VENTRICULAR PACING

• US 20090187226A1
• Filed: 03/27/2009
• Published: 07/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Newstim, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Action Medical, Inc.
• Inventors: Zhu, Qingsheng, Ortega, Daniel Felipe, Shapland, J. Edward, Giniger, Alberto German
• Granted Patent: US 8,285,376 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/9
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/362 Heart stimulators heart defibrillators A61N1/39
• 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 1/371 Capture, i.e. successful stimulation

Abstract

A method and apparatus are disclosed for treating a condition of a patient'"'"'s heart includes placing a first electrode and/or a second electrode in a right ventricle of the heart. In one example, a reference electrode is placed within the patient and internal or external to the heart. A pacing signal is generated including a first signal component, a second signal component and a reference component with the first and second signal components having opposite polarity and with both of the first and second components having a potential relative to the reference component. The pacing signal and the placement of the electrodes are selected to alter a contraction of a left ventricle of the heart.

Claims

1. A method for treating a condition of a heart of a patient, said method comprising:

placing at least one of a first electrode and a second electrode in a right ventricle of the heart for use in presenting energy that is defined relative to a reference electrode;

finding a target location in the right ventricle and securing said at least one of the first and second electrodes at the proximal target location;

generating a pacing signal including first and second signal components having opposite polarity and with both of said first and second components having a potential relative to said reference electrode; and

using the first and second electrodes to apply the pacing signal to the heart proximal to the target location and, in response thereto, capturing a contraction of a left ventricle of the heart where the contraction is a more rapid and uniform activation.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising securing at least one of said first and second electrodes to a septum of said heart and sufficiently near the His bundle of the heart to allow the field lines to stimulate the His Bundle thereby creating the more rapid and uniform activation and wherein the more rapid and uniform activation treats a conduction abnormality.

3. A method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of positioning said reference electrode to bias a field between said first and second electrodes toward a region that allows more synchronous contraction of the left ventricle to treat bundle branch block.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the target location is near the His bundle.

5. A method according to claim 1, further including probing areas along the septum to find the target location.

6. A method according to claim 1 further including the step of positioning said reference electrode within said patient body to distort a field from said first and second electrodes to said left ventricle, and wherein the first and second signal components are less than 20 Volts.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of placing a first electrode and a second electrode in a right ventricle of said heart includes placement of at least the first electrode near the tricuspid valve.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the reference electrode is located proximate to the signal generator and distal from the heart.

9. A method comprising:

in a patient'"'"'s heart manifesting a condition involving mechanical asynchrony and a conduction block in a bundle branch, placing a primary electrode in the right ventricle and finding a target location;

securing the primary electrode to the septum of the heart to treat the condition; and

generating a pacing signal a pulse of less than about 20 Volts for presentation to the right ventricle by the primary electrode with the pacing signal presenting, near the target location, a voltage on the primary electrode relative to a reference voltage, and causing activation of the normal electrical conduction in the heart and therein treating the mechanical asynchrony by improving the coordinated contraction of the ventricles and free wall of the left ventricle.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of securing the primary electrode includes securing the primary electrode near the tricuspid valve of the right ventricle.