proximate a target. The sensor is configured to sense the detectable property of the one or more indicators. The surgical instrument is configured to be guided through the luminal device.

System, apparatus, and method for navigating to a medical target

A catheter assembly for navigation including a flexible catheter having a proximal portion adjacent a proximal end and a distal portion adjacent a distal end and defining a longitudinal axis, the flexible catheter defining a lumen extending therethrough along a longitudinal axis and configured to enable translation of an instrument from the proximal end to the distal end. The flexible catheter defines a compound curve formed on the distal portion, wherein the compound curve includes an elbow bend and a radially curved portion. The elbow bend deflecting the distal portion of the flexible catheter from the longitudinal axis, while the radially curved portion extends from the elbow bend farther deflecting the distal portion about a center point. The catheter guide assembly for navigation includes a control handle disposed at the proximal end of the flexible catheter and is configured to advance and rotate the flexible catheter within a luminal structure.

Compound curve navigation catheter

A shield located within an implantable medical lead may be terminated in various ways. The shield may be terminated by butt, scarf, lap, or other joints between insulation layers surrounding the lead and an insulation extension. For lap joints, a portion of an outer insulation layer may be removed and a replacement outer insulation layer is positioned in place of the removed outer insulation layer, where the replacement layer extends beyond an inner insulation layer and the shield. The replacement layer may also lap onto a portion of the insulation extension. The barbs may be located between the replacement layer and the inner insulation layer or the insulation extension. The shield wires have ends at the termination point that may be folded over individually or may be capped with a ring located within one of the insulation layers of the jacket.

Radiopaque markers represent that a lead is suitable for a particular medical procedure such as a magnetic resonance image scan and are added to the lead or related device. The markers may be added after implantation of the lead in various ways including suturing, gluing, crimping, or clamping a radiopaque tag to the lead or to the device. The markers may be added by placing a radiopaque coil about the lead, and the radiopaque coil may radially contract against the lead to obtain a fixed position. The markers may be added by placing a polymer structure onto the lead where the polymer structure includes a radiopaque marker within it. The polymer structure may include a cylindrical aperture that contracts against the lead to fix the position of the polymer structure. The polymer structure may form a lead anchor that includes suture wings that can be sutured to the lead.

Radiopaque markers for implantable medical leads, devices, and systems

In some examples, an apparatus may include a needle configured to define a path through tissue of a patient, tubing configured to slidably receive the needle via a proximal opening, an anchor configured to slidably receive at least a portion of the tubing, and an anchor deployment member comprising a body and an anchor engagement member. Such an apparatus may be used to introduce and anchor an implantable medical device within a patient.

Introduction and anchoring tool for an implantable medical device element

A biopsy assembly includes a catheter, a valve, a device having suction and pressure modes, and a loss of suction indicator. The catheter includes a proximal end, a distal end configured to capture a tissue sample, and defines a lumen therebetween. The valve defines a first port coupled to the device and a second port coupled to the proximal end of the catheter. When suction is applied to the first port, a suction path is defined from the distal end of the catheter through the lumen of the catheter and into the second port, such that the tissue sample is suctioned into the catheter. Upon loss of suction at the distal end, the pressure mode is used to define a pressure path from the first port to an open third port, expelling material therefrom. In the pressure mode, suction is maintained at the second port and catheter coupled thereto.

Devices, systems, and methods for obtaining a tissue sample

Implantable medical leads and implantable lead extensions include a shield. The implantable medical lead is coupled to the implantable lead extension. Stimulation electrodes of the implantable medical lead contact stimulation connectors within a housing of the implantable extension to establish a conductive pathway for stimulation signals from filars of the implantable extension to filars of the implantable medical lead. Continuity is established between the shield of the implantable medical lead and the implantable extension by providing a radio frequency conductive pathway within the housing. The radio frequency conductive pathway extends from a shield of the implantable extension to a shield connector that contacts a shield electrode of the implantable medical lead. The radio frequency conductive pathway may have various forms such as a jumper wire or an extension of the shield within the implantable extension.

Establishing continuity between a shield within an implantable medical lead and a shield within an implantable lead extension

A shield located within an implantable medical lead may be terminated in various ways. The shield may be terminated by butt, scarf, lap, or other joints between insulation layers surrounding the lead and an insulation extension. For lap joints, a portion of an outer insulation layer may be removed and a replacement outer insulation layer is positioned in place of the removed outer insulation layer, where the replacement layer extends beyond an inner insulation layer and the shield. The replacement layer may also lap onto a portion of the insulation extension. Barbs may be located between the replacement layer and the inner insulation layer or the insulation extension. The shield wires have ends at the termination point that may be folded over individually or may be capped with a ring located within one of the insulation layers of the jacket.

Medical leads include a lumen body at an end of the lead, and the lumen body includes multiple filar lumens. The lumen body is joined to a lead body, and electrical connectors are longitudinally spaced along the lumen body. Filars within the filar lumens are directed through filar passageways within the lumen body to attach to the electrical connectors on the lumen body. The filar passageways may be aligned with the filar lumens, and slots within the electrical connectors may be aligned with the filar passageways to facilitate assembly. The lumen body may provide additional stiffness to the end of the lead where the lumen body is located to facilitate lead insertion into the medical device. The filar lumens of the lumen body may have a longitudinally straight configuration so that the portions of filars within the filar lumens are held in a longitudinally straight configuration.

Medical leads and related systems that include a lumen body that is joined to a lead body and that has multiple filar lumens

Tools and methods for removing anchors from medical leads involve a guide portion and a blade. The lead is inserted within a lead passageway of the guide portion of the tool and the tool is moved along so that the blade contacts the anchor and cuts a slit in the anchor as the tool. Once the blade has cut the slit through the entire anchor, the anchor comes free of the lead and the tool can be removed. The tool may include a manner of opening and closing the guide portion so as to provide access to the lead when open and to contain the lead when closed. Opening the guide portion allows the lead to be inserted or removed by laterally moving the lead into or out of the lead passageway such that the tool may be installed or removed at any available point along the lead.

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St. Louis Park, MN, United States of America

Michael J Kern