Pacemaker system with peltier cooling of A-V node for treating atrial fibrillation
First Claim
1. A pacing system for pacing a patient'"'"'s heart, having pace pulse means for generating and delivering pacing pulses to at least the patient'"'"'s ventricle, sensing means for sensing atrial and ventricular natural beats, and mode means for controlling the mode of pacing, said mode control means normally controlling said pacemaker to pace the patient'"'"'s ventricle synchronously with respect to sensed atrial intrinsic beats in the absence of sensed intrinsic ventricular beats, comprising:
- arrhythmia means for detecting from sensed atrial beats when the patient has an episode of a dangerous atrial arrhythmia;
cooling means for lowering the temperature of the patient'"'"'s A-V node so as produce a state of reversible A-V block; and
temperature control means for enabling said cooling means to cool said A-V node whenever a said episode is detected, thereby blocking condition through the patient'"'"'s A-V node; and
said mode means comprising switching means for switching said pacemaker to an asynchronous ventricular pacing mode whenever a said episode is detected.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
There is provided a cardiac pacing system for dealing with dangerous atrial arrhythmias, wherein when an episode of such an arrhythmia is detected, the system operates to cool the A-V node so as to reversibly block conduction of the atrial excitations through to the ventricle, permitting uninterrupted asynchronous ventricular pacing during the episode. The system provides for an atrial lead having a Peltier element positioned toward its distal end, such that when the atrial lead distal end is affixed to the atrial heart wall, the cooling element is proximate to the A-V node. Upon detection of a dangerous atrial episode, the Peltier element is energized to cool the A-V node to point of effective block, and the pacemaker switches to asynchronous pacing. The atrial signals are continually monitored, and when the arrhythmia terminates on its own and a normal sinus rhythm is restored, the cooling is stopped, permitting the atrial excitations to be transferred through the A-V node and allowing a return of the pacemaker to a synchronous pacing mode.
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Citations
16 Claims
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1. A pacing system for pacing a patient'"'"'s heart, having pace pulse means for generating and delivering pacing pulses to at least the patient'"'"'s ventricle, sensing means for sensing atrial and ventricular natural beats, and mode means for controlling the mode of pacing, said mode control means normally controlling said pacemaker to pace the patient'"'"'s ventricle synchronously with respect to sensed atrial intrinsic beats in the absence of sensed intrinsic ventricular beats, comprising:
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arrhythmia means for detecting from sensed atrial beats when the patient has an episode of a dangerous atrial arrhythmia; cooling means for lowering the temperature of the patient'"'"'s A-V node so as produce a state of reversible A-V block; and temperature control means for enabling said cooling means to cool said A-V node whenever a said episode is detected, thereby blocking condition through the patient'"'"'s A-V node; and said mode means comprising switching means for switching said pacemaker to an asynchronous ventricular pacing mode whenever a said episode is detected. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method of sensing and responding to atrial arrhythmias, comprising:
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detecting an episode of an atrial arrhythmia in a patient; initiating cooling proximate to the patient'"'"'s A-V node, and cooling said node sufficiently to reversibly block conduction therethrough; pacing the patient'"'"'s ventricle asynchronously during said episode; continually monitoring atrial signals while said node is blocked, and determining when said episode has terminated; and in response to a determined termination of a said episode, stopping cooling of said A-V node, and pacing said patient on demand. - View Dependent Claims (9)
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10. A pacing system for pacing a patient, having pace pulse means for generating and delivering pacing pulses to at least the patient'"'"'s ventricle, sensing means for sensing atrial and ventricular natural beats, and mode control means for controlling the mode of pacing the patient'"'"'s ventricle, comprising:
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means for detecting from sensed atrial beats when the patient has a dangerous atrial arrhythmia; said mode control means having means for controlling said pacemaker to operate in an asynchronous ventricular pacing mode when said dangerous atrial arrhythmia is detected; and block means for reversibly blocking conduction through the patient'"'"'s A-V node during a said dangerous atrial arrhythmia. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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Specification