Command atrial cardioverting device
First Claim
1. An implantable non-automatic cardioverting device for delivering cardioverting shocks to the heart of a wearer whose atrium requires cardioversion, said device being controlled directly by the wearer from external to the skin of the wearer, and comprising:
- storage means for storing an amount of energy for converting an abnormal supra-ventricular cardiac rhythm to normal sinus rhythm;
delivery electrode means associating said storage means with the atrium of the wearer and for discharging the stored energy into the atrium;
switch means for controlling the discharge of the stored energy into the atrium;
charging means for delivering to said storage means said amount of energy for converting such abnormal supra-ventricular cardiac rhythm;
receiver means for receiving commands from external to the skin of the wearer, for controlling the operation of said switch means, and for initiating the discharge of cardioverting energy into the atrium of the wearer in response to such commands;
non-implantable portable actuating means for issuing said commands said actuating means being manually operated by said wearer upon said wearer'"'"'s sensing of a condition requiring cardioversion of the atrium;
command means for issuing a control signal for controlling the amount of energy which said charging means delivers to said storage means;
means for limiting the amount of energy which said charging means delivers to said storage means in accordance with said control signal;
means in said receiver means for receiving said control signals;
comparator means for comparing a signal indicative of the amount of energy stored by said storage means with a signal representative of said control signal; and
means for disabling said charging means once said storage means has stored the amount of energy indicated by said control signal.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An externally controlled implantable electronic device for delivering a cardioverting pulse of energy to the atrium of an ailing heart. In one embodiment, the device is particularly suited for use when the patient visits the office of his physician, and contemplates the transmission of both information and powering energy through the skin of the patient. In another embodiment, the device can be readily operated at home, by the patient, and without the intervention of the physician. Here, the source of energy is permanently implanted.
184 Citations
30 Claims
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1. An implantable non-automatic cardioverting device for delivering cardioverting shocks to the heart of a wearer whose atrium requires cardioversion, said device being controlled directly by the wearer from external to the skin of the wearer, and comprising:
- storage means for storing an amount of energy for converting an abnormal supra-ventricular cardiac rhythm to normal sinus rhythm;
delivery electrode means associating said storage means with the atrium of the wearer and for discharging the stored energy into the atrium;
switch means for controlling the discharge of the stored energy into the atrium;
charging means for delivering to said storage means said amount of energy for converting such abnormal supra-ventricular cardiac rhythm;
receiver means for receiving commands from external to the skin of the wearer, for controlling the operation of said switch means, and for initiating the discharge of cardioverting energy into the atrium of the wearer in response to such commands;
non-implantable portable actuating means for issuing said commands said actuating means being manually operated by said wearer upon said wearer'"'"'s sensing of a condition requiring cardioversion of the atrium;
command means for issuing a control signal for controlling the amount of energy which said charging means delivers to said storage means;
means for limiting the amount of energy which said charging means delivers to said storage means in accordance with said control signal;
means in said receiver means for receiving said control signals;
comparator means for comparing a signal indicative of the amount of energy stored by said storage means with a signal representative of said control signal; and
means for disabling said charging means once said storage means has stored the amount of energy indicated by said control signal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
- storage means for storing an amount of energy for converting an abnormal supra-ventricular cardiac rhythm to normal sinus rhythm;
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4. An implantable non-automatic cardioverting device for delivering cardioverting shocks to the heart of a wearer whose atrium requires cardioversion, said device being controlled directly by the wearer from external to the skin of the wearer, and comprising:
- storage means for storing an amount of energy for converting an abnormal supra-ventricular cardiac rhythm to normal sinus rhythm;
delivery electrode means associating said storage means with the atrium of the wearer and for discharging the stored energy into the atrium;
switch means for controlling the discharge of the stored energy into the atrium;
charging means for delivering to said storage means said amount of energy for converting such abnormal supra-ventricular cardiac rhythm;
receiver means for receiving commands from external to the skin of the wearer, for controlling the operation of said switch means, and for initiating the discharge of cardioverting energy into the atrium of the wearer in response to such commands;
non-implantable portable actuating means for issuing said commands, said actuating means being manually operated by said wearer upon said wearer'"'"'s sensing of a condition requiring cardioversion of the atrium;
command means for issuing a control signal for controlling the amount of energy which said charging means delivers to said storage means;
means for limiting the amount of energy which said charging means delivers to said storage means in accordance with said control signal;
means in said receiver means for receiving said control signals;
means for generating a timing signal at each appearance of the wearer'"'"'s QRS complex; and
gate means for preventing the switch means from enabling the discharge of the stored energy into the atrium except at a predetermined time relative to said QRS complex. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7)
- storage means for storing an amount of energy for converting an abnormal supra-ventricular cardiac rhythm to normal sinus rhythm;
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8. A system for cardioverting a heart experiencing supra-ventricular cardiac rhythm, said system being controlled directly by the wearer and external to the skin of the wearer, and comprising:
- a cardioverting unit implanted beneath the skin of the wearer including a storage element for receiving and storing predetermined amounts of energy for converting an abnormal supra-ventricular cardiac rhythm to normal sinus rhythm, electrode means associated with said storage element and the heart of the wearer for delivering the stored energy to the atrium for converting the heart, switch means for enabling the discharge of the stored energy into the atrium upon storage by said storage means of said predetermined amounts of energy, charging means for delivering said predetermined amounts of energy to the storage element, means for disabling said charging means once said storage element has stored said predetermined amounts of energy, and a receiver for receiving commands from external to the skin of the wearer, for controlling the operation of said switch means and for initiating the discharge of the stored energy into the atrium in response to such commands; and
a portable transmitter external to the skin of the wearer and operated by said wearer upon said wearer'"'"'s sensing of a condition requiring cardioversion of the atrium, for transmitting command signals across the skin to said receiver for controlling the operation of said implanted cardioverting unit. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12)
- a cardioverting unit implanted beneath the skin of the wearer including a storage element for receiving and storing predetermined amounts of energy for converting an abnormal supra-ventricular cardiac rhythm to normal sinus rhythm, electrode means associated with said storage element and the heart of the wearer for delivering the stored energy to the atrium for converting the heart, switch means for enabling the discharge of the stored energy into the atrium upon storage by said storage means of said predetermined amounts of energy, charging means for delivering said predetermined amounts of energy to the storage element, means for disabling said charging means once said storage element has stored said predetermined amounts of energy, and a receiver for receiving commands from external to the skin of the wearer, for controlling the operation of said switch means and for initiating the discharge of the stored energy into the atrium in response to such commands; and
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13. An implantable non-automatic cardioverting device for delivering cardioverting shocks to the heart of a wearer whose atrium requires cardioversion, said device being controlled directly by the wearer from external to the skin of the wearer, and comprising:
- storage means for storing an amount of energy for converting an abnormal supra-ventricular cardiac rhythm to normal sinus rhythm;
delivery electrode means associating said storage means with the atrium of the wearer and for discharging the stored energy into the atrium;
switch means for controlling the discharge of the stored energy into the atrium;
charging means for delivering to said storage means said amount of energy for converting such abnormal supra-ventricular cardiac rhythm;
receiver means for receiving commands from external to the skin of the wearer, for controlling the operation of said switch means, and for initiating the discharge of cardioverting energy into the atrium of the wearer in response to such commands;
non-implantable portable actuating means for issuing said commands, said actuating means being manually operated by said wearer upon said wearer'"'"'s sensing of a condition requiring cardioversion of the atrium;
an implantable test load;
implantable load switching means to alternatively associate said storage means with said delivery electrode means or said test load; and
implantable means for sensing the operation of the implantable cardioverter when the stored energy is discharged into said test load and for verifying the operation of the device; and
wherein said receiver means receives switching signals from external to the skin of the wearer which control the operation of said load switching means.
- storage means for storing an amount of energy for converting an abnormal supra-ventricular cardiac rhythm to normal sinus rhythm;
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14. An implantable non-automatic cardioverting device for delivering cardioverting shocks to the heart of a wearer whose atrium requires cardioversion, said device being controlled directly by the wearer from external to the skin of the wearer, and comprising:
- storage means for storing an amount of energy for converting an abnormal supra-ventricular cardiac rhythm to normal sinus rhythm;
delivery electrode means associating said storage means with the atrium of the wearer and for discharging the stored energy into the atrium;
switch means for controlling the discharge of the stored energy into the atrium;
charging means for delivering to said storage means said amount of energy for converting such abnormal supra-ventricular cardiac rhythm;
receiver means for receiving amounts from external to the skin of the wearer, for controlling the operation of said switch means, and for initiating the discharge of cardioverting energy into the atrium of the wearer in response to such commands;
non-implantable portable actuating means for issuing said commands, said actuating means being manually operated by said wearer upon said wearer'"'"'s sensing of a condition requiring cardioversion of the atrium;
wherein said receiver means is a switch whose state is operable from external to the skin of the wearer to initiate operation of the atrial device; and
further comprising means for disabling said charging means once said storage means has stored said amount of energy for converting such supra-ventricular cardiac rhythm; and
counter means for increasing the amount of energy stored by said storage means for successive discharges of the stored energy into the atrium of the wearer. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
- storage means for storing an amount of energy for converting an abnormal supra-ventricular cardiac rhythm to normal sinus rhythm;
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22. An implantable non-automatic cardioverting device for delivering cardioverting shocks to the heart of a wearer whose atrium requires cardioversion, said device being controlled directly by the wearer from external to the skin of the wearer, and comprising:
- storage means for storing an amount of energy for converting an abnormal supra-ventricular cardiac rhythm to normal sinus rhythm;
delivery electrode means associating said storage means with the atrium of the wearer and for discharging the stored energy into the atrium;
switch means for controlling the discharge of the stored energy into the atrium;
charging means for delivering to said storage means said amount of energy for converting such abnormal supra-ventricular cardiac rhythm;
receiver means for receiving commands from external to the skin of the wearer, for controlling the operation of said switch means, and for initiating the discharge of cardioverting energy into the atrium of the wearer in response to such commands;
non-implantable portable actuating means for issuing said commands, said actuating means being manually operated by said wearer upon said wearer'"'"'s sensing of a condition requiring cardioversion of the atrium;
wherein said receiver means is a switch whose state is operable from external to the skin of the wearer to initiate operation of the atrial device; and
further comprising means for generating a timing signal at each appearance of the wearer'"'"'s QRS complex; and
gate means for preventing the switch means from enabling the discharge of the stored energy into the atrium except at a predetermined time relative to said QRS complex. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25)
- storage means for storing an amount of energy for converting an abnormal supra-ventricular cardiac rhythm to normal sinus rhythm;
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26. An implantable cardioverting device for converting an abnormal cardiac rhythm to normal sinus rhythm, the device comprising:
- storage means for storing an amount of energy for converting an abnormal cardiac rhythm to normal sinus rhythm;
charging means for delivering to said storage means said amount of energy;
delivery electrode means associating said storage means with the heart of the wearer and for discharging the stored energy into the heart;
an implantable test load associated with said storage means for receiving the stored energy therefrom;
implantable load switching means to alternately associate said storage means with said delivery electrode means or said test load;
implantable means for sensing the operation of the implantable device when the stored energy is discharged into said test load for verifying the operation of the device; and
non-implantable control means for controlling the operation of said load switching means. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30)
- storage means for storing an amount of energy for converting an abnormal cardiac rhythm to normal sinus rhythm;
Specification