Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080200769 | IMPLANTABLE MEDICAL DEVICE HAVING OPTICAL FIBER FOR SENSING ELECTRICAL ACTIVITY - An implantable medical device for optically sensing action potential signals in excitable body tissue. The device includes an elongated tubular lead body carrying an optical fiber extending from a proximal lead end to a distal lead end to position the optical fiber at a target site. The lead body additionally carries a conduit for dispensing a voltage-sensitive fluorescent dye into tissue surrounding the target site. The optical fiber transmits excitation light to the fluorescent dye to cause the dye to fluoresce with varying intensity as the transmembrane potentials of local tissue cells vary due to passing depolarization wavefronts. The optical fiber transmits the fluorescence signal to the device to generate an action potential signal or fiducial points of an action potential signal for use in accurately measuring and characterizing electrical activity of excitable tissue. | 08-21-2008 |
20090099611 | BIOLOGICAL PACEMAKERS INCLUDING MUTATED HYPERPOLARIZATION-ACTIVATED CYCLIC NUCLEOTIDE-GATED (HCN) CHANNELS - A composition for implantation into cardiac tissue includes a biological pacemaker that, when implanted, expresses an effective amount of a mutated hyperpolarization-activated and cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) isoform to modify I | 04-16-2009 |
20090157129 | METHOD AND APPARATUS TO TERMINATE VENTRICULAR TACHYCARDIA VIA PACING - An implantable device for terminating ventricular tachycardia is disclosed. The device includes a processor configured to determine a first antitachycardia pulse routine of N pulses. In the routine the first N−1 pulses are separated by a first cycle length and the Nth pulse is separated by a second cycle length that is shorter than the first cycle length. The device also comprises a lead coupled to the processor. The lead comprises an electrode configured to sense a tachycardia and further configured, under control of the processor, to administer the antitachycardia pulse routine. | 06-18-2009 |
20100047915 | IDENTIFYING PATIENTS AT RISK FOR LIFE THREATENING ARRHYTHMIAS - The invention is a method for identifying proteins associated with sudden cardiac death (SCD) and for assessing a patient's risk of SCD by determining the amount of one or more SCD-associated proteins in the patient. Typically, the patient submits a sample, such as a blood sample, which is tested for one or more SCD-associated proteins. Based upon the results of the tests, the patient's risk of SCD may be assessed. | 02-25-2010 |
20100076063 | GENETIC MODIFICATION OF TARGETED REGIONS OF THE CARDIAC CONDUCTION SYSTEM - Disclosed are compositions, methods and systems for preventing or treating cardiac dysfunction, particularly cardiac pacing dysfunction by genetic modification of cells of targeted regions of the cardiac conduction system. In particular, a bio-pacemaker composition is delivered to cardiac cells to increase the intrinsic pacemaking rate of the cells, wherein the bio-pacemaker composition increases expression of a channel or subunit thereof that produces funny current and a T-type Ca | 03-25-2010 |
20110105929 | MEASURING T-WAVE ALTERNANS - Techniques for monitoring T-wave alternans (TWAs) in a patient are described. An implantable medical device (IMD), such as an implantable pacemaker, cardioverter, or diagnostic device, generates an EGM signal, e.g., a far field EGM signal, samples the EGM signal to obtain a single T-wave amplitude value for each T-wave over a plurality of beats, and stores the T-wave amplitude values in memory. The IMD creates a time series of the T-wave amplitude values stored in memory, calculates the power spectral density for the times series, and selects a power spectral density of a particular frequency, e.g., 0.5 cycles per beat, as the TWA value. The IMD may periodically determine TWA values for the patient and store the values in memory. The TWA values may be presented to medical personnel, e.g., as a trend. The IMD may deliver or modify therapy, or provide an alert, based on the TWA values. | 05-05-2011 |
20110123593 | SELF-FIXATING SCAFFOLDS - A self-fixating scaffold delivers therapeutic material to tissue for treating various diseases/conditions. A scaffold holds the therapeutic material and is implanted into the tissue. A fixation element anchors the scaffold in the tissue making the scaffold less likely to become dislodged. | 05-26-2011 |
20110144028 | MODULATING CELLULAR ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY - The present invention relates to compositions, apparatus, and methods for improving the viability of cells, including, but not limited to, nonexcitable cells, and tissues expressing exogenous polynucleotides that encode membrane proteins that regulate that flow of ions across the cell membrane. The viability of the cells and tissues may be improved by contacting the cells or tissue with one or more ion channel blocking agents. Membrane proteins that regulate the flow of ions across the cell membrane include, but are not limited to, ion channels. | 06-16-2011 |
20110190763 | Needle Design for Recording Monophasic Action Potential and Delivery of Therapy - A system and associated method measure monophasic action potential signals for identifying a targeted tissue location and delivering a therapy to the targeted tissue location. The system includes a hollow needle having a sharpened distal tip, a first electrode at the distal tip and a fluid delivery lumen extending through the needle from a proximal needle end to an opening in the sharpened distal tip. | 08-04-2011 |
20120065253 | GENETIC MODIFICATION OF TARGETED REGIONS OF THE CARDIAC CONDUCTION SYSTEM - Disclosed are methods and systems for preventing or treating cardiac dysfunction, particularly cardiac pacing dysfunction by genetic modification of the conduction system of the heart. In one embodiment, the invention provides a method of genetically modifying the cells by delivering to the cells one or more coding sequence in a genetic construct capable of modifying the expression of ion channels of the cells. | 03-15-2012 |
20130197373 | IMPLANTABLE MEDICAL DEVICE HAVING OPTICAL FIBER FOR SENSING ELECTRICAL ACTIVITY - An implantable medical device for optically sensing action potential signals in excitable body tissue. The device includes an elongated tubular lead body carrying an optical fiber extending from a proximal lead end to a distal lead end to position the optical fiber at a target site. The lead body additionally carries a conduit for dispensing a voltage-sensitive fluorescent dye into tissue surrounding the target site. The optical fiber transmits excitation light to the fluorescent dye to cause the dye to fluoresce with varying intensity as the transmembrane potentials of local tissue cells vary due to passing depolarization wavefronts. The optical fiber transmits the fluorescence signal to the device to generate an action potential signal or fiducial points of an action potential signal for use in accurately measuring and characterizing electrical activity of excitable tissue. | 08-01-2013 |