Vessel electrode line

• US 6,882,886 B1
• Filed: 04/22/1999
• Issued: 04/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Biotronik Mess-Und Therapiegeraete GmbH & Company Ingenieurbuero Berlin (Biotronik SE & Company KG)
• Original Assignee: Therapiegeraete GmbH & Company Ingenieurbuero Berlin
• Inventors: Witte, Joachim, Flach, Erhard
• Primary Examiner(s): Kamm, William E.
• Application Number:
  US09/296,133
• Time in Patent Office: 2,189 Days
• Field of Search: 607/120, 607/121, 607/122, 607/126, 607/127
• US Class Current: 607/122
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/057 Anchoring means; Means for fixing the head inside the heart
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2001/0585 Coronary sinus electrodes

Abstract

A vessel electrode line (10) for pacemaker stimulation and/or for sensing cardiac actions in the region of the atrium has an oblong base body (11) that receives at least one electrode supply line, and at least one electrode (13, 14) that is mounted on the base body, with the effective diameter of the electrode(s) being nearly identical to the diameter of the base body, and with fixing elements (11a) that essentially do not act as an electrode, and particularly have at least a partial insulating surface, being provided for fixedly positioning the electrode(s) with respect to the vessel wall.

Claims

1. A vessel electrode line for at least one of pacemaker stimulation and sensing cardiac actions in a region of an atrium, comprising:

a base body;

at least one electrode supply line received in the base body;

at least one electrode mounted on the base body and having an effective diameter nearly identical to the diameter of the base body; and

a fixing element that essentially does not act as an electrode, and which has at least a partial insulating surface, adapted to be positioned in a secondary vessel for fixedly positioning the at least one electrode with respect to a main vessel wall, the lateral extension of the fixing element being matched to the diameter of the secondary vessel, the base body or fixing element having a flexional elasticity to bring the at least one electrode into close contact with the wall of the main vessel when the fixing element is positioned in the secondary vessel.

2. The vessel electrode line according to claim 1, characterized in that the fixing elements (11a;

21a) have an essentially coplanar, sinusoidal section of the base body (11;

21) or a section of the base body that is elastically pre-shaped in a helical form on the jacket surface of a cylinder having an elliptical base.

3. The vessel electrode line according to claim 2, characterized in that the section (11a;

21a) that was pre-shaped in a sinusoidal or helical form for fixing the line against the vessel wall of the coronary sinus through elastic pressure has a lateral extension of two to five times the diameter of the base body (11;

21), particularly from 5 to 10 mm, and its elasticity is matched to the elasticity of the vessel wall.

4. The vessel electrode line according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the segment (21a) that was pre-shaped in a sinusoidal or helical form includes more than one sinus period or more than one complete turn around the cylinder jacket.

5. The vessel electrode line according to claim 1, characterized in that the fixing element is provided in the distal end region of the base body for fixing the line in the coronary sinus or in a secondary vessel of the coronary sinus, said fixing element having a lateral extension of about 3 mm.

6. The vessel electrode line according to claim 5, characterized in that a plastic worm-thread segment that surrounds the distal end of the base body and has one to three turns, is provided as the fixing element.

7. The vessel electrode line according to claim 5, characterized in that a plurality of plastic fins (45) that are resiliently inclined toward the proximal end with respect to the longitudinal axis of the base body (41) are provided as the fixing elements.

8. The vessel electrode line according to claim 5, characterized in that an elastic helix (55) is provided as the fixing element, the helix'"'"'s diameter being at the most equal to the diameter of the base body during the insertion, when it is in a stretched state due to an insertion aid (58), and being larger than that of the base body in the relaxed state.

9. The vessel electrode line according to claim 5, characterized in that an expandable, tubular element (65) is provided as the fixing element, the element'"'"'s diameter being at the most equal to the diameter of the base body before and during the insertion, and larger than that of the base body in an expanded, final state.

10. The vessel electrode line according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that at least a part of the surface of the elastic helix (55) or the tubular element (65) is non-conductive.

11. The vessel electrode line according to one of claims 5 through 10, characterized in that the fixing element (55;

65;

75) is mounted to a fixing-element support body (56;

66;

76) that is axially displaceable with respect to the base body, and whose axial position on the base body can be fixed.

12. The vessel electrode line according to claim 5, characterized in that the fixing element is flexible.

13. The vessel electrode line according to claim 1, characterized in that the electrode or the most distal of a plurality of electrodes is spaced between 30 and 80 mm from the distal end of the base body.

14. The vessel electrode line according to claim 1, characterized by two electrodes on the base body spaced between 25 and 80 mm from one another.

15. The vessel electrode line according to claim 1, characterized in that the electrode is between 2 and 3 mm long and has a geometric surface area between 10 and 25 mm².

16. The vessel electrode line according to claim 1, characterized by a material coating, comprising a collage or fibronectin coating, that has a positive influence on the acclimation in the surrounding tissue.