Pacemaker circuit and associated methods for generating electrical stimulation signals
First Claim
1. An implantable stimulation device having a pacing circuit for providing a stimulation signal to a heart, comprising:
- a battery which provides a DC voltage signal;
a switching stage which receives the DC voltage signal and generates a pulse burst having a first voltage, the pulse burst being defined as a rapid sequence of pulses used to cause a single contraction event; and
a transformer which boosts the first voltage of the pulse burst to generate the stimulation signal having a second voltage suitable for capturing the heart.
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Abstract
A DC-to-DC converter circuit is disclosed for use in a pacemaker. The DC-to-DC converter circuit is capable of producing a pulse burst and boosting the voltage of the pulse burst up to an effective pacing amplitude, thereby eliminating the need for the multiple pump capacitors and the output capacitor. The DC-to-DC converter circuit uses a transformer to amplify the battery voltage to the required pacing amplitude. By using a transformer, DC leakage current is eliminated without the use of a decoupling capacitor, thereby achieving lower pacing thresholds. Also, each patient may be individually tested to determine their response to high frequency pulse bursts and a "customized" pacing waveshape can be produced by varying the duty cycle, polarity or pulse burst of each stimulation signal. The DC-to-DC converter circuit also reduces the polarization effect of the tissue around the electrodes.
30 Citations
26 Claims
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1. An implantable stimulation device having a pacing circuit for providing a stimulation signal to a heart, comprising:
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a battery which provides a DC voltage signal; a switching stage which receives the DC voltage signal and generates a pulse burst having a first voltage, the pulse burst being defined as a rapid sequence of pulses used to cause a single contraction event; and a transformer which boosts the first voltage of the pulse burst to generate the stimulation signal having a second voltage suitable for capturing the heart. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A pacemaker signal generator which converts energy from a battery to provide a pacing signal to a heart, the signal generator comprising:
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a controller which generates a first output signal and a second output signal; a transformer which multiplies the voltage from the battery to create a stimulation signal of sufficient voltage to achieve capture of the heart; and a switching stage which receives the first and second output signals from the controller, wherein the switching stage determines the direction of current flow through the transformer based upon the values of the first and second output signals. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12)
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13. A method of providing a stimulation signal to a heart, the method comprising the steps of:
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receiving a DC input signal; generating a pulse burst from the DC input signal, the pulse burst being defined as a rapid sequence of pulses used to cause a single contraction event; isolating the heart from the DC input signal; and boosting a voltage of the pulse burst to create the stimulation signal. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. An implantable stimulation device having a pacing circuit for generating a pacing signal for application to a heart, comprising:
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means for providing a DC voltage; means for converting the DC voltage to a pulse burst having a first voltage, the pulse burst being defined as a rapid sequence of pulses used to cause a single contraction event; and means for boosting the first voltage of the pulse burst to create the pacing signal having a second voltage suitable for application to the heart.
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19. A method of stimulating the contraction of a human heart so as to conserve battery power, comprising:
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providing a battery-powered, implantable stimulation device which uses a lead to apply electrical pacing signals to the myocardium of the heart; generating a stimulation signal within the implantable stimulation device, the stimulation signal comprising a sequence of voltage pulses of like polarity; and applying the stimulation signal to the myocardium via the lead in order to generate a single contraction of a chamber of the heart. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. An implantable cardiac stimulation device, comprising:
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voltage means for providing a first voltage; sensing means for sensing cardiac activity; pulse generating means for generating a pacing stimulation signal in the absence of any cardiac signals, the pulse generating means including means for generating a pulse burst as the stimulation signal, the pulse burst being defined as a rapid sequence of pulses spaced in such a way as to cause a single contraction event and having sufficient energy to capture a patient'"'"'s heart.
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Specification