Implantable medical system with optical communication between a treatment site and a therapy-generating apparatus
First Claim
1. An medical system for implantation in a body containing body tissue comprising:
- an implantable housing containing therapy-generating means for generating electrical signals;
an implantable optical conductor having a first end and a second end;
means for attaching said first end of said optical conductor to said therapy-generating means;
implantable electrical means for in vivo electrically interacting with said body tissue;
means for attaching said electrical means to said second end of said optical conductor;
first converter means disposed at said first end of said optical conductor for converting said electrical signals into corresponding optical signals, said optical signals being transmitted by said optical conductor to said second end of said optical conductor; and
second converter means disposed at said second end of said optical conductor for converting said optical signals into corresponding electrical signals supplied to said electrical means.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An implantable medical system, having an implanted therapy-generating apparatus which administers a medical therapy in vivo to a treatment site remote from the therapy-generating apparatus, includes at least one optical conductor connected between the therapy-generating apparatus and the tissue at the treatment site, or an additional implantable medical device. Energy and/or information can be transmitted by optical signals using the optical conductor, in a safe and noise-free manner. Each location at which the optical signals are to be transmitted or received is provided with an optoelectrical converter, or an electro-optical converter, as appropriate.
67 Citations
46 Claims
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1. An medical system for implantation in a body containing body tissue comprising:
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an implantable housing containing therapy-generating means for generating electrical signals; an implantable optical conductor having a first end and a second end; means for attaching said first end of said optical conductor to said therapy-generating means; implantable electrical means for in vivo electrically interacting with said body tissue; means for attaching said electrical means to said second end of said optical conductor; first converter means disposed at said first end of said optical conductor for converting said electrical signals into corresponding optical signals, said optical signals being transmitted by said optical conductor to said second end of said optical conductor; and second converter means disposed at said second end of said optical conductor for converting said optical signals into corresponding electrical signals supplied to said electrical means. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. An implantable medical system comprising:
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therapy-generating means contained in an implantable housing for administering medical therapy dependent n a physiological condition of said subject; an implantable optical conductor having a first end and a second end; means for attaching said first end of said optical conductor to said therapy-generating means; implantable electrical means for in vivo electrically interacting with said subject for generating electrical signals resulting from the interaction which represent said physiological condition; means for attaching said electrical means to said second end of said optical conductor; first converter means, disposed at said second end of said optical conductor, for converting said electrical signals generated by said electrical component into corresponding optical signals, said optical signals being transmitted by said optical conductor to said first end of said optical conductor; and second converter means disposed at said first end of said optical conductor for converting said optical signals into corresponding electrical signals representing said physiological condition supplied to said therapy-generating means for use in administering said therapy. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. An implantable medical system for implantation in a body, comprising:
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an implantable housing containing therapy-generating means for emitting first electrical signals dependent on a physiological condition of said body and for receiving second electrical signals representing said physiological condition; an optical conductor having a first end and a second end; means for connecting said first end of said optical conductor to said therapy-generating means; implantable electrical means for in vivo interacting with said body and including means for receiving said first electrical signals and for generating said second electrical signals; means for connecting said electrical means to said second end of said optical conductor; first converter means disposed at said first end of said optical conductor for converting said first electrical signals into first optical signals, said first optical signals being transmitted by said optical conductor to said second end of said optical conductor; second converter means disposed at said second end of said optical conductor for converting said first optical signals into corresponding electrical signals supplied to said electrical means; third converter means disposed at said second end of said optical conductor for converting said second electrical signals into said second optical signals, said second optical signals being transmitted by said optical conductor to said first end of said optical conductor; and fourth converter means disposed at said first end of said optical conductor for converting said second optical signals into corresponding electrical signals supplied to said therapy-generating means for use in emitting said first electrical signals. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46)
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Specification