Patent · US Expired

Cardiac rhythm management system promoting atrial pacing

US6351669B1 · kind B1 · utility

214Cited by
95References
37Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMay 21, 1999
Grant dateFeb 26, 2002
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 21, 2019

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
  • CPC primaryA61N1/3987
  • WIPO fieldMedical technology
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A cardiac rhythm management system includes an atrial pacing preference (APP) filter for promoting atrial pacing. The APP filter includes an infinite impulse response (IIR) or other filter that controls the timing of delivery of atrial pacing pulses. The atrial pacing pulses are delivered at an APP-indicated pacing rate that is typically at a small amount above the intrinsic atrial heart rate. For sensed beats, the APP indicated rate is increased until it becomes slightly faster than the intrinsic atrial heart rate. The APP-indicated pacing rate is then gradually decreased to search for the underlying intrinsic atrial heart rate. Then, after a sensed atrial beat, the APP filter again increases the pacing rate until it becomes faster than the intrinsic atrial rate by a small amount. As a result, most atrial heart beats are paced, rather than sensed. This decreases the likelihood of the occurrence of an atrial tachyarrhythmia, such as atrial fibrillation. The decreased likelihood of atrial tachyarrhythmia, in turn, decreases the likelihood of inducing a ventricular arrhythmia, either as a result of the atrial tachyarrhythmia, or as the result of delivering a defibrillation shock to t…

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