Methods and systems for vibrational treatment of cardiac arrhythmias
First Claim
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1. A method for stabilizing cardiac arrhythmias, said method comprising:
- detecting an onset of an arrhythmia in a patient'"'"'s heart;
delivering controlled vibrational energy from a vibrational transducer to the heart under conditions which terminate the arrhythmia, wherein the vibrational energy has a frequency in the range from 0.02 to 10 MHz, a burst length less than 5,000 cycles, a burst rate less than 100 kHz, a duty cycle less than 50%, a mechanical index less than 50, and a thermal index less than 4.
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Abstract
Methods and apparatus for cardiac pacing, cardioversion, and defibrillation rely on delivering ultrasonic and other vibrational energy to the heart, usually after the onset of an arrhythmia. A vibrational transducer assembly is implanted or applied externally so that vibrational energy can be directed toward at least a portion of the heart from an anterior or posterior aspect, typically being implanted over the ribs, over the sternum, between the ribs, beneath the ribs, or on the back.
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Citations
46 Claims
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1. A method for stabilizing cardiac arrhythmias, said method comprising:
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detecting an onset of an arrhythmia in a patient'"'"'s heart; delivering controlled vibrational energy from a vibrational transducer to the heart under conditions which terminate the arrhythmia, wherein the vibrational energy has a frequency in the range from 0.02 to 10 MHz, a burst length less than 5,000 cycles, a burst rate less than 100 kHz, a duty cycle less than 50%, a mechanical index less than 50, and a thermal index less than 4. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A system for stabilizing cardiac arrhythmias, said system comprising:
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a vibrational transducer implantable in a patient; and control circuitry for detecting an onset of an arrhythmia and activating the vibrational transducer to deliver controlled vibrational energy to the heart under conditions which terminate the arrhythmia, wherein the vibrational transducer comprises a piezo-composite material including piezo-electric ceramic posts in a polymer matrix. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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35. A system for stabilizing cardiac arrhythmias, said system comprising:
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a vibrational transducer implantable in a patient; and control circuitry for detecting an onset of an arrhythmia and activating the vibrational transducer to deliver controlled vibrational energy to the heart under conditions which terminate the arrhythmia, wherein the vibrational transducer and the control circuitry are packaged in a common housing and the transducer consists essentially of a single piezo-electric disposed in the housing with an air backing. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46)
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Specification