Determining site-to-site pacing delay for multi-site anti-tachycardia pacing

• US 8,010,194 B2
• Filed: 04/01/2009
• Issued: 08/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pacesetter Incorporated (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Pacesetter Incorporated (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Inventors: Muller, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Manuel; George
• Assistant Examiner(s): WIELAND, ROBERT N
• Application Number:
  US12/416,778
• Publication Number:
  US 20100256701A1
• Time in Patent Office: 881 Days
• Field of Search: 600/510, 607/14, 607/22, 607/9, 607/17
• US Class Current: 607/14
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/349 Detecting specific parameters of the electrocardiograph cycle
• 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 1/3682 with a variable atrioventricular delay
• 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

Abstract

An exemplary method includes delivering a pace using an electrode positioned on the lateral wall of the left ventricle of a heart, sensing the pace using an electrode positioned in the right ventricle of the heart, determining a left to right directional conduction time (T_LR), delivering a pace using an electrode positioned in the right ventricle of the heart, sensing the pace using an electrode positioned on the lateral wall of the left ventricle of the heart, determining a right to left directional conduction time (T_RL), calculating a site-to-site offset (VV_ATP) for multi-site anti-tachycardia pacing based on the left to right directional conduction time and the right to left directional conduction time and instructing an implantable device to deliver multi-site anti-tachycardia pacing using the site-to-site offset (VV_ATP). Other exemplary methods, devices, systems, etc., are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

delivering a pace using an electrode positioned on the lateral wall of the left ventricle of a heart;

sensing the pace using an electrode positioned in the right ventricle of the heart;

determining a left to right directional conduction time (T_LR);

delivering a pace using an electrode positioned in the right ventricle of the heart;

sensing the pace using an electrode positioned on the lateral wall of the left ventricle of the heart;

determining a right to left directional conduction time (T_RL);

calculating a site-to-site offset (VV_ATP) for multi-site anti-tachycardia pacing based on the left to right directional conduction time and the right to left directional conduction time; and

instructing an implantable device to deliver multi-site anti-tachycardia pacing using the site-to-site offset (VV_ATP).

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the implantable device delivers the multi-site anti-tachycardia pacing using the site-to-site offset in response to detecting an arrhythmia.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the arrhythmia comprises a ventricular tachycardia.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the arrhythmia exceeds a predetermined rate threshold and thereby comprises a fast arrhythmia.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the implantable device performs the delivering and the sensing.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the implantable device performs the determining and the calculating.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the calculating comprises calculating VV_ATP as the greater of T_RL and T_LR minus the product of a predetermined factor and the lesser of T_RL and T_LR.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the instructing instructs the implantable device to deliver a pace to a site corresponding to the pace of the greater of T_RL and T_LR, to wait for a time of VV_ATP and then to deliver a pace to a site corresponding to the pace of the lesser of T_RL and T_LR.

9. An implantable device comprising:

one or more processors;

memory; and

control logic operational to

deliver a pace using an electrode positioned on the lateral wall of the left ventricle of a heart,

sense the pace using an electrode positioned in the right ventricle of the heart,

determine a left to right directional conduction time (T_LR),

deliver a pace using an electrode positioned in the right ventricle of the heart,

sense the pace using an electrode positioned on the lateral wall of the left ventricle of the heart,

determine a right to left directional conduction time (T_RL),

calculate a site-to-site offset (VV_ATP) for multi-site anti-tachycardia pacing based on the left to right directional conduction time and the right to left directional conduction time; and

deliver multi-site anti-tachycardia pacing using the site-to-site offset (VV_ATP).

10. The implantable device of claim 9 comprising control logic to deliver a pace to a site corresponding to the pace of the greater of T_RL and T_LR, to wait for a time of VV_ATP and then to deliver a pace to a site corresponding to the pace of the lesser of T_RL and T_LR.

11. The implantable device of claim 9 comprising control logic to detect an arrhythmia and to call for anti-tachycardia pacing responsive to detection of an arrhythmia.

12. The implantable device of claim 11 further comprising one or more electrodes for sensing cardiac electrical activity and wherein the control logic to detect detects an arrhythmia by analyzing sensed cardiac electrical activity.

13. The implantable device of claim 9 comprising control logic to detect an arrhythmia, to detect ischemia and to call for multi-site anti-tachycardia pacing responsive to detection of ischemia and detection of an arrhythmia.

14. The implantable device of claim 13 wherein the arrhythmia comprises a ventricular tachycardia.

15. The implantable device of claim 14 wherein the ventricular tachycardia comprises a fast ventricular tachycardia according to a predetermined rate threshold.

16. An implantable device comprising:

one or more processors;

memory; and

control logic operational to

detect an arrhythmia,

detect ischemia,

classify an arrhythmia as being a ventricular tachycardia,

call for single site anti-arrhythmia therapy responsive to detection of an arrhythmia,

call for multi-site anti-arrhythmia therapy responsive to detection of ischemia and a ventricular tachycardia, and

deliver single or multi-site anti-arrhythmia therapy, wherein the multi-site anti-arrhythmia therapy comprises delivering a pace to one ventricle using a pacing site, waiting a site-to-site delay and then delivering a subsequent pace to the other ventricle using a different pacing site.

17. The implantable device of claim 16 wherein the multi-site anti-arrhythmia therapy comprises a site-to-site delay based at least in part on a directional conduction time along a direction and a directional conduction time along a different direction.

18. The implantable device of claim 16 wherein the site-to-site delay comprises a value based in part on a directional conduction time from the site to the different site and a directional conduction time from the different site to the site.