| Patent Number |
Title Of Patent |
Date Issued |
| 6780770 |
Method for stacking semiconductor die within an implanted medical device |
August 24, 2004 |
| A method for forming a stackable wafer for use in an implantable device is provided. The method comprises forming an opening extending substantially through the wafer. Thereafter, conductive material is deposited within the opening to substantially fill the opening. A bump is then formed |
| 6780189 |
Surgical instrument with a collet locking and indexing system |
August 24, 2004 |
| A surgical instrument is provided for cutting bone and other tissue. The surgical instrument includes a motor assembly, a collet, a locking nut, and an attachment. The motor assembly includes a cavity having a groove on an inner surface that corresponds to a groove on an outer surface of |
| 6778846 |
Method of guiding a medical device and system regarding same |
August 17, 2004 |
| A method and system to guide a medical device within a patient using image data, e.g., chemical image data, includes acquiring image data of a view region within the patient. A movable element of the medical device is guided, e.g., self-guided, based on the image data. For example, the i |
| 6776780 |
Tissue sealing electrosurgery device and methods of sealing tissue |
August 17, 2004 |
| An electrosurgery medical device is enhanced with unique solution-assistance, and comprises, in combination, co-operating device jaws including jaw portions for manipulating tissue, and a pluraluty of solution infusion openings defined and spaced along each pf the jaw portions, for r |
| 6775574 |
Method and system for myocardial infarction repair |
August 10, 2004 |
| An implantable system is provided that includes: a cell repopulation source comprising genetic material, undifferentiated contractile cells, or a combination thereof capable of forming new contractile tissue in and/or near an infarct zone of a patient's myocardium; and an electrical |
| 6773433 |
Ablation catheter and method for isolating a pulmonary vein |
August 10, 2004 |
| A catheter assembly and method for treatment of cardiac arrhythmia, for example, atrial fibrillation, by electrically isolating a vessel, such as a pulmonary vein, from a chamber, such as the left atrium. The catheter assembly includes a catheter body and at least one electrode. The cath |
| 6772015 |
Bifurcated lead system for a cardiac vein |
August 3, 2004 |
| A bi-furcated medical electrical lead that is adapted to be implanted in the cardiac venous system is disclosed. The lead includes a bifurcated distal portion having first and second elongated members, or fingers. In one embodiment, the first elongated member, or thumb portion, is adapte |
| 6772005 |
Preferred ADI/R: a permanent pacing mode to eliminate ventricular pacing while maintaining backu |
August 3, 2004 |
| An ADI/R mode is implemented using an intelligent pacing system to continually monitor ventricular response. This ensures AV conduction whenever possible so as to gain all the benefits of cardiac contractile properties resulting from native R-waves. In the event where AV conduction i |
| 6770082 |
Surgical headframe with soft contact pads for use with a stereotactic system |
August 3, 2004 |
| A surgical headframe for maintaining a stereotactic system reference frame relative to a patient's head. The headframe includes a frame body, first and second arms, a plurality of contact pads, and a strap. The first and second arms extend from opposing sides of the frame body, respectiv |
| 6766190 |
Method and apparatus for developing a vectorcardiograph in an implantable medical device |
July 20, 2004 |
| Implantable medical devices (IMDS) are adapted for developing a vectorcardiograph (VCG) from signals across pairs of electrodes. Sense amplifiers of the IMD are calibrated to correlate the signals to reference sagittal, horizontal and frontal planes of the body. Polar coordinate data |
| 6764487 |
Fluid-assisted electrosurgical device |
July 20, 2004 |
| An electrocautery device is disclosed. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the electrocautery electrode/tip is provided with a hollow, conductive tube terminating at its distal end in a ball point type tip. Fluid, preferably conductive fluid, is applied to the proximal end of |
| 6761856 |
Apparatus for determining platelet inhibitor response |
July 13, 2004 |
| An apparatus is provided for performing an activated clotting time test on a sample of blood containing platelets, the apparatus comprising a plurality of test cells, said cells being adapted for receiving an aliquot portion of said sample, wherein each of said cells comprises an ant |
| 6761735 |
Heart valve fixation process and apparatus |
July 13, 2004 |
| A method and apparatus for limiting longitudinal stretch during fixation of a harvested aortic root including valve leaflets and the product produced. The apparatus includes an inflow plug inserted into the inflow section of the aortic root and having an apertured tube or cannula extendi |
| 6760615 |
Method and apparatus for discriminating between tachyarrhythmias |
July 6, 2004 |
| Implantable medical devices (IMDs) are adapted for developing a vectorcardiograph (VCG) from signals across pairs of electrodes. Sense amplifiers of the IMD are calibrated to correlate the signals to reference sagittal, horizontal and frontal planes of the body. Polar coordinate data |
| 6758809 |
Surgical tool for engagement of body tissue |
July 6, 2004 |
| An improved stabilizer or retractor or other surgical tool having an elongated distal arm carrying a tissue-contacting mechanism at its distal end and a tensioning mechanism at its proximal end for locking functional components of the tool in a desired position or configuration. The |
| 6756449 |
AnB block copolymers containing poly (vinyl pyrrolidone) units, medical devices, and methods |
June 29, 2004 |
| A.sub.n B block copolymers, wherein n is at least two, that include A blocks with poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) units and B blocks with urethane groups, urea groups, imide groups, amide groups, ether groups, ester groups, or combinations thereof, as well as medical devices and methods. |
| 6755834 |
Cranial flap fixation device |
June 29, 2004 |
| A cranial flap fixation device utilizing a piece design comprising an inner member and an outer member. The inner member includes a head and a shaft and the outer member comprises a nut for securing onto the shaft. A driving tool may be engaged with the inner member for secure engagement |
| 6755827 |
Tissue sealing electrosurgery device and methods of sealing tissue |
June 29, 2004 |
| An electrosurgery medical device is enhanced with unique solution-assistance, and comprises, in combination, co-operating device jaws including jaw portions for manipulating tissue, and a plurality of solution infusion openings defined and spaced along each of the jaw portions, for r |
| 6755790 |
Transseptal access tissue thickness sensing dilator devices and methods for fabricating and usin |
June 29, 2004 |
| The present invention relates to medical devices; in particular, the present invention provides devices and methods for sensing thickness of cardiac tissue and the like so that medical procedures may be efficiently performed through and/or upon a discrete location having suitable tissue |
| 6755780 |
Method and apparatus for temporarily immobilizing a local area of tissue |
June 29, 2004 |
| A method and apparatus for temporarily immobilizing a local area of tissue. In particular, the present invention provides a method and apparatus for temporarily immobilizing a local area of heart tissue to thereby permit surgery on a coronary vessel in that area without significant d |
| 6755694 |
Lead upsizing sleeve |
June 29, 2004 |
| A system for coupling a medical electrical lead to a medical device includes an upsizing sleeve having a plurality of spring contacts, a plurality of seal members, and contact members joined in an alternating manner with relatively rigid insulation members. At least one contact membe |
| 6754538 |
Apparatus and method for remote self-identification of components in medical device systems |
June 22, 2004 |
| A system and method for providing automated self-identification information of a remote medical component of an implantable medical device system to a centralized computer is disclosed. The system includes a memory component of the remote medical component containing self-identification |
| 6754536 |
Implantable medical device affixed internally within the gastrointestinal tract |
June 22, 2004 |
| A GI tract stimulator and/or monitor IMD comprising a housing enclosing electrical stimulation and/or monitoring circuitry and a power source and an elongated flexible member extending from the housing to an active fixation mechanism adapted to be fixed into the GI tract wall is disc |
| 6754533 |
Implantable medical device configured for diagnostic emulation |
June 22, 2004 |
| An implantable medical device with internal processor is configured for diagnostic emulation with an external processor to enhance diagnostic testing with capabilities such as faster testing and more realistic testing. The implantable medical device can be a wide variety of implantab |
| 6754532 |
Coronary sinus flow regulated pacing |
June 22, 2004 |
| An implantable system having a left ventricular pacing lead for implantation in the great cardiac vein via the coronary sinus of a patient's heart. The pacing lead includes a sensor for measuring the velocity of blood flowing through the coronary sinus. An implantable medical device |
| 6754530 |
Four-chamber pacing system for optimizing cardiac output and determining heart condition |
June 22, 2004 |
| A pacing system and method for providing multiple chamber pacing of a patient's heart, and in particular, pacing programmed for treatment of various forms of heart failure. The system utilizes impedance sensing for determining optimum pacing parameters, e.g., for pacing the left ventricl |
| 6754529 |
Committed ventricular safety pacing |
June 22, 2004 |
| A method and apparatus provides a sensed AV delay and/or a paced AV delay following an atrial sensed event and/or an atrial paced event, respectively. The AV delay is a predetermined time period initiated by the respective occurrence of the atrial sensed event or atrial paced event. A |
| 6754527 |
System and method for reducing noise in an implantable medical device |
June 22, 2004 |
| A system and method for reducing the amount of noise causes by inductive elements within an implantable medical device. In particular, the invention provides a system for gradually initiating and terminating the current flow within inductive elements such as transformers that are used |
| 6752765 |
Method and apparatus for monitoring heart rate and abnormal respiration |
June 22, 2004 |
| An implantable device having enhanced capabilities for monitoring a patient's heart rate and respiration trends over extended periods of time is disclosed. The information collected by the implantable device may be stored and telemetered to an associated external device such as a device |
| 6752155 |
Tactile feedback for indicating validity of communication link with an implantable medical devic |
June 22, 2004 |
| Implantable medical device telemetry is provided between an implantable medical device and an external communication device. The implantable medical device includes a device transmitter and/or a device receiver. The external communication device includes a moveable communication head |
| 6749583 |
Catheter with autoinflating, autoregulating balloon |
June 15, 2004 |
| An autoinflating catheter and balloon assembly having an autoregulating structure to prevent overinflation of the balloon as a result of variable fluid flow rates through the catheter lumen. A tight-fitting elastomeric balloon is provided on the distal end of the catheter body, and the |
| 6749581 |
Variable infusion rate catheter |
June 15, 2004 |
| A medical device known as a catheter is configured with a variable infusion rate to deliver a therapeutic substance such as pharmaceutical compositions, genetic materials, and biologics to treat a variety of medical conditions such as pain, spastisity, cancer, and other diseases in h |
| 6748653 |
Method of making a temporary medical lead having biodegradable electrode mounting pad loaded wit |
June 15, 2004 |
| A method of making a temporary medical electrical lead for pacing or defibrillating a heart of a patient. The method comprises providing at least one electrical conductor having proximal and distal ends; providing an insulating sheath formed of biocompatible material extending over and |
| 6748270 |
Method and system for nodal rhythm detection and treatment |
June 8, 2004 |
| A method and system for nodal rhythm detection and treatment is provided. Detecting consecutive atrial events within a nodal activity window around ventricular events identifies nodal rhythm. Nodal rhythm is treated by calculating and applying a new atrial escape interval adjusted by the |
| 6748260 |
Hand-held surface ECG and RF apparatus incorporated with a medical device |
June 8, 2004 |
| A hand-holdable structure implementing electrodes to enable good skin-electrode contact to acquire ECG readings is disclosed. Specifically, the structure is shaped to enable patients to apply a simple gentle grip to have a reliable skin-electrode contact and to automatically commence |
| 6746481 |
Implatable device including a polyamino acid component |
June 8, 2004 |
| An implantable device for reducing restenosis includes a structure including a polyamino acid component, wherein the polyamino acid component can be in the form of a coating or a film on the structure or it can be an integral part of the structure. |
| 6745079 |
Electrical tissue stimulation apparatus and method |
June 1, 2004 |
| An implantable lead for electrical stimulation of tissue has wire-like extendable members whose tips curl back upon themselves in open tissue spaces to form 2- or 3-dimensional electrodes. The electrodes may be positioned axially or in other directions from the lead body. Traction on |
| 6745076 |
Implantable medical device with autosensitivity algorithm for controlling sensing of cardiac sig |
June 1, 2004 |
| A cardiac pacing system and method incorporate DSP processing and software algorithms for collecting signal amplitude data and noise data, and organizing the data for automatic checking of signal channel gain and signal detection sensitivity. Unfiltered signals are used to obtain values |
| 6745068 |
Automated template generation algorithm for implantable device |
June 1, 2004 |
| A method of generating a template in an implantable medical device for implantation within a patient, and a processor readable medium for performing the method, that includes generating a template corresponding to a supraventricular rhythm of the patient, determining whether the temp |
| 6743831 |
Implantable medical catheter having reinforced silicone elastomer composition |
June 1, 2004 |
| An implantable medical catheter comprising at least one fluid passageway and a cured elastomer composition is disclosed. The cured elastomer composition is obtained by cross-linking an uncured blend composition that comprises an intimately admixed mixture that comprises the following |
| 6743227 |
Intraluminal visualization system with deflectable mechanism |
June 1, 2004 |
| This is a combination method and system for intravascularly accessing and visualizing a body structure. A system is disclosed comprising a sheath, a balloon catheter, and a catheter deflection mechanism. A micro-deflection mechanism, which may be placed into the lumen of devices such as |
| 6743204 |
Implantable drug delivery device with peristaltic pump having retracting roller |
June 1, 2004 |
| An implantable drug infusion device includes a pump tube for holding a liquid to be pumped. A race is configured to support the pump tube. A roller assembly is configured to compress the tube against the race at one or more points along the path, and the roller assembly includes at least |
| 6741893 |
Medical electrical lead having variable bending stiffness |
May 25, 2004 |
| An elongated coronary vein lead having a variable stiffness lead body and most preferably adapted to be advanced into a selected coronary vein for delivering a pacing or defibrillation signal to a predetermined region of a patient's heart, such as the left ventricle is disclosed. A metho |
| 6740076 |
Ultrasonic septum monitoring for implantable medical devices |
May 25, 2004 |
| Methods and systems for monitoring the condition of a septum in an implantable medical device are disclosed. Monitoring of the septum provides the ability to determine whether a needle has pierced the septum to effect the transfer of fluids into or out of a reservoir in the implantab |
| 6740028 |
Method and apparatus for temporarily immobilizing a local area of tissue |
May 25, 2004 |
| The invention is a method and apparatus for performing beating heart surgery, in which a single articulating arm supports multiple suction pods. Once the suction pods are applied to the heart surface, tightening a cable fixes the arm in place. Then, the suction pods may be spread apart |
| 6738671 |
Externally worn transceiver for use with an implantable medical device |
May 18, 2004 |
| An implantable medical device system that includes an implantable medical device, along with a transceiver device that exchanges data with the patient, between the patient and the implantable medical device, and between a remote location and the implantable medical device. A communic |
| 6738670 |
Implantable medical device telemetry processor |
May 18, 2004 |
| An implantable medical device with a main processor also has a telemetry processor to perform some telemetry processing functions resulting under some circumstances in reducing demands on the main processor, conserving energy, increasing telemetry processing speed, and many other advanta |
| 6738667 |
Implantable medical device for treating cardiac mechanical dysfunction by electrical stimulation |
May 18, 2004 |
| An implantable stimulator and monitor measures a group of heart failure parameters indicative of the state of heart failure employing EGM signals, measures of blood pressure including absolute pressure P, developed pressure (DP=systolic P-diastolic P), and/or dP/dt, and measures of heart |
| 6736810 |
Apparatus and method for creating, maintaining, and controlling a virtual electrode used for the |
May 18, 2004 |
| The present invention provides an apparatus and a method for producing a virtual electrode within or upon a tissue to be treated with radio frequency alternating electric current, such tissues including but not limited to liver, lung, cardiac, prostate, breast, and vascular tissues a |
| 6735479 |
Lifestyle management system |
May 11, 2004 |
| A patient monitoring system in cooperation with IMDs provides information, direction and counseling to patients. Specifically, a combination of lifestyle parameters, such as, for example, diet, exercise, weight, medication and environmental factors such as, for example, temperature, UV |
