MEDICAL DEVICE ELECTRODES INCLUDING NANOSTRUCTURES

• US 20090062895A1
• Filed: 08/28/2007
• Published: 03/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cardiac Pacemakers Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Cardiac Pacemakers Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Stahmann, Jeffrey E., Qu, Jihong, Salo, Rodney W.
• Granted Patent: US 7,894,914 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/122
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/05 for implantation or insertion into the body, e.g. heart electrode A61N1/06 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/056 Transvascular endocardial electrode systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0565 Electrode heads
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/931 Medical device coating

Abstract

Electrodes for tissue stimulation and sensing can comprise a support with nanostructures disposed on the support. Pairs of the electrodes can be placed in close proximity to one another. When electrical energy is supplied to the electrodes, an electrical field (and possibly an electrical current) can be established between the nanostructures on the electrodes. The nanostructures may have cells disposed thereon, for example myocardial cells, myocardial progenitor cells, neural cells and/or stem cells. In addition, the electrodes can be arranged in arrays.

Claims

1. A medical device comprising:

a device body with an array of electrodes disposed thereon;

the array including a plurality of first electrodes and a plurality of second electrodes;

at least one of the first electrodes electrically connected to a first electrical connection and at least one of the second electrodes electrically connected to a second electrical connection; and

the first and second electrodes comprising nanostructures wherein at least a portion of the nanostructures of the first electrodes are at least partially encapsulated within living cells.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the nanostructures of both the first and second electrodes are at least partially encapsulated within living cells.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the nanostructures are at least partially encapsulated within cells at least partially in vitro.

4. The lead of claim 2 wherein the nanostructures are at least partially encapsulated within cells at least partially in vitro.

5. The lead of claim 1 wherein the cells are selected from a group consisting of myocardial cells, myocardial progenitor cells, neural cells and stem cells.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the nanostructures of the first and second electrodes are substantially oriented in a longitudinal direction along the support.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the nanostructures of the first and second electrodes are disposed on the support in a substantially random fashion.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the nanostructures of the first and second electrodes are disposed on the support surface in a substantially two dimensional grid.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein each of the first electrodes is electrically connected to a separate first electrical connection and each of the second electrodes is electrically connected to a separate second electrical connection.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the first electrodes are electrically connected to a common first electrical connection and the second electrodes are electrically connected to a common second electrical connection.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the device body comprises a lead of a medical device.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the device body comprises a microstimulator of a leadless cardiac rhythm management device.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein the nanostructures are selected from a group consisting of nanowires, single walled nanotubes, multiple walled nanotubes, a nanotextured surface, a surface nanotopography, a nanomesh, nanoparticles and nanowiskers.

14. The device of claim 1, wherein the first and second electrodes are disposed on the device body in pairs, the electrodes within the pairs being spaced apart from one another less than approximately the diameter of one myocyte.

15. A bipolar medical electrical lead comprising:

a first electrode electrically connected to a first electrical connection and a second electrode electrically connected to a second electrical connection;

the first and second electrodes comprising first and second supports with first and second nanostructure coatings disposed on the first and second supports, respectively;

the nanostructure coatings of the first and second electrodes being spaced apart from one another such that at least one of the first nanostructures of the first nanostructure coating and at least one of the second nanostructures of the second nanostructure coating are spaced less than approximately 45 μ

m from one another.

16. The lead of claim 15 wherein at least a portion of the nanostructures of the first electrode is encapsulated by cells.

17. The lead of claim 15 wherein at least a portion of the nanostructures of the first and second electrodes are encapsulated by cells.

18. The lead of claim 16 wherein the nanostructures are at least partially encapsulated by cells at least partially in vitro.

19. The lead of claim 17 wherein the nanostructures are at least partially encapsulated by cells at least partially in vitro.

20. The lead of claim 18 wherein the cells are selected from a group consisting of myocardial cells, myocardial progenitor cells, neural cells and stem cells.

21. The lead of claim 15 wherein the nanostructures of the first and second electrodes are oriented in a longitudinal direction along the support.

22. The lead of claim 15, wherein the nanostructures of the first and second electrodes are disposed on the support in a substantially random fashion.

23. The lead of claim 15, wherein the nanostructures of the first and second electrodes are disposed on the support surface in a substantially two dimensional grid.

24. The lead of claim 15, wherein the nanostructures are selected from a group consisting of nanowires, single walled nanotubes, multiple walled nanotubes, a nanotextured surface, a surface nanotopography, a nanomesh, nanoparticles and nanowiskers.

25. A leadless medical electrical device comprising:

a first electrode with a first support, the first support having a first nanostructure coating disposed thereon;

a second electrode with a second support, the second support having a second nanostructure coating disposed thereon.

26. The device of claim 25 wherein at least a portion of the nanostructures of the first electrode is encapsulated by cells.

27. The device of claim 25 wherein at least a portion of the nanostructures of the first and second electrodes are encapsulated by cells.

28. The device of claim 25 wherein the nanostructures are encapsulated by cells at least partially in vitro.

29. The device of claim 26 wherein the nanostructures are encapsulated by cells at least partially in vitro.

30. The device of claim 28 wherein the cells are selected from a group consisting of myocardial cells, myocardial progenitor cells, neural cells and stem cells.

31. The device of claim 25 wherein the nanostructures of the first and second electrodes are oriented in a longitudinal direction along the support.

32. The device of claim 25, wherein the nanostructures of the first and second electrodes are disposed on the support in a substantially random fashion.

33. The device of claim 25, wherein the nanostructures of the first and second electrodes are disposed on the support surface in a substantially two dimensional grid.

34. The device of claim 25, wherein the nanostructures are selected from a group consisting of nanowires, single walled nanotubes, multiple walled nanotubes, a nanotextured surface, a surface nanotopography, a nanomesh, nanoparticles and nanowiskers.