Leadless Cardiac Pacemaker with Integral Battery and Redundant Welds

• US 20130123875A1
• Filed: 11/05/2012
• Published: 05/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pacesetter Incorporated (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Pacesetter Incorporated (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Inventors: Varady, Eric, Ostroff, Alan, Jacobson, Peter M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,511,236 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/36
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37205 Microstimulators, e.g. implantable through a cannula
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37512 Pacemakers
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37518 Anchoring of the implants, e.g. fixation
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3752 Details of casing-lead connections
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3756 Casings with electrodes thereon, e.g. leadless stimulators
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3968 Constructional arrangements, e.g. casings A61N1/375 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/206 Laser sealing

Abstract

A leadless cardiac pacemaker that does not require a separate hermetic housing surrounding the battery and electronics compartments is provided. The cardiac pacemaker can include a battery disposed in a battery housing and a set of electronics disposed in an electronics housing. In some embodiments, the battery housing and the electronics housing can comprise an external surface of the pacemaker. The pacemaker can include a first set of welds separating the battery from the set of electronics, and a second set of welds separating the set of electronics and the battery from an exterior of the housing. Various embodiments for achieving dual-redundant welds are also provided.

Claims

1. A leadless cardiac pacemaker, comprising:

a battery disposed in a battery housing, the battery housing configured to operate as an electrode;

a set of electronics disposed in an electronics housing, the set of electronics being electrically coupled to the battery and configured to control operation of the electrode;

a first set of welds configured to hermetically seal the battery from the set of electronics;

a second set of welds configured to hermetically seal the set of electronics and the battery from an exterior of the leadless cardiac pacemaker; and

a fixation device configured to attach the leadless cardiac pacemaker to human tissue.

2. The pacemaker of claim 1 wherein the first and second sets of welds provide dual-weld redundancy.

3. The pacemaker of claim 1 wherein the battery housing is not surrounded by or enclosed in a separate housing.

4. The pacemaker of claim 1 wherein an external surface of the battery housing is also an external surface of the pacemaker.

5. The pacemaker of claim 1 wherein the first set of welds is disposed on an interior of the pacemaker and the second set of welds is disposed on the exterior of the pacemaker.

6. The pacemaker of claim 1 wherein the battery housing and electronics housing combine to form a cylindrical housing of the pacemaker.

7. The pacemaker of claim 1, wherein the battery housing further comprises a cylindrical housing and a lid welded to a distal portion of the battery housing with the first set of welds to hermetically seal the battery housing.

8. The pacemaker of claim 1, wherein the battery housing further comprises a cylindrical housing and a first lid welded to a distal portion of the battery housing with the first set of welds to hermetically seal the distal portion of the battery housing, and a second lid welded to a proximal portion of the battery housing with a third set of welds to hermetically seal the proximal portion of the battery housing.

9. The pacemaker of claim 8 further comprising a cap surrounding the second lid and welded to the battery housing with a fourth set of welds to provide dual-weld redundancy for the proximal end of the housing.

10. The pacemaker of claim 1, the battery housing further comprising a lip positioned near a distal end of the battery housing, the lip extending inwards and then distally from an external surface of the battery housing.

11. The pacemaker of claim 1, the battery housing further comprising an indentation positioned near a distal end of the battery housing, the indentation extending inwards from an external surface of the battery housing.

12. The pacemaker of claim 1, the battery housing further comprising a first lip positioned near a distal end of the battery housing and a second lip positioned near a proximal end of the batter housing, the first lip extending inwards and distally from an external surface of the battery housing and the second lip extending inwards and proximally from the external surface of the housing.

13. The pacemaker of claim 1, the battery housing further comprising a first indentation positioned near a distal end of the battery housing and a second indentation positioned near a proximal end of the battery housing, the first and second indentations extending inwards from an external surface of the housing.

14. The pacemaker of claim 1 wherein the first and second sets of welds are laser bead welds.

15. The pacemaker of claim 1 wherein the first and second sets of welds are deep-penetration seam welds.

16. The pacemaker of claim 1 wherein the first set of welds are deep-penetration seam welds and the second set of welds are laser bead welds.

17. An implantable medical device, comprising:

a battery disposed in a battery housing, the battery housing comprising an external surface of the implantable medical device;

a set of electronics disposed in an electronics housing and electrically coupled to the battery, the set of electronics configured to control operation of the implantable medical device;

a first set of welds configured to hermetically seal the battery from the set of electronics; and

a second set of welds configured to hermetically seal the set of electronics and the battery from an exterior of the implantable medical device.

18. The device of claim 17 wherein the first and second sets of welds provide dual-weld redundancy.

19. The device of claim 17 wherein the battery housing is not surrounded by or enclosed in a separate housing.

20. The device of claim 17 wherein the first set of welds is disposed on an interior of the device and the second set of welds is disposed on the exterior of the device.

21. The device of claim 17 wherein the battery housing and electronics housing combine to form a cylindrical housing of the device.

22. The device of claim 17, wherein the battery housing further comprises a cylindrical housing and a lid welded to a distal portion of the battery housing with the first set of welds to hermetically seal the battery housing.

23. The device of claim 17, wherein the battery housing further comprises a cylindrical housing and a first lid welded to a distal portion of the battery housing with the first set of welds to hermetically seal the distal portion of the battery housing, and a second lid welded to a proximal portion of the battery housing with a third set of welds to hermetically seal the proximal portion of the battery housing.

24. The device of claim 23 further comprising a cap surrounding the second lid and welded to the battery housing with a fourth set of welds to provide dual-weld redundancy for the proximal end of the housing.

25. The device of claim 17, the battery housing further comprising a lip positioned near a distal end of the battery housing, the lip extending inwards and then distally from the external surface of the battery housing.

26. The device of claim 17, the battery housing further comprising an indentation positioned near a distal end of the battery housing, the indentation extending inwards from the external surface of the battery housing.

27. The device of claim 17, the battery housing further comprising a first lip positioned near a distal end of the battery housing and a second lip positioned near a proximal end of the batter housing, the first lip extending inwards and distally from an external surface of the battery housing and the second lip extending inwards and proximally from the external surface of the housing.

28. The device of claim 17, the battery housing further comprising a first indentation positioned near a distal end of the battery housing and a second indentation positioned near a proximal end of the battery housing, the first and second indentations extending inwards from the external surface of the housing.

29. The device of claim 17 wherein the first and second sets of welds are laser bead welds.

30. The device of claim 17 wherein the first and second sets of welds are deep-penetration seam welds.

31. The device of claim 17 wherein the first set of welds are deep-penetration seam welds and the second set of welds are laser bead welds.