Apparatus and method for generation of varying waveforms in arrhythmia control system
First Claim
1. An implantable device for providing therapy to a patient'"'"'s inadequately functioning heart, comprising a defibrillation electrode lead system, means for detecting fibrillation of the heart, circuit means including charge storing means for applying electrical therapy to the heart via said electrode lead system, means responsive to the detection of a fibrillation condition for charging said charge storing means to an appropriate energy level for delivering defibrillation therapy to the patient'"'"'s heart, and means coupled to said circuit means for selectively providing to said defibrillation electrode lead system pulses having at least one of a plurality of different defibrillation waveforms.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An implantable device and method for providing anti-arrhythmia therapy to, and including arrhythmia in, a patient'"'"'s inadequately functioning heart are disclosed. A pacemaker, defibrillator and microprocessor are utilized in conjuction with an electrode lead system adapted to be connected to the heart for providing the therapy and for inducing arrhythmia. Circuitry is employed in the pacemaker and defibrillator to generate respective trains of spaced pulses for delivery to corresponding portions of the electrode lead system, and a smoothing filter is provided in series with the trains of pulses to smooth each of the trains of pulses into discrete single pulse having a continuous waveform. The spacing, durations and polarities of the pulses in the trains are selectively variable so that the waveforms of the discrete single pulses can be selectively varied to provide diferent waveforms therein, in accordance with the needs of the patient and the programming of the device.
473 Citations
50 Claims
- 1. An implantable device for providing therapy to a patient'"'"'s inadequately functioning heart, comprising a defibrillation electrode lead system, means for detecting fibrillation of the heart, circuit means including charge storing means for applying electrical therapy to the heart via said electrode lead system, means responsive to the detection of a fibrillation condition for charging said charge storing means to an appropriate energy level for delivering defibrillation therapy to the patient'"'"'s heart, and means coupled to said circuit means for selectively providing to said defibrillation electrode lead system pulses having at least one of a plurality of different defibrillation waveforms.
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2. An implantable device for providing therapy to a patient'"'"'s inadequately functioning heart, comprising a cardioversion electrode lead system, means for detecting arrhythmias of the heart, circuit means including charge storing means for applying cardioversion therapy to the heart via said electrode lead system, means responsive to the detection of an arrhythmia condition for charging said charge storing means to an appropriate energy level for delivering cardioversion therapy to the patient'"'"'s heart, and means coupled to said circuit means for selectively providing to said cardioversion electrode lead system pulses having at least one of a plurality of different cardioversion waveforms.
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3. An implantable device for providing therapy to a patient'"'"'s inadequately functioning heart, comprising a pacing electrode lead system, means for detecting a bradycardia condition of the heart, circuit means for applying bradycardia pacing therapy to the heart via said electrode lead system, means responsive to a detected bradycardia condition for supplying power to said circuit means at an appropriate energy level for delivering said bradycardia pacing therapy to the patient'"'"'s heart, and means coupled to said circuit means for selectively providing to said pacing electrode lead system pulses having at least one of a plurality of different pacing pulse waveforms.
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4. An implantable device for providing therapy to an inadequately functioning heart, comprising a pacing electrode lead system, means for detecting a tachycardia condition of the heart, circuit means for applying antitachycardia pacing therapy to the heart via said electrode lead system, means responsive to a detected tachycardia condition for supplying power to said circuit means at an appropriate energy level for delivering said antitachycardia pacing therapy to the patient'"'"'s heart, and means coupled to said circuit means for selectively providing to said pacing electrode lead system pulses having one or more of a plurality of different pacing pulse waveforms.
- 12. An implantable device for providing therapy to an inadequately functioning heart, comprising a defibrillation electrode lead system, means for detecting fibrillation of the heart, circuit means including charge storage means for applying electrical therapy to the heart via said electrode lead system, means for charging said charge storing means to an appropriate energy level for delivering said defibrillation therapy to the patient'"'"'s heart, and arrhythmia induction means including means for providing in succession to said defibrillation electrode lead system a plurality of pulses having any one or more of a plurality of different micro-shock waveforms.
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13. An implantable device for providing therapy to an inadequately functioning heart, comprising a cardioversion lead system, means for detecting arrhythmias of the heart, circuit means including charge storing means for applying cardioversion therapy to the heart via said electrode lead system, means responsive to the detection of an arrhythmia condition for charging said charge storing means to an appropriate energy level for delivering cardioversion therapy to the patient'"'"'s heart, and arrhythmia induction means including means for providing in succession to said cardioversion electrode lead system a plurality of pulses having any or more of a plurality different micro-shock waveforms.
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14. An implantable device for providing therapy to an inadequately functioning heart, comprising a pacing electrode lead system, means for detecting arrhythmias of the heart, circuit means including charge storing means for applying pacing therapy to the heart via said electrode lead system, means responsive to the detection of an arrhythmia condition for charging said charge storing means to an appropriate energy level for delivering pacing therapy to the patient'"'"'s heart, and arrhythmia induction means including means for providing in succession to said electrode lead system a plurality of pulses having any one or more of a plurality of different pacing waveforms.
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25. An implantable device for providing antiarrhythmia therapy to a patient'"'"'s inadequately functioning heart, comprising:
- an electrode lead system adapted to be connected to the patient'"'"'s heart;
circuit means including a capacitor for delivering to the electrode lead system antiarrhythmia therapy in the form of electrical energy;
means for detecting an arrhythmia condition of the heart;
means responsive to the detection of said arrhythmia condition for charging said capacitor to an appropriate energy level for the arrhythmia condition detected;
means responsive to the detection of said arrhythmia condition and operative to couple said circuit means to said electrode lead system for discharging a train of spaced pulses of electrical energy from said charged capacitor to said electrode lead system; and
means in series with said train of spaced pulses for smoothing said train of spaced pulses into a discrete single pulse having a continuous waveform. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 37, 38, 39, 40)
- an electrode lead system adapted to be connected to the patient'"'"'s heart;
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30. An implantable device for providing antiarrhythmia therapy to a patient'"'"'s inadequately functioning heart, comprising:
- an electrode lead system adapted to be connected to the patient'"'"'s heart;
circuit means for delivering to the electrode lead system antiarrhythmia therapy in the form of electrical energy;
means for detecting an arrhythmia condition of the heart;
means responsive to the detection of said arrhythmia condition for supplying power to said circuit means at an appropriate energy level for the arrhythmia condition detected;
means responsive to the detection of said arrhythmia condition and operative to couple said circuit means to said electrode lead system for discharging a train of spaced pulses of electrical energy from said circuit means to said electrode lead system; and
means in series with said train of spaced pulses for smoothing said train of spaced pulses into a discrete single pulse having a continuous waveform. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34)
- an electrode lead system adapted to be connected to the patient'"'"'s heart;
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35. An implantable device for providing antiarrhythmia therapy to, and inducing arrhythmia in, a patient'"'"'s inadequately functioning heart, comprising:
- an electrode lead system adapted to be connected to the patient'"'"'s heart;
circuit means for providing antiarrhythmia therapy to said electrode lead system, said circuit means including means for storing an electrical charge;
means coupled to said charge storing means for charging said charge storing means to an appropriate first energy level for use in reverting arrhythmia, and for charging said charge storing means to an appropriate second energy level for selectively inducing arrhythmia in the patient'"'"'s heart;
mean operative to couple said circuit means to said electrode lead system for discharging from said electrical storing means to said electrode lead system a train of spaced pulses of electrical energy at said first energy level for reverting arrhythmia in the patient'"'"'s heart;
means operative to couple said circuit means to said electrode lead system for discharging from said electrical storing means to said electrode lead system a plurality of trains of spaced pulses of electrical energy at said second energy level for inducing arrhythmia in the patient'"'"'s heart; and
means in series with said trains of spaced pulses for smoothing each of said trains of spaced pulses into a discrete pulse having a continuous waveform. - View Dependent Claims (36)
- an electrode lead system adapted to be connected to the patient'"'"'s heart;
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41. A method for providing antiarrhythmia therapy to a patient'"'"'s inadequately functioning heart, comprising:
- providing an implantable device including an arrhythmia detection means, an electrode lead system for delivering antiarrhythmia therapy to the heart, and a circuit having an electrical charge storing means therein for providing antiarrhythmia therapy to the electrode lead system;
charging said charge storing means to an appropriate level for providing said antiarrhythmia therapy in response to a detected arrhythmia condition;
discharging a train of spaced pulses of electrical energy from the charged electrical charge storing means to the electrode lead system; and
smoothing said train of spaced pulses into a discrete single pulse having a continuous waveform prior to its reaching the heart. - View Dependent Claims (42, 43, 44, 45)
- providing an implantable device including an arrhythmia detection means, an electrode lead system for delivering antiarrhythmia therapy to the heart, and a circuit having an electrical charge storing means therein for providing antiarrhythmia therapy to the electrode lead system;
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46. A method for inducing fibrillation in and providing defibrillation therapy to a patient'"'"'s inadequately functioning heart, comprising the steps of:
- providing an implantable device including a fibrillation detection means, a defibrillation electrode lead system for delivering defibrillation therapy to the patient'"'"'s heart and a defibrillation circuit having an electrical charge storing means therein for providing defibrillation therapy to the defibrillation electrode lead system;
charging said charge storing means to an appropriately high energy level for use in defibrillation therapy in response to a detected tachycardia condition, and to an appropriately low energy level for inducing arrhythmia in the patient'"'"'s heart at selected other times;
discharging from said charge storing means to said defibrillation electrode lead system a train of spaced pulses of electrical energy at said low energy level for inducing arrhythmia in the heart;
discharging from said charge storing means to said defibrillation electrode lead system a train of spaced pulses of electrical energy at said high energy level for defibrillating the heart; and
smoothing each of said trains of spaced pulses into a discrete single pulse having a continuous waveform prior to its reaching the heart. - View Dependent Claims (47, 48, 49, 50)
- providing an implantable device including a fibrillation detection means, a defibrillation electrode lead system for delivering defibrillation therapy to the patient'"'"'s heart and a defibrillation circuit having an electrical charge storing means therein for providing defibrillation therapy to the defibrillation electrode lead system;
Specification