Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft

Medtronic Cardiorhythm

Peter M Breining

Scott H West

Gerrit Heyl

Stephen H Watson

Jerome M Sivesind

An electrode catheter (2) includes a handle (4) to which a catheter shaft (6) is mounted. The catheter shaft has a distal end (10) carrying plurality of electrodes (12). Dual purpose wires (18) extend from an electrical connector (14) on the handle, through separate axial lumens (16) in the catheter shaft and to the electrodes. The dual purpose wires are physically secured at their distal and proximal ends to the distal end of the catheter shaft and to the handle, respectively, so that rotation of the handle causes a rotational torque to be transmitted through the dual purpose wires to the distal end of the catheter shaft. Each dual purpose wire has an electrical resistance of no greater than about 0.80 ohms per centimeter and a torsional stiffness of at least about 0.25 to 1.0 inch-ounce (17654 to 70616 dyne-cm) for each 110 cm length of catheter shaft when the proximal end of the catheter shaft is rotated 3 turns. This construction provides a simply constructed, low cost torquing electrode catheter.

Simplified torquing electrode catheter

An integral safety helmet is described in which a chin guard can be folded up. For the release of the chin guard, a central opening bar is provided on the front side of the chin guard. As a result, the locking mechanism can easily be opened by only one hand or by the thumb of the motorcyclist. In certain embodiments, the opening bar is designed as a two-armed lever having an upper arm and a lower lever arm. In this manner, the chin piece can be released in two different manners.

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Palo Alto, CA, United States of America

Peter M Breining