Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for stimulating a heart

US5395397A · kind A · utility

50Cited by
6References
16Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateSep 9, 1993
Grant dateMar 7, 1995
Priority date
Expiry dateSep 9, 2013

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
  • CPC primaryA61N1/368
  • WIPO fieldMedical technology
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A heart stimulator is disclosed which is capable of sensing and stimulating both the atrium and ventricle in a heart such a way that a ventricular stimulation pulse is emitted either after a stimulated or spontaneous atrial event following the atrioventricular interval, or after the expiration of a minimum synchronous interval following a stimulated or spontaneous ventricular event, depending on which interval elapses last. The functioning of the heart stimulator, when the atrium's spontaneous rate is faster than a stimulation rate corresponding to the minimum synchronous interval, is improved by delivering an extra atrial stimulation pulse at a second predetermined atrioventricular interval before the next ventricular stimulation pulse, if the interval between the most recently detected atrial event and the next ventricular stimulation pulse exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

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