Medtronic, Inc.

Covidien LP

Nathalie Virag

Rolf Vetter

Fredric W Lindemans

Laurent Uldry

Lukas J Kappenberger

Avram Scheiner

Yong Kyun Cho

Saul E Greenhut

H Toby Markowitz

Jonathon E Giftakis

Eric J Panken

Randal C Schulhauser

David A Anderson

John Wainwright

Mark R Boone

Richard J O'Brien

Antoine N Camps

Richard Sutton

Paul G Krause

Ekaterina M Ippolito

Mattia Bertschi

Pavel Kucera

Scott DeFoe

Frederic W Lindemans

Lukas Kappenberger

A system comprises a sensor device and processing circuitry. The sensor device comprises a housing configured to be disposed above shoulders of a patient, a plurality of electrodes on the housing, a motion sensor, and sensing circuitry configured to sense a brain electrical signal and a cardiac electrical signal via the electrodes, and a motion signal via the motion sensor. The processing circuitry is configured to determine values over time of one or more parameters from the brain electrical signal, determine values over time of one or more parameters from the cardiac electrical signal, and generate at least one of a detection, prediction, or a classification a condition of the patient based on the values and the motion signal.

Detection of patient conditions using signals sensed on or near the head

This disclosure is directed to techniques for treating tachyarrhythmias, such as atrial or ventricular fibrillation, in which a number of electrodes are employed to deliver electrical stimulation to a patient's heart in a manner designed to terminate the tachyarrhythmia episode.

Terminating tachyarrhythmias

The invention is directed to techniques for stimulating a colon of a patient to relieve chronic constipation. Specifically, a colon stimulation system applies one or more electrical stimuli to the colon of the patient in order to induce peristaltic activity in the colon to relieve chronic constipation. In accordance with the invention, the colon stimulation system induces peristaltic activity in the colon by applying an electrical stimulus to the colon to cause a portion of the colon to contract to a contracted state and removing the electrical stimulus to cause the colon to relax. While in the contracted state, the colon is substantially fully contracted.

Electrical stimulation of the colon to treat chronic constipation

A system and method for distinguishing an epileptic event from a syncope event that includes sensing a signal, generating sensed intervals in response to the sensed signal, generating an indication signal in response to an occurrence of an event, determining a marginality in response to the generated indication signal and the sensed intervals, and determining the event as being one of the epileptic event and the syncope event in response to the determined marginality.

Method and apparatus for distinguishing epileptic seizure and neurocardiogenic syncope

Systems and methods for detecting and/or treating nervous system disorders, such as seizures, are disclosed. Certain embodiments of the invention relate generally to implantable medical devices (IMDs) adapted to detect and treat nervous system disorders in patients with an IMD. Certain embodiments of the invention include detection of seizures based upon comparisons of long-term and short-term representations of physiological signals. Other embodiments include prediction of seizure activity based upon analysis of physiological signal levels. An embodiment of the invention monitors the quality of physiological signals, and may be able to compensate for signals of low signal quality. A further embodiment of the invention includes detection of seizure activity following the delivery of therapy.

Method and apparatus for detection of nervous system disorders

It has been discovered that a change in posture that results in an increase in orthostatic stress, when followed by a withdrawal of sympathetic nervous activity, may indicate a future onset of vasovagal syncope (VVS). The invention is directed to devices and techniques for early detection of an episode of VVS so that therapies may be applied in advance of the episode to prevent the episode from occurring. Detection of a posture transition triggers a device such as an implanted pacemaker to determine an indicator of an autonomic nervous system activity of the patient. As a function of this determination, the device estimates a probability that the patient will experience VVS. When the probability exceeds a threshold, preventative therapy may be applied to address the VVS and to reduce the risk that the patient will faint.

Detection of vasovagal syncope

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Cottens, Switzerland

Nathalie Virag