Respiratory muscle electromyographic rate responsive pacemaker

• US 5,800,470 A
• Filed: 03/11/1996
• Issued: 09/01/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Williams, Terrell M., Stein, Paul M., Bennett, Tom D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lateef, Marvin M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SCHAETZLE, KENNEDY
• Application Number:
  US08/613,403
• Time in Patent Office: 904 Days
• Field of Search: 607/17-20, 607/42, 607/126, 607/127, 128/718, 128/733
• US Class Current: 607/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/316 Modalities, i.e. specific diagnostic methods
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/318 Heart-related electrical modalities, e.g. electrocardiography [ECG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/389 Electromyography [EMG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7203 for noise prevention, reduction or removal
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36514 controlled by a physiological quantity other than heart potential, e.g. blood pressure controlled by two or more physical parameters A61N1/36585

Abstract

A physiologic rate responsive pacer which alters the pacer'"'"'s escape interval in response to the patient'"'"'s respiratory minute ventilation derived from the electromyogram of selected respiratory muscle groups. The directly detected electromyogram (EMG) signal is amplified and band passed filtered, processed to remove any electrocardiogram (ECG) or pacing impulse signal, full-wave rectified, processed to develop a moving time average signal from which the peak, the maximal slope, and the average slope of the EMG moving time average may be calculated and processed in conjunction with the inspiratory and expiratory times between successive slope detections of the moving time average EMG to develop a rate control signal representative of minute ventilation. The EMG may be selectively picked up from electrodes implanted in or near the parasternal intercostal muscles, the external intercostal muscles, the internal intercostal muscles, the diaphragm, or any other respiratory muscle such as the scalenes, or the sternocleidomastoid, and coupled to conventionally designed or special configuration pacemaker pulse generators and cardiac pace/sense lead systems.

Claims