Patent · US Expired

System and method for recognizing pacemaker-mediated tachycardia

US5074308A · kind A · utility

39Cited by
10References
40Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateSep 26, 1990
Grant dateDec 24, 1991
Priority date
Expiry dateSep 26, 2010

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
  • CPC primaryA61N1/3622
  • WIPO fieldMedical technology
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A pacemaker mediated tachycardia (PMT) is detected by circuitry within an implantable pacemaker. The PMT is detected by first detecting a tachycardia condition that includes a prescribed number of consecutive cardiac cycles having a rate faster than a prescribed rate. Each cardiac cycle of the tachycardia condition includes a natural atrial event, i.e., a P-wave, and a paced ventricular event, i.e., a V-pulse generated by a pacemaker. After the prescribed number of such cardiac cycles, e.g., two to ten, a P-V delay in a single cardiac cycle is modified by a first prescribed amount, e.g., 50 milliseconds. The time interval of a V-P interval associated with at least one cardiac cycle preceding the modified P-V delay is then compared to a V-P interval immediately following the modified P-V delay. Only if the difference between the V-P intervals thus measured is less than a second prescribed amount, e.g., 25 milliseconds, is a PMT indicated. If a PMT is indicated, a PMT termination regimen, e.g., extending PVARP, is automatically invoked by the pacemaker for a prescribed number of cardiac cycles, such as one or two cardiac cycles.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.