Pacemaker evaluation method and apparatus

• US 20050245981A1
• Filed: 06/26/2003
• Published: 11/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uscom Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Uscom Ltd.
• Inventors: Phillips, Robert Allan
• Granted Patent: US 7,630,766 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/17
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/06 Measuring blood flow measuring volume flow in general G01F, e.g. G01F1/66, G01F1/72; measuring speed of fluids in general G01P5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37 Monitoring; Protecting
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37217 characterised by the communication link, e.g. acoustic or tactile

Abstract

A method of optimizing the performance of a cardiac prosthetic pacing device including monitoring, optionally transcutaneously or non-invasively, the flow output from the heart; optionally using a continuous wave Doppler ultrasound device, followed by adjusting the timing of said cardiac prosthetic pacing device so as to optimize the flow from the heart under operational condition, optionally including different pharmacological conditions.

Claims

1. A method of tuning a cardiac prosthetic pacing device, the method comprising the steps of:

a) monitoring the flow output from the heart;

(b) adjusting the timing of pacing events by said cardiac prosthetic pacing device so as to optimise the flow from the heart under operational conditions.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said step (a) further comprises the step of monitoring the flow utilising a transcutaneous continuous wave Doppler signal directed at the heart.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said method is repeated under a number of different operational conditions for a patient including walking AND/OR running.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said method is repeated under a number of different pharmalogical conditions for a patient.

5. An apparatus for tuning a cardiac prosthetic pacing device, the apparatus including:

monitoring means for non invasively monitoring the flow of blood out of the heart;

control means for controlling the operation of the cardiac prosthetic pacing device including variation of the pacing rate;

processing means interconnected to said monitoring means and said control means, said processing means instructing said control means to vary the pacing rate of said cardiac prosthetic pacing device and monitor the corresponding measurement of said monitoring means.

6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein said monitoring means includes a continuous wave Doppler sensor device for emitting and receiving a CW-Doppler signal at a patients heart.

7-8. -8. (canceled)