摘要:
An implantable cardiac stimulation device, e.g., a pacemaker or an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), is provided which prolongs the atrial refractoriness of a heart. The implantable cardiac stimulation device includes a generator that delivers pacing pulses to an atrium of a heart and a detector that detects atrial activations of the heart. An inhibitor is coupled to the detector that inhibits the generator when an atrial activation is detected within an escape interval. A generator control coupled to the generator causes the generator to deliver a primary pacing pulse to the atrium at the end of the escape interval, absent an atrial activation being detected within the escape interval, and causes the generator to deliver a secondary pacing pulse to the atrium a delay time after an atrial activation is detected within the escape interval or the delivery of a primary pacing pulse to the atrium.
摘要:
Techniques are provided for detecting natural electrical coherence within the heart and for administering or adjusting therapy based upon whether natural electrical coherence is detected. In one example, an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), upon detecting atrial fibrillation, delays administering an atrial defibrillation pulse until a period of natural electrical coherence is detected between the left and the right atria of the heart. The ICD may further delay the pulse until the ventricles of the heart are refractory so as to help prevent triggering ventricular fibrillation. The pulses are administered at a time selected based upon the period of electrical coherence to reduce the amount of electrical energy required within the pulse to reliably defibrillate the heart. Other types of therapy besides defibrillation therapy such as anti-tachycardia pacing pulses may also be timed based upon detection periods of natural electrical coherence. Method and apparatus embodiments are described.
摘要:
Techniques are provided for overdrive pacing the ventricles using a pacemaker wherein an increase in an overdrive pacing rate is performed primarily to achieve a high degree of rate smoothing. The ventricles are paced at an overdrive pacing rate selected to permit the detection of the least some intrinsic ventricular pulses and then the overdrive pacing rate is dynamically adjusted based on the detected intrinsic ventricular pulses. In one example, an increase in the ventricular overdrive rate is performed only in response to detection of at least two intrinsic ventricular beats within a predetermined search period. If at least two intrinsic ventricular beats are not detected within the search period, the overdrive pacing rate is decreased. Various techniques are also provided for determining when to activate ventricular overdrive pacing depending, in part, on the capabilities of the particular pacemaker, the current mode of operation, the density of premature ventricular contractions, the degree of heart rate stability, and the presence of atrial fibrillation. Adaptive techniques for automatically adjusting ventricular overdrive pacing control parameters are also described.
摘要:
An implantable cardiac stimulation device applies pacing stimulation pulses to a heart and senses evoked responses to the pacing stimulation pulses. A pulse generator applies the stimulation pacing pulses to the heart in accordance with a pacing configuration. A sensor control selects an evoked response sensing electrode configuration from among a plurality of evoked response sensing electrode configurations in response to the pacing configuration. A sensor is then programmed to sense the evoked responses with the selected evoked response sensing electrode configuration. In accordance with a preferred embodiment, signal-to-noise ratios obtained with the various electrode configurations are used to select a best electrode configuration for sensing evoked responses.
摘要:
A multi-chamber stimulation device and associated method reliably and automatically distinguish fusion from loss of capture during ventricular stimulation. The stimulation device provides immediate and accurate fusion detection when a loss of capture is suspected in the ventricles without delivering back-up stimulation pulses. To achieve this objective, the far-field signal present in the atrial channel is examined for evidence of a far-field R-wave whenever the ventricular channel detects a loss of capture. If a far-field R-wave is present, fusion is confirmed, and a far-field R-wave is absent, loss of capture is confirmed. Additionally, the stimulation device inhibits unnecessary back-up stimulation and threshold tests when fusion occurs, and provides appropriate adjustment of stimulation parameters based on confirmed fusion detection such that fusion re-occurrence is minimized.
摘要:
An implantable cardiac stimulation device applies pacing stimulation pulses to a heart and senses evoked responses to the pacing stimulation pulses. A pulse generator applies the stimulation pacing pulses to the heart in accordance with a pacing configuration. A sensor control selects an evoked response sensing electrode configuration from among a plurality of evoked response sensing electrode configurations in response to the pacing configuration. A sensor is then programmed to sense the evoked responses with the selected evoked response sensing electrode configuration. In accordance with a preferred embodiment, signal-to-noise ratios obtained with the various electrode configurations are used to select a best electrode configuration for sensing evoked responses.
摘要:
A multi-chamber stimulation device and associated method reliably and automatically distinguish fusion from loss of capture during ventricular stimulation. The stimulation device provides immediate and accurate fusion detection when a loss of capture is suspected in the ventricles without delivering back-up stimulation pulses. To achieve this objective, the far-field signal present in the atrial channel is examined for evidence of a far-field R-wave whenever the ventricular channel detects a loss of capture. If a far-field R-wave is present, fusion is confirmed, and a far-field R-wave is absent, loss of capture is confirmed. Additionally, the stimulation device inhibits unnecessary back-up stimulation and threshold tests when fusion occurs, and provides appropriate adjustment of stimulation parameters based on confirmed fusion detection such that fusion re-occurrence is minimized.
摘要:
An implantable cardiac stimulation device which determines stimulation based upon the patient's body position and activity level while eliminating special implantation or calibration procedures. To eliminate such special implantation and calibration procedures, the stimulation device correlates the patient's body position using a multi-axis DC accelerometer or other sensor during times of high activity and determines a patient's standing position value. During other times, the stimulation device compares the signals from the accelerometer to the standing position value to determine the patient's current body position. Based upon the current body position and the activity level, the stimulation device determines the necessary stimulation to deliver to the patient.
摘要:
A system and corresponding method are provided to reliably detect capture during multi-chamber stimulation, and to further monitor the progression of congestive heart failure. The system provides a method by which intracardiac electrogram (IEGM) characteristics representing single-chamber capture and bi-ventricular capture are stored in memory and displayed. The annotation of the displayed waveforms is such that events associated with loss of capture, single-chamber capture, and bi-ventricular capture are clearly marked for ready interpretation by the physician. In a first situation, a stimulation pulse is followed by a time delay window and a subsequent depolarization complex that represents intrinsic responses of the chambers that have not been captured. In a second situation, a stimulation pulse is followed almost immediately by an evoked response that represents capture of one chamber, and a subsequent depolarization complex that represents an intrinsic response of one chamber that has not been captured. In a third situation, a stimulation pulse is almost immediately followed by an evoked response that represents simultaneous capture of two chambers.
摘要:
An implantable cardiac stimulation device, such as a pacemaker or an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator, that includes an accelerometer-based activity sensor that processes one or more signals from the activity sensor to obtain parameters that are indicative of the heartbeat of the patient. The implantable cardiac stimulation device determines when the patient is at rest and the activity sensor provides a signal that corresponds to the acceleration of the sensor due to the heartbeat of the patient. This acceleration signal is integrated over time once to provide a contractility parameter, which is indicative of the contractility of the heart and is integrated over time twice to provide a displacement parameter, which is indicative of the displacement of the heart wall during the heartbeat. This displacement parameter is thereby indicative of the volume of blood pumped by the heart. A microprocessor uses either the contractility parameter, the displacement parameter or both to modify the delivery of therapeutic stimulation pulses to the heart.