Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080208271 | High Frequency Stimulation for Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation - The invention relates to methods and devices for treating and/or preventing atrial fibrillation. In an embodiment, the invention includes a method of treating and/or preventing atrial fibrillation including applying an oscillating electrical stimulus to a tissue of a patient, the oscillating electrical stimulus sufficient to block transmission of electrical signals through the tissue. In an embodiment, the invention includes an implantable medical device including a stimulator configured to generate an oscillating electrical stimulus at a frequency and amplitude sufficient to block transmission of electrical signals through a tissue, a stimulation electrode in communication with the stimulator, the stimulation electrode configured to deliver the oscillating electrical stimulus to the tissue, and control circuitry in communication with the stimulator, the control circuitry configured to selectively deliver the oscillating electrical stimulus to treat and/or prevent atrial fibrillation. Other embodiments are also described herein. | 08-28-2008 |
20090054828 | Systems for transient conduction control - The invention provides a system coupled to a heart having a right atrium (RA) and an atrioventricular (AV) node, which includes an implantable gene regulatory signal delivery device configured to deliver a light to a target site in the heart to transiently control an aberrant cardiac electrical conduction, the light having characteristics suitable for regulating a transcription control element; and an implantable medical device communicatively coupled to the implantable gene regulatory signal delivery device, the implantable medical device including: an atrial fibrillation (AF) detector configured to detect AF; and a control circuit configured to initiate an emission of the light from the implantable gene regulatory signal delivery device in response to the detection of AF. Also provided are methods to transiently control aberrant AV conduction or transiently control cardiac arrhythmias, which employ expression cassettes. | 02-26-2009 |
20090054943 | Methods and apparatus to treat and prevent atrial tachyarrhythmias - The invention provides a cardiac rhythm management system which includes a tachyarrhythmia detection and classification circuit programmed to detect and classify a tachyarrhythmia, a biologic therapy delivery device configured to deliver or regulate an expression cassette suitable for terminating or preventing atrial fibrillation (AF), and a control circuit coupled to the tachyarrhythmia detection and classification circuit and the biologic therapy delivery device. Also provided is an implantable medical device for use in a body having a cardiovascular system, which includes an implantable device body including at least a cardiovascular portion configured to be in the cardiovascular system, and an expression cassette incorporated into the cardiovascular portion of the implantable device body, the expression cassette selected to express a gene product that terminates or prevents AF. Further provided are methods which employ particular expression cassettes to prevent, inhibit or treat AF. | 02-26-2009 |
20090054954 | Optical depolarization of cardiac tissue - The invention provides a cardiac rhythm management system for stimulating a heart having photosensitive tissue, vectors useful to photosensitize cells expressing the vectors, and methods for light induced depolarization of cells. | 02-26-2009 |
20090216289 | CARDIAC RHYTHM MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS AND METHODS USING MULTIPLE MORPHOLOGY TEMPLATES FOR DISCRIMINATING BETWEEN RHYTHMS - This document describes systems, devices, and methods that use multiple morphology templates for discriminating between rhythms, such as supraventricular tachyarrhythmias (SVTs) and ventricular tachyarrhythmias (VTs), for delivering a countershock in response to a VT episode, but withholding delivery of such a countershock in response to an SVT episode. In certain examples, the particular morphology used for storing morphological features is selected at least in part using a sensor-indicated activity level of a subject, or a metabolic need of the subject. | 08-27-2009 |
20090318943 | VASCULAR INTERVENTION CATHETERS WITH PACING ELECTRODES - Cardioprotective pacing is applied to prevent and/or reduce cardiac injury associated with myocardial infarction (MI) and revascularization procedure. Pacing pulses are generated from a pacemaker and delivered through pacing electrodes incorporated onto percutaneous transluminal vascular intervention (PTVI) devices during the revascularization procedure. Examples of the PTVI devices include a guide catheter, a guide wire, and an angioplasty catheter such as a balloon catheter used in the revascularization procedure. The pacing electrodes are incorporated onto such PTVI devices in various ways. | 12-24-2009 |
20120136260 | Assessing Autonomic Activity Using Baroreflex Analysis - A method involves implantably detecting changes in posture of a patient's body. Baroreflex responses to the posture changes are determined. An autonomic tone of the patient is determined based on the baroreflex responses. Based on the autonomic tone, various patient susceptibilities to disease may be determined, including susceptibilities to heart disease, arrhythmia, and/or sudden cardiac death. | 05-31-2012 |
20130331903 | RATE SMOOTHING CONTROL - A rate smoothing function used in implantable pulse generators uses detected triggering events, which cause the rate smoothing function to be activated or deactivated, and detected parameter adjusting events, which cause parameter(s) of the rate smoothing function to be changed. In one example, the activation/deactivation and/or change to the parameters of the rate smoothing function are temporary, and the pre-event state of the rate smoothing function is set to a post-adjusting state, such as after a first time interval. Rate smoothing may be selected, activated or deactivated, or adjusted based on a cardiac signal state, or based on an activity or other physiological sensor signal. The adjusted rate smoothing parameters may include an up-smoothing percentage to limit a speed of pacing rate increase and a down-smoothing percentage to limit a speed of pacing rate drop. | 12-12-2013 |