Assembly and method of communicating electrical signals between electrical therapeutic systems and body tissue
First Claim
1. A method of therapeutic treatment of a living body, comprising the steps of:
- implanting into the body a flexible electrode consisting of multiple woven strands of tiny individual elongate uninsulated fibers composed of non-metallic substantially isotropic electrically conductive material electrically connected to a current-carrying lead, to form an electron-ion interface with blood and/or body tissue for efficient transfer of electrical energy along an entire substantial length of uninsulated surface of the fibers, in which the cumulative fiber surface presents an effective surface area considerably greater than the apparent actual surface area calculated from the linear dimensions of the electrode, andtransmitting electrical impulses through the lead to the electrode at one side of said electron-ion interface to deliver electrical energy from the impulses to the other side of the interface with rapid initial rise times as a consequence of the electrical characteristics of the interface.
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Accused Products
Abstract
This invention provides improved electrode structures for electrically communicating between electrical therapeutic equipment and internal body tissue. Bundles of highly flexible, highly electrically conductive, preferably non-metallic carbon based, isotropically conductive fibers of diameters of the individual fibers in the micron range provide very large surface areas to apply electrical energy to the body tissue. Substantially non-electrically polarizing properties, particularly of carbon, and a substantially non-thrombogenic surface (present in carbon) represent critical features of the tissue to electrode interface in biomedical applications. Thus, more reliable-longer life implants of heart defibrillators, neurostimulators and the like result. This electrode structure with accompanying integrated electrical lead is implantable by puncture through body tissue thereby avoiding major surgery and general anesthesia required in the prior art. Accordingly the invention relates to the electrode and accompanying more effective therapeutic equipment as well as methods of therapeutic treatment with electrical current technology.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A method of therapeutic treatment of a living body, comprising the steps of:
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implanting into the body a flexible electrode consisting of multiple woven strands of tiny individual elongate uninsulated fibers composed of non-metallic substantially isotropic electrically conductive material electrically connected to a current-carrying lead, to form an electron-ion interface with blood and/or body tissue for efficient transfer of electrical energy along an entire substantial length of uninsulated surface of the fibers, in which the cumulative fiber surface presents an effective surface area considerably greater than the apparent actual surface area calculated from the linear dimensions of the electrode, and transmitting electrical impulses through the lead to the electrode at one side of said electron-ion interface to deliver electrical energy from the impulses to the other side of the interface with rapid initial rise times as a consequence of the electrical characteristics of the interface. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. An implantable lead assembly for biomedical use in a living body to stimulate and/or sense electrical excitation of selected excitable tissue in the body when the lead assembly is implanted, comprising:
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an electrically conductive lead, electrode means conductively connected to a distal end of the lead for providing a low polarization, low capacitance, low resistance and low impedance electrical interface with body fluid and/or excitable tissue in contact with or in the immediate vicinity of the electrode means when the lead assembly is implanted in a desired location in the body, said electrode means comprising a multiplicity of uninsulated, individual, nonmetallic, substantially isotropic electrical current conducting fibers, and maintaining means for holding the multiplicity of fibers in a flexible configuration adapted to form the said electrical interface along an entire substantial length of electrically uninsulated surface of the flexible configuration created by said multiplicity of fibers, said flexible configuration having a shape and size selected according to the site of the said electrical interface when the lead assembly is implanted in the desired location in the body, said multiplicity of fibers together providing an effective surface area for the said electrical interface which is considerably larger than the apparent actual surface area of the flexible configuration determined from the linear dimensions of the flexible configuration. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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Specification