Implantable cardiac therapy device with dual chamber can to isolate high-frequency circuitry

• US 7,225,029 B2
• Filed: 10/26/2001
• Issued: 05/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Pacesetter Incorporated (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Pacesetter Incorporated (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Inventors: Kroll, Mark W., Shankar, Balakrishnan, Whitlock, Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): Pezzuto; Robert E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Oropeza; Frances P.
• Application Number:
  US10/039,743
• Publication Number:
  US 20030083719A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,041 Days
• Field of Search: 600/508, 600/509, 607/4, 607/5, 607/9, 607/30, 607/32, 607/36, 607/59, 607/60, 128/903
• US Class Current: 607/60
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3718 Monitoring of or protection against external electromagnetic fields or currents
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37211 Means for communicating with stimulators
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37282 characterised by communication with experts in remote locations using a network
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/903 Radio telemetry

Abstract

An implantable cardiac therapy device is constructed with a housing that defines first and second chambers. The first chamber holds cardiac therapy circuitry, such as sensing and/or stimulation circuitry. The second chamber holds high-frequency circuitry that transmits and receives high-frequency signals used in communication with external devices. The dual-chamber housing allows the implantable cardiac therapy device to handle high-frequency signals in an isolated environment, thereby enabling longer range telemetry, without interfering with the cardiac therapy circuitry. The implantable cardiac therapy device can be linked to a cardiac network of knowledge workers that evaluate the data generated by the device and provide instructions to remotely program the device.

Claims

1. An implantable cardiac therapy device comprising:

cardiac therapy circuitry configured to perform at least one of (1) monitoring cardiac activity or (2) administering stimulation therapy;

a high-frequency transceiver adapted to transmit and receive communication signals via an antenna to enable high frequency communication; and

an enclosed casing to house both the cardiac therapy circuitry and the high-frequency transceiver, while isolating the high-frequency transceiver from the cardiac therapy circuitry,

wherein the casing comprises a first chamber to house the cardiac therapy circuitry; and

a second chamber to house the high-frequency transceiver.

2. An implantable cardiac therapy device as recited in claim 1, wherein the communication circuitry comprises an RF transceiver.

3. An implantable cardiac therapy device as recited in claim 1, wherein the antenna is integrated into the casing.

4. An implantable cardiac therapy device as recited in claim 1, wherein the casing has a header to which conductive leads can be connected, the antenna residing in the header of the casing.

5. An implantable cardiac therapy device as recited in claim 1, wherein the casing has a header to which conductive leads can be connected, and wherein the implantable cardiac therapy device further comprises

a diplexer coupled to receive high-frequency signals and low-frequency signals from the leads and to split the high-frequency signals from the low-frequency signals, the diplexer passing the high-frequency signals to the high-frequency transceiver and the low-frequency signals to the cardiac therapy circuitry.

6. A cardiac network system comprising:

the implantable cardiac therapy device as recited in claim 1; and

a computing network to link one or more computing systems to the implantable cardiac therapy device.