Defilbrillation electrode having smooth current distribution
First Claim
1. An implantable defibrillation/cardioversion system including at least two defibrillation electrodes implanted in the region of the heart, said system comprising:
- an implantable defibrillation electrode comprising a conductive discharge surface region having a predetermined surface area for delivering electrical energy to the heart, said discharge surface region comprising multiple discrete conductive segments;
pulse generating means including means for generating multiple simultaneous shock pulses of differing voltages which multiple shock pulses are discharged simultaneously and thereby define a single defibrillation/cardioversion shock; and
lead means including a plurality of conductors, each of said conductors connected to select ones of said conductive segments and to said pulse generating means for conveying select ones of said shock pulses to said select ones of said conductive segments.
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Abstract
A defibrillation electrode for implantation in the region of the heart and for connection to a defibrillation system. The electrode comprises multiple independent conductive segments spaced apart for defining a discharge surface of the electrode. In one embodiment, the electrode comprises a plurality of concentric conductive rings electrically connected together. To smooth the current distribution, the interface impedance of the inner conductive segments is made lower than that of the outer conductive segments. In one embodiment, the impedance is determined by the choice of the conductive material. In another embodiment, the impedance is determined by texturing the surface of the conductive segments. In yet another embodiment, the impedance is determined by the ratio of conductive edges to surface of the conductive segment. The discharge surface region can also take the form of a portion of a cardiac catheter.
Other ways to control the current distribution include the use of a floating conductive segment, and the use of discrete segments which receive defibrillating waveforms of different amplitudes and isolating the conductive segments to deliver higher amplitude waveforms in the inner segments than the outer segments.
108 Citations
10 Claims
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1. An implantable defibrillation/cardioversion system including at least two defibrillation electrodes implanted in the region of the heart, said system comprising:
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an implantable defibrillation electrode comprising a conductive discharge surface region having a predetermined surface area for delivering electrical energy to the heart, said discharge surface region comprising multiple discrete conductive segments; pulse generating means including means for generating multiple simultaneous shock pulses of differing voltages which multiple shock pulses are discharged simultaneously and thereby define a single defibrillation/cardioversion shock; and lead means including a plurality of conductors, each of said conductors connected to select ones of said conductive segments and to said pulse generating means for conveying select ones of said shock pulses to said select ones of said conductive segments. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. An implantable defibrillation/cardioversion system including at least two defibrillation electrodes implanted in the region of the heart, said system including:
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an implantable defibrillation electrode comprising an elongated catheter having a distal active region and a proximal lead region, multiple independent conductive segments spaced apart and positioned along the length of said elongated catheter; pulse generating means including means for generating multiple simultaneous shock pulses of differing voltages which multiple shock pulses are discharged simultaneously and thereby define a single defibrillation/cardioversion shock; and lead means including a plurality of conductors, each of said conductors connected to select ones of said conductive segments and to said pulse generating means for conveying select ones of said shock pulses to said select ones of said conductive segments. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10)
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Specification