MEDICAL CARRIERS COMPRISING A LOW-IMPEDANCE CONDUCTOR, AND METHODS OF MAKING AND USING THE SAME

• US 20090204183A1
• Filed: 02/12/2009
• Published: 08/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Proteus Digital Health, Inc. (Otsuka Holdings Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Proteus Biomedical, Inc. (Otsuka Holdings Company Limited)
• Inventors: Kreidler, Marc, Jensen, Marc, Huynh, David
• Granted Patent: US 8,055,353 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/72
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/283 Invasive
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/29 for permanent or long-term implantation
• 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 1/0551 Spinal or peripheral nerve electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/056 Transvascular endocardial electrode systems

Abstract

Medical carriers that include a low-impedance conductor are provided. The low-impedance conductors are configured to provide electrical conductivity along a length of the medical carrier. An aspect of the low-impedance conductors is the presence of a longitudinally extended region configured as a non-coiled repetitive pattern that imparts fatigue resistance to the longitudinally extended region. Also provided are systems and methods of making the medical carriers, as well as methods of using the medical carriers.

Claims

1. A medical carrier comprising a low-impedance conductor that is configured to provide electrical conductivity along a length of the medical carrier, wherein the low-impedance conductor comprises a longitudinally extended region configured as a non-coiled repetitive pattern that imparts fatigue resistance to the longitudinally extended region.

2. The medical carrier according to claim 1, wherein the longitudinally extended region is curved about a longitudinal axis.

3. The medical carrier according to claim 2, wherein the longitudinally extended region comprises a radius of curvature of 10 mm or less about the longitudinal axis.

4. The medical carrier according to claim 2, wherein the longitudinally extended region comprises an arc of 180 degrees or less about the longitudinal axis.

5. The medical carrier according to claim 2, wherein the longitudinally extended region is positioned on the outer periphery of the medical carrier and comprises 50% or less of the cross-sectional area of the medical carrier.

6. The medical carrier according to claim 1, wherein the repetitive pattern is a pattern selected from the group consisting of a sinusoidal wave, square wave or irregular wave pattern.

7. The medical carrier according to claim 1, wherein the low-impedance conductor comprises a resistance ranging from 0.01 Ω

/cm to 5 Ω

/cm.

8. The medical carrier according to claim 1, wherein the low-impedance conductor comprises a bending stiffness ranging from 1 gram/cm per radian to 454 gram/cm per radian.

9. The medical carrier according to claim 1, wherein the low-impedance conductor comprises a stretch ratio ranging from 0.2% to 20%.

10. The medical carrier according to claim 1, wherein the longitudinally extended region is positioned at the distal end of the medical carrier.

11. The medical carrier of claim 1, wherein the longitudinally extended region has a length of 100 mm or less.

12. The medical carrier of claim 11, wherein the longitudinally extended region has a length of 10 mm or greater.

13. The medical carrier of claim 1, further comprising a second conductor, wherein the low-impedance conductor has a proximal end that is configured to be electrically coupled to the second conductor.

14. The medical carrier according to claim 1, further comprising an effector electrically connected to the low-impedance conductor.

15. The medical carrier according to claim 14, wherein the effector comprises an electrode.

16. The medical carrier according to claim 15, wherein the effector is a segmented electrode comprising a processor and two or more electrodes.

17. The medical carrier according to claim 14, wherein the medical carrier comprises two or more longitudinally spaced effectors separated by the longitudinally extended region.

18. The medical carrier according to claim 1, further comprising a proximal end connector configured to operably couple the medical carrier to an implantable control unit.

19. The medical carrier of claim 1, wherein the medical carrier is a lead.

20. The medical carrier of claim 1, wherein the medical carrier is an endoscope.

21. A system comprising a control unit operatively coupled to a medical carrier comprising a low-impedance conductor that is configured to provide electrical conductivity along a length of the medical carrier, wherein the low-impedance conductor comprises a longitudinally extended region configured as a non-coiled repetitive pattern that imparts fatigue resistance to the longitudinally extended region.

22. The system according to claim 21, wherein the control unit comprises an implantable pulse generator.

23. The system according to claim 22, further comprising an effector electrically connected to the low-impedance conductor.

24. The system according to claim 23, wherein the effector comprises an electrode.

25. The system according to claim 24, wherein the effector is a segmented electrode comprising a processor and two or more electrodes.

26. A method comprising transmitting a signal via a low-impedance conductor from a first position to a second position of a medical carrier, wherein the low-impedance conductor is configured to provide electrical conductivity along a length of the medical carrier and comprises a longitudinally extended region configured as a non-coiled repetitive pattern that imparts fatigue resistance to the longitudinally extended region.

27. The method according to claim 26, wherein the signal is a signal selected from the group consisting of a power signal and an information signal.

28. A method of making a medical carrier, the method comprising:

providing a substrate; and

producing the medical carrier from the substrate, wherein the medical carrier comprises a low-impedance conductor that is configured to provide electrical conductivity along a length of the medical carrier, wherein the low-impedance conductor comprises a longitudinally extended region configured as a non-coiled repetitive pattern that imparts fatigue resistance to the longitudinally extended region.

29. The method according to claim 28, wherein the substrate comprises a tubular substrate and the producing comprises cutting or etching the low-impedance conductor from the tubular substrate.

30. The method according to claim 28, wherein the substrate is substantially flat and wherein the producing comprises:

cutting the low-impedance conductor from the substrate; and

bending the low-impedance conductor around a longitudinal axis.

31. The method of claim 28, further comprising electrically connecting an effector to the low-impedance conductor.