Methods for the detection and treatment of cardiac events

• US 20030149423A1
• Filed: 02/04/2002
• Published: 08/07/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Angel Medical Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Angel Medical Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Fischell, David R., Fischell, Robert E., Fischell, Tim A., Fischell, Scott J.S.
• Application Number:
  US10/061,679
• Publication Number:
  US 20030149423A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/892.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2300/236 Glycosaminoglycans, e.g. heparin, hyaluronic acid, chondroitin
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2300/254 Enzymes, proenzymes
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2300/42 Anti-thrombotic agents, anticoagulants, anti-platelet agents
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 27/54 Biologically active materials, e.g. therapeutic substances A61L27/227 takes precedence

Abstract

Disclosed are methods for detecting an acute myocardial infarction (i.e., a heart attack) at the earliest possible time and promptly warning the patient that he should immediately seek medical care. The present invention includes an implantable electronic system that can sense a change in the patient'"'"'s electrogram that is indicative of a heart attack. If a heart attack is sensed, the device would then cause an implantable and/or externally located alarm to be actuated to warn the patient of his condition and a medical practitioner at a remote diagnostic center would receive the patient'"'"'s electrogram for analysis. The patient or a caretaker would then be informed to self-inject medication through a subcutaneous, pass-through drug port that can be a separate device or integrated into the implanted device that is designed for the early detection of a heart attack. The methods of the present invention include determining if a human patient is likely to have a heart attack and, if he is, then implanting within that patient a device that can sense when a heart attack occurs and alarm the patient to take appropriate actions if a heart attack does occur.

Claims

1. A method to decrease the extent of damage to the heart muscle and lower the fatality rate for a human patient who has a heart attack, the method including the following steps:

(a) determining if the human patient has a condition that is a risk factor for a heart attack, the condition being selected from the group that includes at least one of the following;

a prior heart attack, a prior stroke, a family history of heart disease, a family history of stroke, coronary atherosclerosis, proteinuria greater than 250 ng in a 24 hour period, diabetes with a fasting blood glucose level greater than 110 mg/dl, a prior coronary bypass surgery operation, hypercholesterolemia, a homosysteine level greater than 9 mcmol/L, a c-reactive protein level that is greater than 1.1 mg/dl; and

(b) implanting into the human patient a cardiosaver device that is designed to cause an alarm to occur that can be sensed by the human patient if a sensor plus electronic circuitry of the cardiosaver device indicates the occurrence of a heart attack.

2. The method of claim 1 further including the additional step of injecting medication through an implanted pass-through drug port that is part of the cardiosaver device, the medication being injected through the drug port when the cardiosaver device indicates that a heart attack has occurred, the medication being selected from the group that includes at least one of the following:

a thrombolytic medication or an anti-thrombogenic medication.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the thrombolytic medication is selected from the group that includes tPA, urokinase or streptokinase.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the anti-thrombogenic medication is selected from the group that includes at least one of the following:

RePro, heparin or Plavix

5. The method of claim 2 further including the additional step of having a person injecting medication into the pass-through drug port, the person being selected from the group that includes one of the following:

the human patient, the caretaker of the human patient, a medical practitioner or a paramedic from an ambulance.

6. A method to inform certain human patients that a heart attack is occurring, the method comprising the following steps:

(c) testing the human patient to determine if that subject has a fasting blood glucose that is greater than 110 mg/dl;

(d) determining if the human patient has a condition selected from the group that includes at least one of the following conditions;

a prior heart attack, a prior stroke, a family history of heart disease, a family history of stroke, coronary atherosclerosis, proteinuria greater than 250 ng in a 24 hour period, a homosysteine level greater than 9 mcmol/L, a c-reactive protein level greater than 1.1 mg/dl, age over 65 years, a previous coronary bypass surgery operation, or hypercholesterolemia;

(e) if the fasting blood sugar is greater than 110 mg/dl, and at least one of the conditions listed in (b) above exists, then implanting within the human patient a cardiosaver device that is adapted to detect the occurrence of heart attack using an implanted sensor and electronics module which together are designed to trigger an alarm that informs the human patient that a heart attack is occurring.