LEAD ASSEMBLIES WITH ONE OR MORE SWITCHING NETWORKS

• US 20110029042A1
• Filed: 10/12/2010
• Published: 02/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boston Scientific Neuromodulation Corporation (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Boston Scientific Neuromodulation Corporation (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Malinowski, Zdzislaw B., Murtonen, Salomo S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,214,058 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/59
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0553 Paddle shaped electrodes, e.g. for laminotomy
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36185 Selection of the electrode configuration

Abstract

Exemplary lead assemblies include a lead body having a plurality of conductor wires embedded therein, a plurality of electrode contacts at least partially disposed on an outer surface of the lead body, and a plurality of switching networks each configured to control an operation of one or more of the plurality of electrode contacts.

Claims

1. A lead assembly comprising:

a lead body having a plurality of conductor wires embedded therein, wherein the plurality of conductor wires comprises an input/output wire and at least one active wire selected from an anode wire or a cathode wire, wherein the input/output wire and the at least one active wire are separate wires;

a plurality of electrode contacts at least partially disposed on an outer surface of the lead body, wherein each of the electrode contacts is configured to apply stimulation current to one or more stimulation sites; and

a plurality of switching networks disposed in the lead body, each switching network corresponding to and configured to control an operation of one or more of the plurality of electrode contacts, wherein each of the switching networks comprises

a memory unit coupled to the input/output wire and configured to store one or more unique address codes and one or more stimulation parameters configured to facilitate independent control of each of the electrode contacts,

a switching element configured to couple and decouple at least one of the plurality of electrode contacts to the at least one active wire in response to signals received at the memory unit from the input/output wire, and

adjusting circuitry coupled to the switching element and the memory unit and configured to adjust one or more of the stimulation parameters;

wherein the input/output wire and the at least one active wire are electrically coupled to each of the switching networks.

2. The lead assembly of claim 1, wherein the plurality of conductor wires further comprises a ground wire that is separate from the input/output wire and the at least one active wire.

3. The lead assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one active wire comprises an anode wire and a cathode wire, and wherein each of the switching networks is further configured to selectively switch between coupling a corresponding electrode contact to the anode wire and to the cathode wire.

4. The lead assembly of claim 1, further comprising one or more hermetically sealed enclosures each configured to house one or more of the switching networks.

5. The lead assembly of claim 1, further comprising one or more ball connectors configured to electrically couple one or more of the conductor wires to one or more of the switching networks.

6. The lead assembly of claim 5, further comprising a square wire guide coupled to a portion of at least one of the ball connectors.

7. The lead assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the electrode contacts is cubic shaped, and wherein each of the switching networks is disposed within a cubic shaped enclosure and configured and arranged to couple to each of the electrode contacts to form a electrode assembly unit.

8. The lead assembly of claim 1, wherein the one or more stimulation parameters comprises stimulation amplitude.

9. The lead assembly of claim 1, wherein the one or more stimulation parameters comprises frequency adjustments.

10. The lead assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the electrode contacts is hemispherically shaped, and wherein each of the switching networks is disposed within a complementary hemispherically shaped enclosure and configured and arranged to couple to each of the electrode contacts to form a spherical electrode assembly unit.

11. The lead assembly of claim 1, wherein each switching network corresponds to and is configured to control the operation of exactly one of the plurality of electrode contacts.

12. The lead assembly of claim 1, wherein the adjusting circuitry comprises an element selected from an attenuator or an amplifier.

13. A system comprising:

an implantable stimulator configured to generate electrical stimulation current; and

the lead assembly of claim 1 coupleable to the implantable stimulator.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the implantable stimulator is configured to selectively apply the stimulation current to one or more stimulation sites via a subset of the electrode contacts by transmitting one or more address codes corresponding to the subset of the electrode contacts to one or more of the switching networks via the input/output wire.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the at least one active wire comprises an anode wire and a cathode wire, and wherein each of the switching networks is further configured to selectively switch between coupling a corresponding electrode contact to the anode wire and to the cathode wire.

16. The system of claim 13, further comprising one or more hermetically sealed enclosures each configured to house one or more of the switching networks.

17. The system of claim 13, further comprising one or more ball connectors configured to electrically couple one or more of the conductor wires to one or more of the switching networks.

18. A method comprising:

generating electrical stimulation current;

providing a lead body having a plurality of conductor wires embedded therein, wherein the plurality of conductor wires comprises an input/output wire and at least one active wire selected from an anode wire or a cathode wire, wherein the input/output wire and the at least one active wire are separate wires, the lead body further comprising a plurality of electrode contacts coupled to the plurality of conductor wires, each electrode contact having a corresponding switching network configured to control an operation thereof, wherein the input/output wire and the at least one active wire are electrically coupled to each of the switching networks, each of the switching networks comprising

a memory unit coupled to the input/output wire and configured to store one or more unique address codes and one or more stimulation parameters configured to facilitate independent control of each of the electrode contacts,

a switching element configured to couple and decouple at least one of the plurality of electrode contacts to the at least one active wire in response to signals received at the memory unit from the input/output wire, and

adjusting circuitry coupled to the switching element and the memory unit and configured to adjust one or more of the stimulation parameters;

storing one or more unique address codes and one or more stimulation parameters within the memory unit of each of the switching networks for facilitating independent control of each of the electrode contacts; and

selectively applying the stimulation current to one or more stimulation sites via a subset of the electrode contacts by transmitting one or more stimulation parameters to one or more of the switching networks via one or more of the conductor wires.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising adjusting the stimulation current applied via the subset of the electrode contacts with the adjusting circuitry of one or more of the switching networks.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the at least one active wire comprises an anode wire and a cathode wire, and wherein the method further comprises selectively coupling one or more of the electrode contacts to the anode wire and coupling one or more of the electrode contacts to the cathode wire.