Apparatus for automatically inducing fibrillation
First Claim
1. A method of inducing fibrillation in a patient'"'"'s heart, comprising:
- measuring the effective refractory period of said patient'"'"'s heart while pacing said patient'"'"'s heart at a predetermined rate;
deriving a first time interval based on the measured refractory period of said patient'"'"'s heart;
delivering a fibrillation inducing pulse to said patient'"'"'s heart at said first time interval following delivery of a pacing pulse to said patient'"'"'s heart.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An automatic fibrillator for inclusion in an implantable defibrillator. Fibrillation induction takes place while the patient'"'"'s heart is beating at a known rate, and the fibrillation inducing pulse is delivered at a time based on the expected or measured natural refractory period of the patient'"'"'s heart, at the heart rate in effect during fibrillation induction. In its preferred embodiment, fibrillation induction takes place during overdrive pacing, and the timing of the pulse takes place using an overdrive pacing pulse as a time reference. The period between the pacing pulse and the fibrillation inducing pulse may be determined as a function of actual measurement of the patient'"'"'s refractory period, either directory, or by means of measurement of the Q-T interval of the patient'"'"'s heart.
323 Citations
52 Claims
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1. A method of inducing fibrillation in a patient'"'"'s heart, comprising:
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measuring the effective refractory period of said patient'"'"'s heart while pacing said patient'"'"'s heart at a predetermined rate; deriving a first time interval based on the measured refractory period of said patient'"'"'s heart; delivering a fibrillation inducing pulse to said patient'"'"'s heart at said first time interval following delivery of a pacing pulse to said patient'"'"'s heart. - View Dependent Claims (2, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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3. A method of inducing fibrillation in a patient'"'"'s heart, comprising:
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measuring a time related characteristic of the T-waves of said patient'"'"'s heart following cardiac pacing pulses delivered at a predetermined rate; deriving a first time interval based on said measured characteristic of said patient'"'"'s T-waves; delivering a fibrillation inducing pulse to said patient'"'"'s heart at said first time interval following delivery of a pacing pulse to said patient'"'"'s heart. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6)
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12. An automatic fibrillator, comprising:
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means for generating pacing pulses to pace a patient'"'"'s heart at a predetermined rate; means for measuring the refractory period of said patient'"'"'s heart while pacing said patient'"'"'s heart at said predetermined rate; means for deriving a first time interval based on the measured refractory period of said patient'"'"'s heart; and means for delivering a fibrillation inducing pulse to said patient'"'"'s heart at said first interval following generation of one of said pacing pulses. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 16, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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15. An automatic fibrillator, comprising:
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means for generating pacing pulses to pace a patient'"'"'s heart art a predetermined rate; means for measuring a time related characteristic of the T-waves of said patient'"'"'s heart; means for deriving a first time interval based on the measurement of said time related characteristic; means for delivering a fibrillation inducing pulse at said first time interval following the generation of one of said pacing pulses. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18)
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23. A method of inducing fibrillation in a patient'"'"'s heart, comprising:
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pacing said patient'"'"'s heart at a predetermined rate; defining a first time interval based on the refractory period of said patient'"'"'s heart when paced at said predetermined rate; delivering a fibrillation inducing pulse to said patient'"'"'s heart at said first time interval following delivery of a pacing pulse at said predetermined rate to said patient'"'"'s heart. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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26. A method of inducing fibrillation in a patient'"'"'s heart, comprising:
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measuring a time related characteristic of the T-waves of said patient'"'"'s heart following cardiac depolarizations; deriving a first time interval based on said measured characteristic of said patient'"'"'s T-waves; delivering a fibrillation inducing pulse to said patient'"'"'s heart following a depolarization of said patient'"'"'s heart, at the expiration of said first time interval. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30)
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35. An automatic fibrillator, comprising:
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means for generating pacing pulses to pace a patient'"'"'s heart at a predetermined rate; means for defining a first time interval based on the refractory period of said patient'"'"'s heart when paced at said predetermined rate; and means for delivering a fibrillation inducing pulse to said patient'"'"'s heart at said first interval following generation of one of said pacing pulses at said predetermined rate. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 43, 44, 45, 46)
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38. An automatic fibrillator, comprising:
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means for measuring a time related characteristic of the T-waves of said patient'"'"'s heart following cardiac depolarizations; means for deriving a first time interval based on the measurement of said time related characteristic; means for delivering a fibrillation inducing pulse following a cardiac depolarization, at the expiration of said first time interval. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40, 41, 42)
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47. A method of inducing fibrillation in a patient'"'"'s heart, comprising:
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measuring the effective refractory period from depolarizations of said patient'"'"'s heart while said patient'"'"'s heart is beating at a known rate; deriving a first time interval based on the measured refractory period of said patient'"'"'s heart; delivering a fibrillation inducing pulse to said patient'"'"'s heart at said first time interval following a depolarization of said patient'"'"'s heart while said patient'"'"'heart is beating at said known rate. - View Dependent Claims (48, 49)
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50. An automatic fibrillator, comprising:
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means for measuring the refractory period following depolarizations of said patient'"'"'heart while said patient'"'"'s heart beats at a known rate; means for deriving a first time interval based on the measured refractory period of said patient'"'"'s heart; means for delivering a fibrillation inducing pulse to said patient'"'"'s heart at said first interval following a depolarization of said patient'"'"'s heart while said patient'"'"'s heart beats at said known rate. - View Dependent Claims (51, 52)
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Specification