Intravascular electrode line

• US 20020169492A1
• Filed: 03/15/2002
• Published: 11/14/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Biotronik Mess-Und Therapiegeraete GmbH & Company Ingenieurbuero Berlin (Biotronik SE & Company KG)
• Original Assignee: Biotronik Mess und Therapiegeraete GmbH and Co (Biotronik SE & Company KG)
• Inventors: Schaldach, Max, Kolberg, Gernot
• Granted Patent: US 7,110,828 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/122
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/056 Transvascular endocardial electrode systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/057 Anchoring means; Means for fixing the head inside the heart
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2001/0585 Coronary sinus electrodes

Abstract

An intravascular electrode line with a shaping suitable for fixing in a blood vessel, wherein the shaping is three-dimensional and has line portions enclosing an elongated hollow space, with a pitch direction which is different in relation to the longitudinal direction of the hollow space.

Claims

1. An intravascular electrode line (10) of a shaping suitable for fixing in a blood vessel, characterised in that the shaping is three-dimensional and has line portions (12, 14;

22) enclosing an elongated hollow space, with a pitch direction which is different in relation to the longitudinal direction of the hollow space.

2. An electrode line as set forth in claim 1 characterised by two line portions (12, 14) which are shaped helically and which differ from each other by an opposite rotational direction in their pitch direction.

3. An electrode line as set forth in claim 1 or claim 2 characterised by two helically shaped line portions which differ from each other by the direction of a component of extent of the electrode line, in parallel relationship with a longitudinal axis of the enclosed hollow space.

4. An electrode line as set forth in claim 1 characterised in that the electrode line has a portion (22) enclosing a hollow cylinder, in such a way that the line is Ω

-shaped in a developed representation of the hollow cylinder.

5. An electrode line as set forth in claim 1 comprising a lumen for the insertion of a control means, characterised in that the electrode line (10) is three-dimensionally pre-shaped and can be straightened by the insertion of a stiletto into the lumen.

6. An electrode line as set forth in claim 1 comprising a lumen for the insertion of a control means, characterised in that the electrode line (10) is flexurally soft and is three-dimensionally deformable by the insertion of a pre-shaped stiletto.

7. An electrode line as set forth in claim 1 comprising a sleeve which encloses a stiffening coil (32) of elastic material which is formed from a plurality of turns and which in turn encloses a lumen, characterised in that a fiber (34) is arranged in the lumen of the electrode line and fixed with a distal end of the fiber (34) in such a way that a force can be produced in the electrode line (10), said force acting in the longitudinal direction of the electrode line (10) and upsetting the electrode line (10), and that the elastic material forming the turns of the coil (32) is shaped in such a way that the electrode line is three-dimensionally deformed when the fiber (34) is tightened and the upsetting force is acting.

8. An electrode line as set forth in claim 1 characterised by a memory metal element which changes its shape from a first predetermined shape to a second predetermined shape when a jump temperature is exceeded, wherein the first shape of the memory metal element corresponds to a substantially straight electrode line and the second shape results in a three-dimensionally deformed electrode line.

9. An electrode line as set forth in claim 8 characterised by a heating element for heating the memory metal element to the jump temperature.

10. An electrode line as set forth in claim 1 which has at least one electrode for receiving and/or delivering electrical signals from or to body tissue surrounding the electrode line, characterised in that at least one electrode is arranged in the region of the three-dimensional deformation of the electrode line.