Incon-trol Corp.

Paul E Kreyenhagen

Barry M Yomtov

John Mathew Adams

Clifton A Alferness

Kenneth R Infinger

An implantable cardiac monitor is arranged for detecting both arrhythmias and ischemia of the human heart. The monitor includes subcutaneous electrodes for establishing electrical contact with the heart and a sense amplifier coupled to each electrode for generating an electrocardiogram of a heart beat sensed at each of the electrodes. The electrocardiograms are digitized and the digital samples thereof are stored in a memory. A microprocessor processes the digital samples of the electrocardiograms and generates characterizing data indicative of the physiology of the heart. The cardiac monitor includes telemetry to permit the cardiac data to be interrogated externally of the patient for obtaining the generated cardiac data indicative of arrhythmic and ischemic episodes.

Electrode system for use with an implantable cardiac patient monitor

An implantable atrial defibrillator provides a pulse of defibrillating electrical energy to the atria of the heart in synchronism with sensed R waves in response to non-coincident sensing of an R wave at first and second areas of the heart. The defibrillating pulse is provided after a predetermined number of consecutive R waves are non-coincidently sensed to assure reliable synchronization. The atrial defibrillator is also operational in a marker mode wherein a number of synchronization marker pulses are delivered to the heart for detection on an externally generated electrocardiogram. The atrial fibrillation detector of the defibrillator is normally disabled and is activated when the sensed ventricular activity indicates a probability of atrial fibrillation to conserve a depletable power source. A plurality of lead systems are also described for use with the atrial defibrillator which reduce the quantity of electrical energy required to defibrillate the heart and ensure that the delivered atrial defibrillating electrical energy is substantially confined to the atria of the heart.

Lead system for use with an atrial defibrillator and method

Implantable cardiac patient monitor

An implantable atrial defibrillator provides cardioverting electrical energy to the atria of a human heart in need of cardioversion. The atrial defibrillator includes a first detector for detecting atrial activity of the heart and an atrial fibrillation detector responsive to the first detector for determining when the atria of the heart are in need of cardioversion. The atrial defibrillator further includes a pacing output circuit responsive to the atrial fibrillation detector for pacing the ventricles of the heart at a pacing rate when the atria of the heart are in need of cardioversion and a cardioverter stage for applying the cardioverting electrical energy to the atria of the heart after the pacing output circuit has paced the ventricles for a predetermined number of cardiac cycles. The pacing output circuit stabilizes the cardiac rate of the heart prior to the application of the cardioverting electrical energy.

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Bellevue, WA, United States of America

Paul E Kreyenhagen