Electrical stimulation of body tissue using interconnected electrode assemblies

• US 8,290,600 B2
• Filed: 07/21/2006
• Issued: 10/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Hastings, Roger, Willard, Martin R., Edmunds, Kevin D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lavert, Nicole F
• Application Number:
  US11/490,576
• Publication Number:
  US 20080021505A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,279 Days
• Field of Search: 607 32- 33, 607/60, 607/122, 607/119
• US Class Current: 607/122
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0573 chacterised by means penetrating the heart tissue, e.g. helix needle or hook
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0587 Epicardial electrode systems; Endocardial electrodes piercing the pericardium
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3622 comprising two or more electrodes co-operating with different heart regions
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/375 Constructional arrangements, e.g. casings
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37512 Pacemakers
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37518 Anchoring of the implants, e.g. fixation
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3787 from an external energy source

Abstract

Some embodiments of a cardiac stimulation system may include a plurality of electrode assemblies that are interconnected by one or more wires while at least one of the electrode assemblies (e.g., a control electrode) wirelessly receives energy through inductive coupling with a power communication unit external to the heart (e.g., a device implanted along one or more ribs). These embodiments may provide an arrangement for efficient inductive coupling from the power communication unit to the control electrode. Also, in some circumstances, the cardiac stimulation system may eliminate the need for wired leads that extend to a location outside the heart, thereby reducing the likelihood of infection that passes along the wire and into the heart.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

at least one wirelessly powered control assembly sized and shaped to be capable of delivery via an intravascular route and configured for implant at least partially in heart tissue, the control assembly comprising a conductive coil configured to wirelessly receive magnetically -coupled energy from a magnetic field;

a plurality of stimulation electrode assemblies sized and shaped to be capable of delivery via an intravascular route and configured for implant at least partially into myocardial heart tissue;

a conductive wire assembly configured to electrically connect the plurality of stimulation electrode assemblies to the control assembly, the conductive wire assembly configured to be contained entirely within at least one of a heart or a pericardium;

wherein the control assembly is configured to deliver the received magnetically-coupled energy as electrical stimulation energy to at least one of the plurality of stimulation electrode assemblies using the conductive wire assembly; and

wherein the stimulation electrode assemblies are configured to receive the electrical stimulation energy from the control assembly using the conductive wire assembly and to deliver the received electrical stimulation energy as an electrical stimulation to the myocardial heart tissue.

2. The system of claim 1, comprising a transmitter sized and shaped to be capable of implant in a location external to the pericardium, the transmitter comprising a power source and an antenna, the transmitter configured to generate the magnetic field using the antenna to provide the magnetically-coupled energy to the control assembly.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the transmitter comprises a housing that is sized and shaped for implantation at a subcutaneous implantation site near one or more ribs of a patient.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the wirelessly powered control assembly is configured to wirelessly receive energy from the magnetic field when the wirelessly powered control assembly is implanted in the heart tissue along a heart apex near the subcutaneous implantation site of the transmitter.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the transmitter comprises a transmitter coil configured to provide an inductive coupling between the transmitter coil and the conductive coil of the wirelessly powered control assembly;

and

wherein the magnetically-coupled energy is transferred from the transmitter coil to the conductive coil using the inductive coupling.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the transmitter is configured to wirelessly transmit an RF (radio frequency) magnetic field to provide the magnetically-coupled energy to the control assembly.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the wirelessly powered control assembly comprises at least one pulse generator circuit configured to deliver the received magnetically-coupled energy as one or more electrical stimulation pulses through the conductive wire assembly to one or more of the stimulation electrode assemblies.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the conductive wire assembly comprises one or more dedicated wire connections for one or more of the stimulation electrode assemblies.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the wirelessly powered control assembly comprises at least one control circuit configured to selectively deliver the one or more electrical stimulation pulses through the one or more dedicated wire connections.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein one or more of the stimulation electrode assemblies comprises one or more switched capacitors configured to deliver the one or more electrical stimulation pulses to the heart tissue.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the conductive wire assembly comprises a shared power line and a shared ground line;

and

wherein two or more of the stimulation electrode assemblies are configured to receive the magnetically-coupled energy from the wirelessly powered control assembly using the shared power line and the shared ground line.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the wirelessly powered control assembly delivers the received magnetically-coupled energy as a charging current to the one or more switched capacitors using at least one of the shared power line or the shared ground line.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the wirelessly powered control assembly comprises at least one control circuit to selectively deliver one or more activation signals to one or more stimulation electrode assemblies using at least one of the shared power line or the shared ground line, the one or more stimulation electrode assemblies configured to controllably deliver the one or more electrical stimulation pulses in response to receiving a specified activation signal.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the conductive wire assembly comprises at least one wire having an outside diameter of less than about 0.010 inches.

15. A system comprising:

a wirelessly powered control assembly sized and shaped to be capable of delivery via an intravascular route and configured for implant at least partially in heart tissue near a heart apex, the control assembly comprising a conductive coil configured to wirelessly receive magnetically -coupled RF (radio frequency) energy from an RF magnetic field;

a plurality of stimulation electrode assemblies sized and shaped to be capable of delivery via an intravascular route and configured for implant at least partially into myocardial heart tissue, each stimulation electrode assembly comprising at least one electrode pole to contact the myocardial heart tissue;

a conductive wire assembly configured to electrically connect the plurality of stimulation electrode assemblies to the control assembly, the conductive wire assembly configured to be contained entirely within at least one of a heart or a pericardium;

a transmitter sized and shaped to be capable of implant at a subcutaneous site near at least one of one or more ribs or the heart apex, the transmitter comprising a power source and an RF antenna, the RF antenna conductively coupled to the power source and the RF antenna configured to generate the RF magnetic field to provide the magnetically-coupled RF energy;

wherein the control assembly is configured to deliver the received magnetically-coupled RF energy as electrical stimulation energy to at least one of the plurality of stimulation electrode assemblies using the conductive wire assembly; and

wherein the stimulation electrode assemblies are configured to receive the electrical stimulation energy from the control assembly via the conductive wire assembly and to deliver the received electrical stimulation energy as an electrical stimulation to the myocardial heart tissue.

16. The system of claim 15, comprising an external recharger configured to recharge the power source of the transmitter.

17. A system comprising:

an implantable stimulation pulse generator sized and shaped to be capable of delivery via an intravascular route and configured for implant at least partially in heart tissue, the stimulation pulse generator including a receiver coil configured to wirelessly receive inductively-coupled energy;

multiple implantable electrode assemblies sized and shaped to be capable of delivery via an intravascular route and configured for implant at least partially in myocardial heart tissue;

a conductive wire assembly configured to electrically connect the implantable stimulation pulse generator with each of the multiple implantable electrode assemblies, the conductive wire assembly configured to be contained entirely within at least one of a heart or a pericardium;

wherein the implantable stimulation pulse generator is configured to deliver the received inductively-coupled energy as electrical stimulation energy to at least one of the multiple implantable electrode assemblies using the conductive wire assembly; and

wherein the multiple implantable electrode assemblies are configured to receive the electrical stimulation energy from the implantable stimulation pulse generator using the conductive wire assembly and to deliver the received electrical stimulation energy as an electrical stimulation to the myocardial heart tissue.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising a transmitter having a transmitter coil configured to inductively couple with the implantable stimulation pulse generator receiver coil;

and

wherein the transmitter coil is configured to generate the inductively-coupled energy to be wirelessly received by the receiver coil.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the transmitter is sized and shaped for subcutaneous implantation between two ribs of a patient.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the transmitter is configured to be capable of being worn externally by a patient.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the implantable stimulation pulse generator comprises one or more switched capacitors configured to provide one or more electrical stimulation pulses to one or more of the multiple implantable electrode assemblies.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the implantable stimulation pulse generator selectively delivers one or more electrical stimulation pulses to one or more of the multiple electrode assemblies.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein one or more of the multiple electrode assemblies comprises at least one gating circuit configured to selectively inhibit delivery of one or more stimulation pulses received from the implantable stimulation pulse generator to heart tissue in response to a signal from the implantable stimulation pulse generator.

24. The system of claim 17, wherein the stimulation pulse generator is sized and shaped for implant near an external surface of an apex of the heart.