PROBE FOR IMPLANTABLE ELECTRO-STIMULATION DEVICE

• US 20110184495A1
• Filed: 10/07/2009
• Published: 07/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Bakken Research Center B.V. (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Martens, Hubert Cecile Francois, Wang, Ke, Tol, Jeroen Jacob Arnold, Budzelaar, Franciscus Paulus Maria, Harberts, Dirk Willem, Decre, Michael Marcel Jose
• Granted Patent: US 9,421,359 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/63
• 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 1/0529 Electrodes for brain stimulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0531 Brain cortex electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0551 Spinal or peripheral nerve electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/056 Transvascular endocardial electrode systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/086 Magnetic resonance imaging [MRI] compatible leads
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 9/002 with localised screening

Abstract

The invention relates to a probe for an implantable electro-stimulation device. The probe (20) has a distal end (12) and a proximal end (13), and moreover comprises: one or more electrodes (11) a shield (21) of conducting material covering a major part of the probe, said shield extending from the vicinity of at least one of the one or more electrodes (11) towards the proximal end (13) or towards the distal end (12) of the probe (20); and a layer (22a, 22b) of insulating material covering part of the shield (21) in the vicinity of the at least one of the one or more electrodes. The shield protects wires (14), extending from electrodes to the proximal end of the probe, from undesired interference of external RF fields. The exposed part of the shield not covered by the layer of insulating material serves as a return electrode for the electrostimulation signal path.

Claims

1. A probe (20, 30) for an implantable electro-stimulation device, said probe (20, 30) having a distal end (12) and a proximal end (13), said probe (20, 30) moreover comprising:

one or more electrodes (11);

a shield (21) of conducting material covering a major part of the probe, said shield extending from the vicinity of at least one of the one or more electrodes (11) towards the proximal end (13) or towards the distal end (12) of the probe (20); and

a layer (22) of insulating material covering part of the shield (21) in the vicinity of the at least one of the one or more electrodes.

2. A probe (20, 30) according to claim 1, wherein the one or more electrodes (11) are arranged at the distal end of the probe (20, 30) and the shield (21) extends from the vicinity of at least one of the one or more electrodes (11) towards the proximal end (13) of the probe.

3. A probe (20, 30) according to claim 1, wherein the one or more electrodes (11) are arranged at a position between the distal end (12) and the proximal end (13) of the probe (20, 30), and wherein the shield (21) extends from the vicinity of at least one of the one or more electrodes (11) towards the distal end (12) of the probe.

4. A probe (20, 30) according to claim 1, wherein the one or more electrodes (11) are arranged at a position between the distal end (12) and the proximal end (13) of the probe (20, 30), and wherein the probe comprises two shields, whereof one shield extends from the vicinity of at least one of the one or more electrodes (11) towards the distal end (12) of the probe and the other of the two shields extends from the vicinity of at least one of the one or more electrodes towards the proximal end (13) of the probe.

5. A probe (20, 30) according to claim 1, wherein the exposed area of the shield (21) not covered by the layer of insulating material is at least one order of magnitude larger than the area of an individual electrode amongst the one or more electrodes.

6. A probe (20, 30) according to claim 1, wherein the capacitive impedance of the insulating material is sufficiently high at low frequencies and frequencies lower than low frequencies to substantially block any current flow.

7. A probe (20, 30) according to claim 1, wherein the impedance of the insulating material is sufficiently low at very high frequencies to become substantially transparent.

8. A probe (20, 30) according to claim 1, wherein the conducting material and the insulating material are biocompatible materials.

9. A probe (20, 30) according to claim 1, wherein the insulating material may be one of the following materials or a combination thereof:

paralyene, silicone, polyimide, polyureathene.

10. A probe (20, 30) according to claim 1, wherein the distal end of the probe comprises a plurality of electrodes and wherein the area of the shield not covered by insulating material is larger than the area of the sum of the areas of the electrodes in said plurality.

11. A probe (20, 30) according to claim 1, wherein the implantable electro-stimulation device is part of a brain stimulation device, spinal cord stimulation device;

pacemaker, cortical stimulation device, or muscle stimulation device.

12. An implantable electro-stimulation device, comprising a probe (20, 30) according to claim 1.