Implantable arrhythmia system with protection against release of unneeded pulses
First Claim
1. An arrhythmia treatment system comprising:
- sensor means adapted for implantation in a patient for sensing a physiological characteristic which exhibits a change upon the onset of cardiac arrhythmia and for generating an electrical signal corresponding to said physical characteristic;
treatment means contained in a housing adapted for implantation in a patient, said treatment means adapted to be connected in vivo to said sensor means to receive said electrical signal therefrom for initiating an arrhythmia treatment sequence, including releasing a treatment pulse in vivo to said patient via electrodes adapted for implantation in said patient, in response to said change in said physical characteristic;
means in communication with said treatment means for informing said patient, substantially simultaneously with the initiation of said arrhythmia treatment sequence, that said arrhythmia treatment sequence has been initiated; and
means in communication with said treatment means and operable by said patient for optionally stopping said arrhythmia treatment sequence before releasing said treatment pulse.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An implantable arrhythmia treatment system includes a sensor which generates an electrical signal corresponding to a physiological characteristic of a patient, the physiological characteristics and thus the electrical signal exhibit a change given the onset of an arrhythmia. The electrical signal is supplied to a fibrillation detector in an implantable housing, which initiates an appropriate treatment sequence upon the detection of the onset of the arrhythmia. Simultaneously with initiating the treatment sequence, the fibrillation detector causes, either by direct connection or by telemetry communication, the generation of an alarm signal which informs the patient that the sequence has been initiated, so that the patient knows that a treatment pulse is about to be released. The implantable unit includes circuitry responsive to a signal externally generated by the patient which prevents the release of the defibrillating pulse. If the patient feels no need for such a pulse, i.e. if the onset of the arrhythmia has been erroneously detected, the patient can thereby prevent the release of the pulse.
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Citations
34 Claims
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1. An arrhythmia treatment system comprising:
- sensor means adapted for implantation in a patient for sensing a physiological characteristic which exhibits a change upon the onset of cardiac arrhythmia and for generating an electrical signal corresponding to said physical characteristic;
treatment means contained in a housing adapted for implantation in a patient, said treatment means adapted to be connected in vivo to said sensor means to receive said electrical signal therefrom for initiating an arrhythmia treatment sequence, including releasing a treatment pulse in vivo to said patient via electrodes adapted for implantation in said patient, in response to said change in said physical characteristic; means in communication with said treatment means for informing said patient, substantially simultaneously with the initiation of said arrhythmia treatment sequence, that said arrhythmia treatment sequence has been initiated; and means in communication with said treatment means and operable by said patient for optionally stopping said arrhythmia treatment sequence before releasing said treatment pulse. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
- sensor means adapted for implantation in a patient for sensing a physiological characteristic which exhibits a change upon the onset of cardiac arrhythmia and for generating an electrical signal corresponding to said physical characteristic;
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21. An arrhythmia treatment system comprising:
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sensor means adapted for implantation in a patient for sensing a physiological characteristic which exhibits a change upon the onset of cardiac arrhythmia and for generating an electrical signal corresponding to said physical characteristic; means contained in a housing adapted for implantation in a patient and adapted to be connected in vivo to said sensor means to receive said electrical signal therefrom for generating a treatment initiation signal upon the onset of cardiac arrhythmia; a voltage source in said housing; means in said housing for charging a capacitance from said voltage source in response to said treatment initiation signal for generating a treatment pulse; pulse output means connected to an output of said means for charging for releasing said treatment pulse after a time following said treatment initiation signal; alarm means connected to said means for generating said treatment initiation signal for receiving said signal therefrom for informing a patient in whom said housing is implanted that a treatment sequence has been initiated; first logic means disposed externally of said patient and optionally operable by said patient to generate an inhibit instruction after said patient has been informed that a treatment sequence has been initiated; telemetry transmitter means disposed externally of said patient and connected to said first logic means for telemetrically transmitting said inhibit instruction; telemetry receiver means disposed in said housing for receiving said inhibit instruction from said telemetry transmitter means; and second logic means disposed in said housing and connected to said telemetry receiver means and said means for charging for preventing, in response to the receipt said inhibit instruction before elapse of said time, at least one of further charging of said capacitance by said means for charging or releasing of said treatment pulse by said pulse output means.
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22. An arrhythmia treatment system comprising:
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sensor means adapted for implantation in a patient for sensing a physiological characteristic which exhibits a change upon the onset of cardiac arrhythmia and for generating an electrical signal corresponding to said physical characteristic; means contained in a housing adapted for implantation in a patient and adapted to be connected in vivo to said sensor means to receive said electrical signal therefrom for generating a treatment initiation signal upon the onset of cardiac arrhythmia; a voltage source in said housing; means in said housing for charging a capacitance from said voltage source in response to said treatment initiation signal for generating a treatment pulse; pulse output means connected to an output of said means for charging for releasing said treatment pulse after a time following said treatment initiation signal; first telemetry transceiver means disposed in said housing and connected to said means for generating a treatment initiation signal for telemetrically transmitting a signal in response to said treatment initiation signal, and for receiving externally generated signals; second telemetry transceiver means disposed externally of said patient for receiving said signal from said first telemetry transceiver means, and for transmitting signals to said first telemetry transceiver means; alarm means disposed externally of said patient and connected to said second telemetry transceiver means for generating an alarm upon receipt of said signal from said first telemetry transceiver means for informing a patient in whom said housing is implanted that a treatment sequence has been initiated; first logic means disposed externally of said patient and connected to said second telemetry transceiver means and optionally operable by said patient to generate an inhibit instruction after said patient has been informed that a treatment sequence has been initiated, said inhibit instruction being telemetrically transmitted from said second telemetry transceiver to said first telemetry transceiver; and second logic means disposed in said housing and connected to said first telemetry receiver for preventing, in response to receipt of said inhibit instruction before elapse of said time, at least one of further charging of said capacitance by said means for charging or releasing of said treatment pulse by said pulse output means.
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23. An arrhythmia treatment system comprising:
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sensor means adapted for implantation in a patient for sensing a physiological characteristic which exhibits a change upon the onset of cardiac arrhythmia and for generating an electrical signal corresponding to said physical characteristic; means contained in a housing adapted for implantation in a patient and adapted to be connected in vivo to said sensor means to receive said electrical signal therefrom for generating a treatment initiation signal upon the onset of cardiac arrhythmia; a voltage source in said housing; means in said housing for charging a capacitance from said voltage source in response to said treatment initiation signal for generating a treatment pulse; pulse output means connected to an output of said means for charging for releasing said treatment pulse after a time following said treatment initiation signal; alarm means connected to said means for generating said treatment initiation signal for receiving said signal therefrom for informing a patient in whom said housing is implanted that a treatment sequence has been initiated; a magnetically actuated normally closed switch connected between said voltage source and said means for charging which switches to an open state in the presence of a magnetic field; and a magnet manipulable by said patient after said patient has been informed by said alarm means that a treatment sequence has been initiated to place said magnetically actuated normally closed switch in the presence of a magnetic field generated by said magnet thereby to open said magnetically actuated normally closed switch to cease charging of said capacitance.
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24. An arrhythmia treatment system comprising:
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sensor means adapted for implantation in a patient for sensing a physiological characteristic which exhibits a change upon the onset of cardiac arrhythmia and for generating an electrical signal corresponding to said physical characteristic; means contained in a housing adapted for implantation in a patient and adapted to be connected in vivo to said sensor means to receive said electrical signal therefrom for generating a treatment initiation signal upon the onset of cardiac arrhythmia; a voltage source in said housing; means in said housing for charging a capacitance from said voltage source in response to said treatment initiation signal for generating a treatment pulse; pulse output means connected to an output of said means for charging for releasing said treatment pulse after a time following said treatment initiation signal; telemetry transmitter means disposed in said housing and connected to said means for generating a treatment initiation signal for telemetrically transmitting a signal in response to said treatment initiation signal; telemetry receiver means disposed externally of said patient for receiving said signal from said telemetry transmitter means; alarm means disposed externally of said patient and connected to said telemetry receiver means for informing said patient that a treatment sequence has been initiated; a magnetically actuated normally closed switch, connected in said housing between said voltage source and said means for charging, which switches to an open state in the presence of a magnetic field; and a magnet manipulable by said patient after being informed that a treatment sequence has been initiated to optionally place said magnetically actuated normally closed switch in the presence of a magnetic field generated by said magnet to open said magnetically actuated normally closed switch to cease charging of said capacitance.
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25. An arrhythmia treatment method comprising:
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sensing a physiological characteristic of a patient which exhibits a change upon the onset of cardiac arrhythmia using a sensor implanted in said patient; generating an electrical signal with said sensor corresponding to said physical characteristic; generating, in response to said change in said physical characteristic, a signal in circuitry contained in a housing implanted in the patient which initiates an arrhythmia treatment sequence including generating and releasing a treatment pulse in vivo to said patient; informing said patient, substantially simultaneously with the initiation of said arrhythmia treatment sequence, that said arrhythmia treatment sequence has been initiated; and said patient, after being informed of the initiation of said arrhythmia treatment sequence, optionally communicating with circuitry in said housing to stop said arrhythmia treatment sequence before the release of said treatment pulse. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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Specification