Ela Medical S.a.

Pascal Pons

Renzo Dal Molin

Thierry Legay

Luc Garcia

A circuit for delivering a back-up stimulation voltage in a cycle to cycle capture test for an active implantable medical device such as a pacemaker, defibrillator and/or cardiovertor or a multisite device having an enhanced circuit for delivering back-up stimulation pulses. This device comprises a first stimulation stage having: a output capacitor (); a charging circuit () to charge the output capacitor to a first predetermined voltage (V1) for the stimulation that is close to the threshold of effectiveness for the stimulation of the patient; a first switch () that is able to connect the output capacitor to a stimulation terminal () of the device; a capture test circuit that is able to determine, after delivery of a stimulation, whether the stimulation was effective or if, on the contrary, there was loss of capture; a circuit for readjusting the stimulation voltage according to the result of the capture test; and a circuit able to deliver a backup-stimulation after the capture test if the result of the capture test reveals a loss of capture. The circuit for delivering a backup-stimulation includes an additional capacitor that is maintained charged, and a second switch (), able to connect the additional capacitor to the aforementioned stimulation terminal () of the device to deliver the back-up stimulation pulse.

Stimulation circuits for a cycle to cycle stimulation threshold capture for an active implantable cardiac device

A device for filtering cardiac activity signals which receives input signals coming from collected physiological data, and delivers at an output, for processing data, signals spreading, in the frequency domain, over a widened spectral band. A first high-pass filter is used to reduce the extension of the spectral band of the signal received at the input. A compensation stage having a frequency characteristic (32) that is inverted as compared to that of the first high-pass filter is provided. The cut-off frequency (f1) of the first high-pass filter is greater than the low cut-off frequency (fo) of the spectral analysis band. Optionally, a second high-pass filter is provided, whose characteristic (38) presents a cut-off frequency corresponding to the low frequency (fo) of the spectral band. The high frequency of the spectral band may be similarly modified.

Apparatus for filtering cardiac signals

Apparatus and methods for adjusting an electrical parameter of an electronic device, notably of an active implantable medical device such as a pacemaker or cardiac defibrillator, and an implementing monolithic integrated circuit for conducting the adjustment. The device includes an oscillator circuit (3-6) having an adjustable component (5, 6) determining its period of oscillation, this adjustable component including one or more additional components (6) a Switch circuit (7, 8) for selectively commuting these additional components; a memory register (9) operable to preserve a digital value determining the state of the additional component commutations; a counter device (11) for measuring a relationship between a period (SOSC) produced by the oscillator circuit (as its period of oscillation may be adjusted by commutation of the additional components) and a fixed reference period (CK); a comparator (12) for determining a difference between the relationship measured by the counter and a predetermined control value (NPC); and a code generator (10) to modify the digital value preserved in the register until a value minimizing the difference determined by the comparator is found.

Automatic adjustment of electrical signal parameters

A process to configure an implantable active medical device by adjusting a parameter. For each parameter to be adjusted, the steps of the process are: the determination of a code of adjustment for a given parameter value, writing of the code of adjustment to alter a circuit configuration, and the verification of the validity of the set code. A verified code is then permanently written by straining of selected diodes. The code of adjustment is thus used to adjust a circuit configuration to alter the sensed operating parameter value so that, after straining, the adjusted parameter value of the configured circuit falls in or at a desired range or value. Suitable circuit parameters include clock frequency and reference voltage levels, as are found in cardiac pacemakers and defibrillators.

Configuring an implantable active medical device by adjusting parameters

An active implantable medical device, particularly a cardiac pacemaker or defibrillator, having a protection circuit that is effective against electromagnetic perturbations of external origin. The active implantable device is characterized in that at least all active components of the protection circuit (58, 60, 94, 98) are integrated components in a monolithically integrated microchip (16) including a control signal and circuits to commute selectively signals collected by external electrodes to the device for processing. In particular, the commutation circuits comprise static switches (24, 24', 28, 28', 38, 38', 40, 40', 44, 44', 46, 46', 50, 50', 54), and the control signal is a control voltage (VSUB, VCC) that is greater than the voltage (VPILE) of the battery of the device. The device delivers control logic signals (VDD, VSS) that are less than the battery voltage, and the protection circuit includes a voltage translator circuit (58) to raise, in absolute value, the logic control signal level to a value compatible with the static switches, control voltages and greater than the nominal level of parasitic voltages resulting from electromagnetic perturbations that are susceptible to appear on the static switch connection.

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Crolles, France

Pascal Pons