Implantable cardiac stimulation device and method providing dynamic sensing configurations for bichamber stimulation and tachyarrhythmia detection

• US 7,266,411 B1
• Filed: 05/02/2005
• Issued: 09/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pacesetter Incorporated (Abbott Laboratories)
• Original Assignee: Pacesetter Incorporated (Abbott Laboratories)
• Inventors: Paris, Michael, Husky, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): Layno; Carl
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEE, YUN H
• Application Number:
  US11/120,459
• Time in Patent Office: 855 Days
• Field of Search: 607/18
• US Class Current: 607/18
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3621 for treating or preventing abnormally high heart rate
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3627 for treating a mechanical deficiency of the heart, e.g. congestive heart failure or cardiomyopathy
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/368 comprising more than one electrode co-operating with different heart regions A61N1/3622, A61N1/3627 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3684 for stimulating the heart at multiple sites of the ventricle or the atrium
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36842 Multi-site stimulation in the same chamber
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36843 Bi-ventricular stimulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3688 configured for switching the pacing mode, e.g. from AAI to DDD
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3702 Physiological parameters A61N1/365 takes precedence; evoked response A61N1/371
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3925 Monitoring; Protecting
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/39622 Pacing therapy

Abstract

An implantable cardiac stimulation device provides bichamber pacing and dynamic bichamber and single chamber sensing. The device includes a sensing circuit that senses activity of a heart, a lead system coupled to a plurality of chambers of the heart, and a cardiac rate circuit that determines a cardiac rate of the heart. A control circuit causes the lead system to couple the sensing circuit to corresponding chambers of the heart to enable bichamber trigger pacing when the cardiac rate is below a given rate and to a single chamber of the heart when the cardiac rate is above the given rate to enable enhanced tachycardia sensing.

Claims

1. In an implantable cardiac stimulation device, a method of sensing activity of a heart comprising:

determining a cardiac rate associated with interaction of the device and the heart; and

sensing cardiac activity of the heart, the sensing step including a first sensing step of sensing cardiac activity of corresponding chambers of the heart when the cardiac rate is below a given rate and a second sensing step of sensing cardiac activity of a single chamber of the heart when the cardiac rate is above the given rate.

2. The method of claim 1 including the further step of providing pacing pulses to the corresponding chambers of the heart responsive to sensing cardiac activity of the heart.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the providing step includes providing simultaneous pacing pulses to the corresponding chambers of the heart.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the providing step includes providing sequential pacing pulses to the corresponding chambers of the heart.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein the providing step includes providing the pacing pulses in a trigger mode.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the given rate is below a maximum trigger rate.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the corresponding chambers are a right ventricle and a left ventricle of the heart.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the single chamber is one of the ventricles of the heart.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the single chamber is the right ventricle.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the corresponding chambers are a right atrium and a left atrium of the heart.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the single chamber is one of the atria of the heart.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the single chamber is the right atrium.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the determining step includes determining the cardiac rate for each heartbeat and wherein the sensing step further includes transitioning from sensing cardiac activity of the single chamber to sensing the cardiac activity of the corresponding chambers of the heart after the rate has been below the given rate for a predetermined number of heartbeats.