Leadless Cardiac Pacemaker Triggered by Conductive Communication

• US 20110071586A1
• Filed: 11/23/2010
• Published: 03/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pacesetter Incorporated (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Nanostim, Inc (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Inventors: Jacobson, Peter M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,227,077 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/9
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0662 Guide tubes
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/056 Transvascular endocardial electrode systems
• 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 1/059 Anchoring means
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3621 for treating or preventing abnormally high heart rate
• 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 1/36514 controlled by a physiological quantity other than heart potential, e.g. blood pressure controlled by two or more physical parameters A61N1/36585
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36542 controlled by body motion, e.g. acceleration
• 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 1/3684 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 1/3704 Circuits specially adapted therefor, e.g. for sensitivity control
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3706 Pacemaker parameters stimulation threshold A61N1/371
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3708 for power depletion
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/372 Arrangements in connection with the implantation of stimulators
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37205 Microstimulators, e.g. implantable through a cannula
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37217 characterised by the communication link, e.g. acoustic or tactile
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37252 Details of algorithms or data aspects of communication system, e.g. handshaking, transmitting specific data or segmenting data
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3727 characterised by the modulation technique
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37288 : Communication to several implantable medical devices within one patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37512 : Pacemakers
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37518 : Anchoring of the implants, e.g. fixation
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3756 : Casings with electrodes thereon, e.g. leadless stimulators
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3925 : Monitoring; Protecting
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3956 : Implantable devices for applying electric shocks to the heart, e.g. for cardioversion
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/39622 : Pacing therapy
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2001/058 : Fixing tools
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 13/005 : Transmission systems in which the medium consists of the human body

Abstract

A leadless cardiac pacemaker configured for implantation in electrical contact with a left ventricular cardiac chamber and configured for leadless triggered left-ventricular pacing for cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) in response to conducted signals from a pulse generator.

Claims

1. A method for communicating information between first and second implantable medical devices implanted within a patient, the method comprising:

generating a therapeutic electrical stimulation pulse using the first device, the stimulation pulse encoded with information to be communicated to the second device;

delivering the encoded therapeutic stimulation pulse to patient tissue in a first heart chamber;

detecting a far-field version of the therapeutic stimulation pulse within tissues of a second chamber of the patient'"'"'s heart using the second device; and

decoding the detected pulse using the second device to extract the encoded information.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first implantable device is a primary cardiac pacemaker;

and wherein the step of delivering the therapeutic stimulation pulse to patient tissue is performed to deliver an encoded cardiac pacing pulse to cardiac tissue with a pulse magnitude sufficient to depolarize a portion of cardiac tissue.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the second implantable device is a secondary cardiac pacemaker.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the stimulation pulse is encoded by the first device by modulating the shape of the stimulation pulse.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the stimulation pulse is modulated to include a sequence of individual pulse portions collectively configured to encode the information.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the individual pulse portions are collectively configured to encode the information digitally.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein relative spacing between the individual pulse portions of the stimulation pulse is modulated to digitally encode the information.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein relative width of the individual pulse portions of the stimulation pulse is modulated to digitally encode the information.

9. The method of claim 5 wherein individual pulse portions have durations each in the range of 15-30 microseconds (μ

s) and wherein the total pulse has a duration in the range of 0.2-2.0 milliseconds (ms).

10. An implantable cardiac stimulation system for delivering cardiac stimulation therapy to the heart of a patient, the system having first and second separately implanted devices, comprising:

an encodable pulse generator provided within the first device and operative to generate an encoded therapeutic electrical stimulation pulse for delivery to patient tissues in a first heart chamber, the pulse encoded with information to be communicated to the second device; and

an encodable pulse detector provided within the second device and operative to detect a far-field version of the encoded therapeutic stimulation pulse within patient tissues in a second chamber of the patient'"'"'s heart and to decode the pulse to extract the encoded information.

11. An implantable cardiac stimulation system for delivering cardiac stimulation therapy to the heart of a patient, the system having first and second separately implanted devices, comprising:

means, provided within the first device, for generating an encoded therapeutic electrical stimulation pulse for delivery to patient tissues in a first chamber of the patient'"'"'s heart, the pulse encoded with information to be communicated to the second device; and

means, provided within the second device, for detecting a far field version of the encoded therapeutic stimulation pulse within patient tissues in a second chamber of the patient'"'"'s heart and for decoding the pulse to extract the encoded information.