Implantable medical elongated member including a tissue receiving fixation cavity

• US 20080103577A1
• Filed: 10/31/2006
• Published: 05/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Gerber, Martin T.
• Granted Patent: US 9,993,639 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/149
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0529 Electrodes for brain stimulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0534 Electrodes for deep brain stimulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0536 Preventing neurodegenerative response or inflammatory reaction
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0539 Anchoring of brain electrode systems, e.g. within burr hole
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0551 Spinal or peripheral nerve electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0558 Anchoring or fixation means therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4348 Demultiplexing of additional data and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

This disclosure describes techniques for securing an elongated member, such as a medical lead, within a tissue of a patient. In particular, suction is applied from a vacuum to a vacuum cavity located proximate to a distal end of the lead to draw in tissue from the target therapy delivery site to the vacuum cavity. A fixation element is coupled to the tissue within the vacuum cavity to fix the lead to the target therapy delivery site. The fixation techniques of this disclosure secure the medical lead to the tissue of the patient to prevent the medical lead from migrating away from the target tissue location.

Claims

1. An implantable medical elongated member configured to deliver a therapy from a medical device to a target therapy delivery site in a patient, the implantable elongated member comprising:

an elongated body extending between a proximal end configured to couple to the medical device and a distal end;

a vacuum cavity defined by the elongated body and configured to receive vacuum pressure from a vacuum source to draw tissue of the patient into the vacuum cavity;

a channel disposed within the elongated body; and

a fixation element disposed within the channel and configured to engage with the tissue drawn into the vacuum cavity.

2. The implantable medical elongated member of claim 1, wherein the channel is a first channel and the implantable medical elongated member further comprises a second channel within the elongated body to couple the vacuum cavity to the vacuum source.

3. The implantable medical elongated member of claim 1, further comprising a vacuum inlet proximate to the vacuum cavity configured to couple to a vacuum channel within an introducer to place the vacuum cavity in fluidic communication with the vacuum source.

4. The implantable medical elongated member of claim 1, wherein the vacuum cavity comprises a first vacuum cavity and a second vacuum cavity, wherein the first and second vacuum cavities are each configured to receive tissue adjacent to the respective first and second vacuum cavities.

5. The implantable medical elongated member of claim 4, wherein the fixation element fixes the elongated member to the tissue located in both the first and second vacuum cavities.

6. The implantable medical elongated member of claim 1, wherein the elongated body comprises a lead extending between the proximal end and the distal end, the lead comprising one or more electrodes proximate to the distal end.

7. The implantable elongated member of claim 6, wherein the vacuum cavity is located between the one or more electrodes and the proximal end of the lead.

8. The implantable medical elongated member of claim 6, wherein the vacuum cavity is located between two electrodes.

9. The implantable elongated member of claim 6, wherein the vacuum cavity is located between the one or more electrodes and the distal end of the lead.

10. The implantable medical elongated member of claim 1, wherein the fixation element comprises one of a pin or a screw.

11. The implantable medical elongated member of claim 1, wherein the elongated member comprises a catheter.

12. A system comprising:

a medical device; and

an implantable medical elongated member comprising;

an elongated body extending between a proximal end configured to couple to the medical device and a distal end;

a vacuum cavity defined by the elongated body and configured to receive vacuum pressure from a vacuum source to draw tissue of the patient into the vacuum cavity;

a channel disposed within the elongated body; and

a fixation element disposed within the channel and configured to engage with the tissue drawn into the vacuum cavity.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

the vacuum source; and

a vacuum channel disposed within the elongated body to couple the vacuum cavity to the vacuum source.

14. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

the vacuum source; and

an introducer including a vacuum channel to couple to the vacuum source,

wherein the elongated body includes a vacuum inlet in fluidic communication with the vacuum cavity to couple the vacuum cavity to the vacuum channel of the introducer.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising a first marker on the elongated body and a second marker on the introducer to align with the first marker on the elongated body to align the vacuum inlet of the elongated body with the vacuum channel of the introducer.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the vacuum cavity comprises a first vacuum cavity and a second vacuum cavity, wherein the first and second vacuum cavities are each configured to receive tissue adjacent to the respective first and second vacuum cavities.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the fixation element comprises one of a pin and a screw.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the elongated body comprises a lead extending between the proximal end and the distal end, the lead comprising at least one electrode proximate to the distal end, and the medical device comprises an electrical stimulator coupled to the proximal end of the lead and configured to deliver electrical stimulation to the target therapy delivery site via the at least one electrode of the lead.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein the elongated member comprises at least one of a lead comprising an electrode or a catheter.

20. The system of claim 12, wherein the medical device comprises at least one of a sensor to sense a parameter of a patient, an electrical stimulator or a fluid delivery device.

21. A method comprising:

inserting an implantable medical elongated member into a patient, the implantable medical elongated member comprising;

an elongated body extending between a proximal end configured to couple to the medical device and a distal end;

a vacuum cavity defined by the elongated body and configured to receive tissue of the patient;

a channel disposed within the elongated body; and

a fixation element disposed within the channel;

advancing the implantable medical elongated member to a target therapy delivery site within the patient;

applying negative pressure to the vacuum cavity of the implantable medical elongated member to draw tissue adjacent to the vacuum cavity into the vacuum cavity; and

drawing the fixation element of implantable medical elongated member into engagement with the tissue within the vacuum cavity to fix the implantable medical elongated member to the tissue.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein inserting the implantable medical elongated member into a patient comprises introducing an introducer into the patient and introducing the implantable medical elongated member into the introducer.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein inserting the introducer into the patient comprises subcutaneously introducing the introducer proximate to a peripheral nerve of the patient.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein inserting the introducer proximate to the peripheral nerve comprises positioning the introducer substantially transversely across an occipital nerve.

25. The method of claim 21, further comprising coupling the implantable medical elongated member to a medical device, the medical device delivering a therapy to the target therapy delivery site via the implantable medical elongated member.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the medical device is at least one of an electrical stimulator, a sensor or a fluid delivery device.

27. The method of claim 21, wherein drawing the fixation element of implantable medical elongated member into engagement with the tissue within the vacuum cavity comprises applying a positive pressure to the fixation element via the channel to advance the fixation element into the tissue within the vacuum cavity.

28. An implantable medical lead comprising:

a lead body extending between a proximal end and a distal end;

one or more electrodes proximate to the distal end of the lead body;

a first channel disposed within the lead body;

a vacuum cavity defined by the lead body and configured to receive vacuum pressure from a vacuum source via the first channel to draw tissue of the patient into the vacuum cavity;

a second channel disposed within the lead body; and

a fixation element disposed within the second channel and configured to engage with the tissue in the vacuum cavity.

29. The implantable medical lead of claim 28, wherein the vacuum cavities comprises a first vacuum cavity is located between the one or more electrodes and the proximal end of the lead body and a second vacuum cavity located between the one or more electrodes and the distal end of the lead body.