HIGH-ENERGY CAPACITORS FOR IMPLANTABLE DEFIBRILLATORS

• US 20090269610A1
• Filed: 07/06/2009
• Published: 10/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/1998
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: James M. Poplett, Luke J. Christenson, Michael J O'Phelan, Robert R. Tong
• Original Assignee: James M. Poplett, Luke J. Christenson, Michael J O'Phelan, Robert R. Tong
• Inventors: Poplett, James M., O'Phelan, Michael J., Tong, Robert R., Christenson, Luke J.
• Application Number:
  US12/498,330
• Publication Number:
  US 20090269610A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 428/606
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3782 producing a voltage above the power source level
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3956 Implantable devices for applying electric shocks to the heart, e.g. for cardioversion
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 9/045 based on aluminium
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 9/055 Etched foil electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12431 Foil or filament smaller than 6 mils

Abstract

Implantable defibrillators are implanted into the chests of patients prone to suffering ventricular fibrillation, a potentially fatal heart condition. A critical component in these devices is an aluminum electrolytic capacitor, which stores and delivers life-saving bursts of electric charge to a fibrillating heart. To reduce capacitor size, manufacturers have developed special aluminum foils, such as core-etched and tunnel-etched aluminum foils. Unfortunately, core-etched foils don'"'"'t work well in multiple-anode capacitors, and tunnel-etched foils are brittle and tend to break when making some common types of capacitors. Accordingly, the inventors devised a new foil structure having perforations and cavities. In an exemplary embodiment, each perforation and cavity has a cross-sectional area, with the perforations having a larger, for example, 2 to 100 times larger, average cross-sectional area than the cavities. Other embodiments of the invention include foil assemblies, capacitors, and implantable defibrillators that benefit from properties of the new foil structure.

Claims

1. A foil having a foil thickness and comprising one or more perforations and one or more cavities having a depth less than the foil thickness.