Method and means of electrode selection for pacemaker with multielectrode leads
First Claim
1. A cardiac pacing system including:
- a cardiac pacer having a sealed case with pacer electronic circuitry therein including a pacer system ground, a neck, and at least one feedthrough passing through the sealed case into the neck;
a pacing lead having a proximal end portion which is received in said neck, a distal end portion, at least two electrodes in the distal end portion and at least two spaced apart terminal connectors in said proximal end portion, said at least one feedthrough being connectable to said terminal connectors, electrode switching/selection circuit means external to the sealed case and connected to said at least one feedthrough between said pacer electronic circuitry and said at least two electrodes for selectively electrically connecting one or more of the electrodes in the pacing lead through said at least one feedthrough with the pacer electronic circuitry.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An electronic electrode switching/selection circuit minimizes the number of feedthroughs from a pacer case to a pacer neck needed to connect with pacing lead electrodes that will be actively used during operation of a pacer. These feedthroughs can be electronically connected with the desired electrode by the physician either at the time of initial implantation or at any time subsequent thereto as may be required. The electronic connection to a feedthrough may be dedicated to a single feedthrough/electrode or electrode pair or the electrodes may be electronically sampled by circuitry in the pacer. The electrode switching/selection circuit may be located in the pacer neck, in an adapter between the pacer neck and a multielectrode lead, or in a multielectrode lead.
Preferably, zener protection diodes are also provided which are connected ahead of the pacing circuitry before or after the electrode switching/selection circuit. These zener protection diodes may be located in the pacer neck, in the adapter, or in the multielectrode lead, according to the location of the electrode switching/selection circuit.
354 Citations
29 Claims
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1. A cardiac pacing system including:
- a cardiac pacer having a sealed case with pacer electronic circuitry therein including a pacer system ground, a neck, and at least one feedthrough passing through the sealed case into the neck;
a pacing lead having a proximal end portion which is received in said neck, a distal end portion, at least two electrodes in the distal end portion and at least two spaced apart terminal connectors in said proximal end portion, said at least one feedthrough being connectable to said terminal connectors, electrode switching/selection circuit means external to the sealed case and connected to said at least one feedthrough between said pacer electronic circuitry and said at least two electrodes for selectively electrically connecting one or more of the electrodes in the pacing lead through said at least one feedthrough with the pacer electronic circuitry. - View Dependent Claims (2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
- a cardiac pacer having a sealed case with pacer electronic circuitry therein including a pacer system ground, a neck, and at least one feedthrough passing through the sealed case into the neck;
- 3. The system of claim further comprising an adapter, said adapter including a plug connector portion which is received in a mating socket having ring connectors thereon and located in said pacer neck, and having a socket into which said proximal end portion of said multielectrode lead is received, said switching/selection circuit means being mounted within said adapter and being electrically connected between said plug connector portion and the ring connectors in said socket in said adapter.
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23. A method for limiting the number of feedthroughs required, for connection to a pacing lead having two or more distal electrodes, in a cardiac pacer, the pacer having a sealed pacer case with pacer circuitry therein, a pacer neck, and at least one feedthrough extending therethrough, said method comprising at least the steps of:
- providing a switching/selection circuit means external to the sealed pacer case for coupling the pacer circuitry with the pacing lead; and
selectively electrically operating said switching/selection circuit means for selectively electrically connecting said pacer circuitry through said at least one feedthrough with one of the electrodes of the pacing lead. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25)
- providing a switching/selection circuit means external to the sealed pacer case for coupling the pacer circuitry with the pacing lead; and
- 26. A cardiac pacer system comprising a cardiac pacer unit having a sealed case containing pacer electronics, a pacer neck, and at least one feedthrough extending through said sealed case into said neck, a permanently implantable multielectrode pacing lead having at least two distal electrodes and being adapted to be connected to and used with said pacer unit, and electronic electrode switching/selection circuit means for selectively electrically coupling one or more of the electrodes of said multielectrode pacing lead with said pacer electronics through said at least one feedthrough.
Specification