Time domain reflectometer-integrity testing system and method for implantable electrode
First Claim
1. An electrical device implantable in a body, the device comprising means for receiving a first electrode, comprising:
- time domain reflectometer means operatively connected to the means for receiving the electrode, the time domain reflectometer means comprising output signal means.
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Abstract
A device, system and method is used for testing the integrity of an implantable electrode. The electrical device has a receptacle for an electrode and includes a time domain reflectometer comprising an output signal mechanism operatively connected to the electrode receptacle. The method of analyzing the integrity of an implanted electrode comprises the steps of generating a time domain reflectometer (TDR) reading (output signal) from the electrode, and transmitting the signal to an output device. The output signal may be analyzed to determined whether it varies by a predetermined threshold, or it may be compared to a previously generated signal from the electrode so that differences in the electrical characteristics of the electrode may be identified. The present device, system and method allows a cardiologist or technician to ensure that the electrode is properly implanted and to non-invasively determine the integrity of the electrode over a patient'"'"'s life.
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Citations
64 Claims
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1. An electrical device implantable in a body, the device comprising means for receiving a first electrode, comprising:
time domain reflectometer means operatively connected to the means for receiving the electrode, the time domain reflectometer means comprising output signal means. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method of analyzing the integrity of an electrode implanted in a body comprising the steps of:
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generating a first time domain reflectometer (TDR) reading from the implanted electrode, and transmitting the generated TDR reading to an output means. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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37. A system for testing the integrity of an implanted electrode, the implanted electrode being connected to device comprising a transceiver means and a time domain reflectometer connected to the electrode, the time domain reflectometer being capable of generating an output signal, comprising:
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means for transmitting a signal to the device transceiver means commanding the time domain reflectometer to generate a first TDR reading from the implanted electrode and transmit TDR reading through the transceiver, and means for receiving the transmitted first TDR reading. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64)
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Specification