Efficiently delivering acoustic stimulation energy to tissue

• US 9,855,429 B2
• Filed: 03/10/2017
• Issued: 01/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EBR Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: EBR Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Cowan, Mark W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bertram, Eric D.
• Application Number:
  US15/455,707
• Publication Number:
  US 20170182316A1
• Time in Patent Office: 298 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/362 Heart stimulators heart defibrillators A61N1/39
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37217 characterised by the communication link, e.g. acoustic or tactile
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3787 from an external energy source

Abstract

A system for delivering an electrical stimulation pulse to tissue comprises a controller-transmitter and a receiver-stimulator. The controller-transmitter includes circuitry having an energy storage capacitor. The capacitance of the energy storage capacitor is adjusted to improve the efficiency of energy delivered from the receiver-stimulator to tissue by modifying the geometry of an acoustic drive burst from the controller-transmitter.

Claims

1. A system for delivering an electrical stimulation pulse to tissue, said system comprising:

a controller-transmitter having circuitry which produces an acoustic transmission waveform having an envelope and includes an energy storage capacitor; and

a receiver-stimulator having a circuitry which includes an envelope detector which receives the acoustic transmission and produces an electrical stimulation pulse having a voltage proportional to the amplitude of the acoustic transmission envelope and wherein the receiver-stimulator is adapted to deliver a stimulation pulse to cardiac tissue to effect pacing and wherein the acoustic transmission has an envelope selected to compensate for the tissue-electrode impedance;

wherein the capacitance of the energy storage capacitor is selected to produce an acoustic transmission with an envelope of decreasing amplitude.

2. A system as in any of claims 1, wherein the controller-transmitter is implanted.

3. A system as in any of claims 1, wherein the controller-transmitter is external.