APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR SPATIALLY AND TEMPORALLY DISTRIBUTING CARDIAC ELECTRICAL STIMULATION
First Claim
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1. A method for operating a cardiac pacing device, comprising:
- outputting pacing pulses to a selected subset of a plurality of pacing electrodes in accordance with a programmed pacing mode, wherein the subset of electrodes to which pulses are output is defined by a pulse output configuration;
sensing a parameter related to cardiac output; and
, alternately switching between a first pulse output configuration utilized for one or more cardiac cycles and a second pulse output configuration for one or more subsequent cardiac cycles in accordance with a switching algorithm that comprises switching the pulse output configuration in a manner dependent upon the sensed parameter related to cardiac output.
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Abstract
A cardiac electro-stimulatory device and method for operating same in which stimulation pulses are distributed among a plurality of electrodes fixed at different sites of the myocardium in order to reduce myocardial hypertrophy brought about by repeated pacing at a single site and/or increase myocardial contractility. In order to spatially and temporally distribute the stimulation, the pulses are delivered through a switchable pulse output configuration during a single cardiac cycle, with each configuration comprising one or more electrodes fixed to different sites in the myocardium.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method for operating a cardiac pacing device, comprising:
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outputting pacing pulses to a selected subset of a plurality of pacing electrodes in accordance with a programmed pacing mode, wherein the subset of electrodes to which pulses are output is defined by a pulse output configuration;
sensing a parameter related to cardiac output; and
,alternately switching between a first pulse output configuration utilized for one or more cardiac cycles and a second pulse output configuration for one or more subsequent cardiac cycles in accordance with a switching algorithm that comprises switching the pulse output configuration in a manner dependent upon the sensed parameter related to cardiac output. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A cardiac pacemaker, comprising:
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a plurality of electrodes adapted for disposition near a heart chamber;
a plurality of defined pulse output configurations, wherein each pulse output configuration constitutes a subset of the plurality of the electrodes;
a control unit and pulse generating circuitry for outputting pacing pulses to a selected one of the plurality of pulse output configurations in accordance with a programmed mode;
a sensor for sensing a parameter related to cardiac output; and
,wherein the control unit is programmed to alternately switch between a first pulse output configuration during one or more cardiac cycles and a second pulse output configuration during one or more cardiac cycles in accordance with a switching algorithm that comprises switching the pulse output configuration in a manner dependent upon the sensed parameter related to cardiac output. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification