Electrical muscle controller and pacing with hemodynamic enhancement
First Claim
1. An apparatus comprising:
- sensing circuitry configured for sensing electrical activity of a muscle segment of a heart;
one or more implantable electrodes, wherein said electrodes are adapted to convey an electrical signal to the muscle segment of the heart; and
pacing circuitry for pacing the heart, wherein said pacing circuitry is adapted to drive the electrodes to apply the signal to the segment by driving an electrical current into the segment, the current having an amplitude of at least 3 mA and less than 20 mA, and a signal duration, in a cardiac cycle, of between 10 and 140 msec, wherein the signal is applied in response to the sensing with a delay relative to the preceding sensed electrical activity.
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Abstract
A method of modifying the force of contraction of at least a portion of a heart chamber is provided. A non-excitatory electric field of given duration is applied, at a delay after an activation of the heart, which increase the force of contraction by at least 5%. Apparatus is also provided for pacing with hemodynamic improvement. Circuitry applies an extended pacing signal to electrodes to pace the heart, the extended pacing signal having an overall duration greater than 8 ms from a time of initiation of application of that portion of the signal that initiates action potential propagation. The signal includes a train of biphasic pulses having pulse durations of at least 1 ms, and the signal has an amplitude that is at least three times as great as a threshold for pacing the heart and that is sufficient neither for cardioversion nor for defibrillation. Other embodiments are also described.
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Citations
34 Claims
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1. An apparatus comprising:
- sensing circuitry configured for sensing electrical activity of a muscle segment of a heart;
one or more implantable electrodes, wherein said electrodes are adapted to convey an electrical signal to the muscle segment of the heart; and
pacing circuitry for pacing the heart, wherein said pacing circuitry is adapted to drive the electrodes to apply the signal to the segment by driving an electrical current into the segment, the current having an amplitude of at least 3 mA and less than 20 mA, and a signal duration, in a cardiac cycle, of between 10 and 140 msec, wherein the signal is applied in response to the sensing with a delay relative to the preceding sensed electrical activity. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 33, 34)
- sensing circuitry configured for sensing electrical activity of a muscle segment of a heart;
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17. A method comprising;
- sensing electrical activity of a muscle segment of a heart;
implanting one or more electrodes in a subject; and
driving, by pacing circuitry for pacing a heart of the subject, the electrodes to apply an electrical signal to a muscle segment of the heart by driving an electrical current into the segment, the current having an amplitude of at least 3 mA and less than 20 mA, and a signal duration, in a cardiac cycle, of between 10 and 140 msec, wherein the signal is applied in response to the sensing with a delay relative to the preceding sensed electrical activity. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
- sensing electrical activity of a muscle segment of a heart;
Specification