Epicardial electrode

• US 20040176830A1
• Filed: 03/06/2003
• Published: 09/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: H. Kenith Fang
• Original Assignee: H. Kenith Fang
• Inventors: Fang, H. Kenith
• Application Number:
  US10/383,087
• Publication Number:
  US 20040176830A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/129
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0573 chacterised by means penetrating the heart tissue, e.g. helix needle or hook
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0587 Epicardial electrode systems; Endocardial electrodes piercing the pericardium

Abstract

An epicardial electrode (10) includes a generally parallelepiped flexible body (12). The epicardial electrode has an electrode element (22) attached to the center of a first side (14) for conveying electrical stimulation to cardiac muscle, and a lead (24) attached to the flexible body at a lead side (18). The lead has at least an insulated cathode conductor (26) electrically coupled to the electrode element. The epicardial electrode also has two pairs of prongs (31-34), electrically insulated from the electrode element, for anchoring the epicardial electrode to the heart. The tip (41-44) of each prong is dull. The flexible body has two elongate holes (51-52) on opposite sides of the flexible body sized to accept rods of a tool for flexing the epicardial electrode.

Claims

1. An epicardial electrode, comprising:

a generally parallelepiped flexible body having a first side, a back second side opposite the first side, a lead side, and a side opposite the lead side;

an electrode element attached to the first side at the center of the first side for conveying electrical stimulation to cardiac muscle;

a lead attached to the flexible body at the lead side, the lead having at least an insulated cathode conductor electrically coupled to the electrode element; and

two pairs of prongs insulated from the electrode element, each prong protruding from the first side of the flexible body, the external tip of each prong being dull, thereby allowing anchoring of the epicardial electrode to the cardiac muscle with minimal trauma to the cardiac muscle.

2. The epicardial electrode of claim 1, in which the prongs are curved and the prongs of a pair are curved toward each other such that the prongs of the pair are in a single plane approximately perpendicular to the first side.

3. The epicardial electrode of claim 1, in which the electrode element has the shape of a spherical segment.

4. The epicardial electrode of claim 3, in which the lead also has an insulated anode conductor electrically coupled to at least one of the prongs.

5. The epicardial electrode of claim 1, in which the flexible body has two elongate holes distal from the first side, each of the two elongate holes being on opposite sides of the flexible body, the elongate holes having an elongate axis parallel to the first side and perpendicular to the lead side.

6. The epicardial electrode of claim 5, in which the two elongate holes are sized to accept rods of an applicator tool through two openings on the lead side of the flexible body.

7. The epicardial electrode of claim 6, in which the electrode element has the shape of a spherical segment.

8. The epicardial electrode of claim 7, in which the lead also has an insulated anode conductor electrically coupled to at least one of the prongs.

9. The epicardial electrode of claim 1, in which the flexible body has a generally parallelepiped cavity on the second side, the cavity extending from the lead side to the side opposite the lead side, and in which the flexible body has two elongate holes distal from the first side, the elongate holes being on opposite sides of the parallelepiped cavity, the elongate holes having an elongate axis parallel to the first side and perpendicular to the lead side.

10. The epicardial electrode of claim 9, in which the two elongate holes are sized to accept rods of an applicator tool through two openings on the lead side of the flexible body.

11. The epicardial electrode of claim 10, in which the electrode element has the shape of a spherical segment.

12. The epicardial electrode of claim 11, in which the lead also has an insulated anode conductor electrically coupled to at least one of the prongs.

13. An epicardial electrode, comprising:

a generally parallelepiped flexible body having a first side, a back second side opposite the first side, a lead side, and a side opposite the lead side, and in which the flexible body has two elongate holes distal from the first side, each of the two elongate holes being on opposite sides of the flexible body, the elongate holes having an elongate axis parallel to the first side and perpendicular to the lead side;

an electrode element attached to the first side at the center of the first side for conveying electrical stimulation to cardiac muscle;

a lead attached to the flexible body at the lead side, the lead having at least an insulated cathode conductor electrically coupled to the electrode element; and

two pairs of prongs insulated from the electrode element, each prong protruding from the first side of the flexible body.

14. The epicardial electrode of claim 13, in which the two elongate holes are sized to accept rods of an applicator tool through two openings on the lead side of the flexible body.

15. The epicardial electrode of claim 14, in which each prong has a tip at the end of the prong outside the flexible body for penetrating the myocardium of the heart and in which each tip is dull to facilitate the prong to penetrate the myocardium atraumatically.

16. The epicardial electrode of claim 13, in which the flexible body has a generally parallelepiped cavity on the second side to facilitate flexion of the flexible body, the cavity extending from the lead side to the side opposite the lead side, and in which the two elongate holes are on opposite sides of the parallelepiped cavity.

17. The epicardial electrode of claim 16, in which the two elongate holes are sized to accept rods of an applicator tool through two openings on the lead side of the flexible body.

18. The epicardial electrode of claim 17, in which each prong has a tip at the end of the prong outside the flexible body for penetrating the myocardium of the heart and in which each tip is dull to facilitate the prong to penetrate the myocardium atraumatically.

19. A method of placing an epicardial electrode in operative position on a heart, the epicardial electrode having a flexible body with a planar first side, the first side having an electrode element attached thereto for stimulating cardiac muscle, and two pairs of prongs protruding from the first side for anchoring the epicardial electrode to myocardium, the tip of each prong being dull, comprising the steps of:

(a) applying force to flex the flexible body such that the first side becomes convex;

(b) while flexed, positioning the epicardial electrode at a predetermined location on the heart such that the electrode element is in intimate contact with the heart; and

(c) while the electrode element is in intimate contact with the heart, removing the force to allow the first side to return to a planar shape, causing the prongs to penetrate the myocardium, thereby anchoring the epicardial electrode to the heart.

20. The method of claim 19, in which the flexible body has two elongate holes sized to accept rods of an applicator tool, and which includes an additional step, prior to step (a), of inserting the rods of the applicator tool into the elongate holes, and in which the applying of force in step (a) and the removing of the force in step (c) are performed with the applicator tool.