Exercise responive cardiac pacemaker
First Claim
1. A cardiac pacemaker including means for variably controlling the stimulation rate of the heart according to the level of muscular exertion in the body, comprising:
- sensor means for sensing a body temperature;
stimulus means for applying an electrical stimulus to a heart;
control circuit means for calculating the rate of change of said sensed body temperature, said control circuit means including means for generating a rate control signal according to a predetermined algorithm relating heart rate to rate of change of temperature; and
means responsive to said rate control signal for variably controlling the stimulation rate of the heart.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An exercise-responsive cardiac pacemaker is provided which physiologically controls the stimulation rate of a heart by sensing the venous blood temperature in the right ventricle of the heart. A temperature sensing means which includes a thermistor produces an output signal which is sent to an algorithm implementing means for implementing the output signal by an algorithm which represents the mathematical function between venous blood temperature in the right ventricle and heart rate in a normally functioning heart. The algorithm implementing means produces an output signal which is variable between a maximum and minimum level corresponding to the desired maximum and minimum levels of heart rate in a normally functioning heart. The algorithm implementing means is also programmable by telemetry after implantation. A cardiac pacemaker is connected to the algorithm implementing means and is responsive thereto in order to variably control the stimulation rate of the heart.
31 Citations
44 Claims
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1. A cardiac pacemaker including means for variably controlling the stimulation rate of the heart according to the level of muscular exertion in the body, comprising:
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sensor means for sensing a body temperature; stimulus means for applying an electrical stimulus to a heart; control circuit means for calculating the rate of change of said sensed body temperature, said control circuit means including means for generating a rate control signal according to a predetermined algorithm relating heart rate to rate of change of temperature; and means responsive to said rate control signal for variably controlling the stimulation rate of the heart. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A cardiac pacemaker including means for variably controlling the stimulation rate of the heart according to the level of muscular exertion in the body, comprising:
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sensor means for sensing a body temperature; stimulus means for applying an electrical stimulus to a heart; control circuit means responsive to said sensed body temperature for calculating a differential temperature, said control circuit means including means for generating a rate control signal according to a predetermined algorithm relating heart rate to differential temperature; and means responsive to said rate control signal for variably controlling the stimulation rate of the heart. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9)
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10. A rate-responsive cardiac therapy device, comprising:
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a reference-temperature memory; a current-temperature sensor; a cardiac rate control signal generator having one input coupled to said reference-temperature memory and another input coupled to said current-temperature sensor; and a cardiac pulse generator having an input coupled to said cardiac rate control signal generator. - View Dependent Claims (11)
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12. A rate-responsive cardiac therapy device, comprising:
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means for storing a reference temperature measured at a predetermined location in the body of an individual subject; means for measuring a current temperature at the predetermined location in the body of the individual subject; means for determining a rate control factor based on the difference between the current temperature and the reference temperature; and cardiac pulse generator means for generating cardiac pulses at a rate responsive to said rate control factor. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method of providing rate-responsive cardiac therapy, comprising the steps:
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storing a reference temperature measured at a predetermined location in the body of an individual subject; measuring a current temperature at the predetermined location in the body of the individual subject; determining a rate control factor proportional to the difference between the current temperature and the reference temperature; and generating cardiac pulses at a rate responsive to said rate control factor. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A rate-responsive cardiac therapy device, comprising:
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a temperature sensor; and a cardiac pulse generator, said pulse generator including a cardiac rate controller having an input connected to said temperature sensor, said cardiac rate controller including a calculator of rate of change of temperature. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26)
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27. A rate-responsive cardiac therapy device, comprising:
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a temperature sensor; and a cardiac pulse generator, said pulse generator including rate control means for controlling the rate of generation of cardiac pulses, said rate control means including means coupled to said temperature sensor for determining rate of change of temperature. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29)
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30. A method of controlling rate in a rate-responsive cardiac therapy device, comprising the steps:
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measuring temperature at a predetermined location in the body of an individual subject; determining the rate of change of the temperature measured in said measuring step; determining a first rate control factor as a function of the rate of change of temperature; and generating cardiac pulses at a rate responsive to said first rate control factor. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33)
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34. A cardiac pacemaker for variably controlling the stimulation rate of a heart according to nonambient body temperature, comprising:
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sensor means for sensing said nonambient body temperature; stimulus means for applying an electrical stimulus to said heart; means for generating a rate control signal according to a predetermined algorithm relating heart rate to variations in said nonambient body temperature, said rate control signal generating means including means for subtracting first and second temperature values representative of said nonambient body temperature during first and second sequential time periods, respectively; and means connected to said stimulus means and responsive to said rate control signal for variably controlling the stimulation rate of said heart. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44)
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Specification