IMPLANTABLE MEDICAL ELECTRODE DEVICE, IN PARTICULAR CARDIOVASCULAR CARDIAC PACEMAKER OR DEFIBRILLATOR ELECTRODE DEVICE

• US 20070213798A1
• Filed: 03/08/2007
• Published: 09/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Biotronik SE & Company KG
• Original Assignee: Biotronik VI Patent AG (Biotronik SE & Company KG)
• Inventors: Flach, Erhard, Geistert, Wolfgang, Palm, Jochen, Schurr, Marc, Maxfield, Michelle, Dreier, Eckard, Brinkmann, Jan-Heiner
• Granted Patent: US 7,809,447 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/126
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/057 Anchoring means; Means for fixing the head inside the heart
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2001/0578 having means for removal or extraction
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2001/0585 Coronary sinus electrodes

Abstract

An implantable medical electrode device, in particular a cardiovascular cardiac pacemaker or defibrillator electrode device, comprises an elongate, tubular electrode body (2), a fixing zone (4) in front of the distal end (3) of the electrode body (2), in which the externally closed peripheral envelope (8) of the electrode body (2) is reversibly expandable into a body lumen (27) for detachable fixing of the electrode device (1), and expansion means, situated in the fixing zone (4), for controlling the expansion and contraction in the fixing zone (4).

Claims

1. An implantable medical electrode device, in particular a cardiovascular cardiac pacemaker or defibrillator electrode device, comprising:

an elongate, tubular electrode body (2);

a fixing zone (4) in front of a distal end (3) of said electrode body (2), in which said electrode body (2) with its externally closed peripheral envelope (8) is reversibly expandable for detachable fixing of an electrode device (1) in a body lumen (27); and

,

expansion means situated in said fixing zone (4) for controlling expansion and contraction in said fixing zone (4).

2. The electrode device according to claim 1, wherein said expansion means are formed by pneumatic or hydraulic pressure impingement, with aid of which a wall of said electrode body (2), which is flexible in said fixing zone (4), is reversibly expandable.

3. The electrode device according to claim 2, wherein said electrode body (2) is implemented as pressure-tight and conducts a pressure medium, which may be supplied from its proximal end (11), for the pressure impingement of the fixing zone (4).

4. The electrode device according to claim 2 wherein said electrode body (2) is provided with a stent-like, plastically deformable support structure (9) in its wall in an area of said fixing zone (4), which is transferable into a stationary expanded fixing state by applying pressure and into a contracted starting state by applying negative pressure.

5. The electrode device according to claim 1 wherein said electrode body (2) is provided with at least one mechanically expanding, bistable tilting element (33) in its wall in an area of said fixing zone (4), whose two stable final positions define the expanded and contracted states of said fixing zone (4).

6. The electrode device according to claim 5, wherein at least one said tilting element (33) is bent in a S-shape along its longitudinal axis (38) oriented parallel to an electrode longitudinal direction and may be snapped over between a concave-convex and a convex-concave configuration, each of which is stable, to transfer it between expanded and contracted states.

7. The electrode device according to claim 5 wherein said tilting element (33) is actuatable as expansion means by a balloon (39) insertable into said electrode body (2).

8. The electrode device according to claim 1, wherein said electrode body (2) is provided in a wall of said fixing zone (4) with a folded configuration (21), which may be folded out as expansion means into a radially expanded fixing position by traction or pressure exerted on a longitudinal axis on said fixing zone (4).

9. The electrode device according to claim 8, wherein said folded configuration (21) is formed by variations of thickness and/or rigidity of said wall.

10. The electrode device according to claim 8 wherein said folded configuration (21) forms one or more annular folds (22) running around a circumference in an expanded position.

11. The electrode device according to claim 9 wherein said annular folds (22) lie scalloped in an expanded position.

12. The electrode device according to claim 8 wherein said folded configuration (21) has folds (23, 24) locked with one another in an expanded position.

13. The electrode device according to claims 8 wherein said folding is supported at least by a spreading unit (28) situated in said fixing zone (4) in said electrode body (2).

14. The electrode device according to claim 1 wherein anchoring elements (20) are attached externally to said electrode body (2) in said fixing zone (4), which are engaged with a wall of said body lumen (27) in an expanded position of said fixing zone (4).