Surgery: light, thermal, and electrical application inventions 11/08

20080294207 - Housing for implantable medical device: An implantable medical device includes a housing having frame with one or more openings. The openings of the frame are covered with a thin metallic foil that is welded to the frame to provide a hermetic seal. Non-conductive members may be placed in or about the openings to provide a... Agent: Campbell Nelson Whipps, LLC

20080294209 - Decongestive therapy titration for heart failure patients using implantable sensor: Assessing decongestive therapy delivered to a heart failure patient involves use of an implantable sensor configured to sense a physiologic parameter indicative of the patient's diuresis status and a processor coupled to the implantable sensor. The sensor may comprise a thoracic fluid sensor, a heart sounds sensor, a cardiac chamber... Agent: Hollingsworth & Funk, LLC

20080294208 - Optimizing energy transmission in a leadless tissue stimulation system: Method and systems for optimizing acoustic energy transmission in implantable devices are disclosed. Transducer elements transmit acoustic locator signals towards a receiver assembly, and the receiver responds with a location signal. The location signal can reveal information related to the location of the receiver and the efficiency of the transmitted... Agent: Townsend And Townsend And Crew, LLP

20080294210 - Leadless implantable cardioverter defibrillator: A leadless implantable cardioverter defibrillator (5) for treatment of sudden cardiac death includes a controller and at least one remote module. The defibrillator does not require transvenous/vascular access for intracardiac lead placement. The controller is leadless and uses subcutaneous tissue in proximity of the chest and abdomen for both sensing... Agent: Blank Rome LLP

20080294211 - Coupled monopolar and multipolar pulsing for conditioning and stimulation: A method and neurostimulation system of providing therapy to a patient is provided. A plurality of electrodes are placed in contact with tissue of a patient, a conditioning pulse is conveyed from the plurality of electrodes in one of a monopolar manner and a multipolar manner, and a stimulation pulse... Agent: VistaIPLaw Group LLP

20080294212 - Trending of systolic murmur intensity for monitoring cardiac disease with implantable device: Described is an implantable device configured to monitor for changes in the intensity and/or duration of a systolic murmur such as mitral regurgitation by means of an acoustic sensor. Such changes may be taken to indicate a change in a patient's heart failure status. Upon detection of a worsening in... Agent: Schwegman, Lundberg & Woessner/bsc-crm

20080294213 - Implantable medical device with therapy control: A method for operating an implantable medical device to obtain substantially synchronized closure of the mitral and tricuspid valves based on sensed heart sounds includes sensing an acoustic energy; producing signals indicative of heart sounds of the heart of the patient over predetermined periods of a cardiac cycle during successive... Agent: Schiff Hardin, LLP Patent Department

20080294214 - Medical device: A method for operating an implantable medical device to control a stimulation therapy includes the steps of: sensing an acoustic energy; producing acoustic signals indicative of heart sounds of the heart of the patient over predetermined periods of a cardiac cycle during successive cardiac cycles; extracting a signal corresponding to... Agent: Schiff Hardin, LLP Patent Department

20080294215 - Implantable cardiac device for reduced phrenic nerve stimulation: Methods and devices for reducing phrenic nerve stimulation of cardiac pacing systems involve delivering a pacing pulse to a ventricle of a heart. A transthoracic impedance signal is sensed, and a deviation in the signal resulting from the pacing pulse may be used to determine phrenic nerve stimulation. Methods may... Agent: Hollingsworth & Funk, LLC

20080294216 - Implantable cardiac stimulator , system, device and method for monitoring cardiac synchrony: In a system and method for monitoring cardiac synchrony in a human heart, a first sensor is positioned at a first cardiac wall location of a heart that is subject to movements related to longitudinal valve plane movements along the longitudinal axis of the heart, and the first sensor measures... Agent: Schiff Hardin, LLP Patent Department

20080294217 - Medical device for monitoring biological signals: A medical device having a sensor for sampling a biological signal, the biological signal representing a signal waveform and forming a waveform vector composed of the biological signal samples, and a memory for storing a least two threshold vectors composed of boundary samples representing at least two boundaries related to... Agent: Intellectual Property Dept. Dewitt Ross & Stevens Sc

20080294218 - Automated optimization of multi-electrode pacing for cardiac resynchronization: One embodiment of the present invention provides a system for automatically optimizing CRT procedures using a multi-electrode pacing lead. During operation, the system performs a first set of iterations to select one or more satellites on one or more pacing leads inserted in a patient. A pacing lead includes a... Agent: Bozicevic, Field & Francis LLP (proteus Biomedical, Inc)

20080294219 - Power management system for an implantable medical device: An implantable medical and related cardiac rhythm management system include a device having a housing, means disposed within the housing for performing a function, and a header operatively associated with the housing, containing a first coil communicating with the means for facilitating a function, wherein the first coil is adapted... Agent: Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge LLP

20080294220 - Feedthrough filter terminal assemblies with breathable components to facilitate leak testing: A feedthrough terminal assembly for an active implantable medical device (AIMD) includes a conductive terminal pin or lead wire which extends through a conductive ground plane of the AIMD in non-conductive relation. A feedthrough capacitor associated with the terminal pin or lead wire has first and second sets of electrode... Agent: Kelly Lowry & Kelley, LLP

20080294221 - Action potential conduction prevention: An example method for selectively and reversibly preventing the conduction of action potentials in a targeted nerve region is presented. The method includes generating an electrical waveform having two phases and selectively depolarizing a nerve membrane using the electrical waveform. The nerve membrane is depolarized to a state where the... Agent: Kraguljac & Kalnay

20080294222 - Apparatus for attachment and reinforcement of tissue, apparatus for reinforcement of tissue, methods of attaching and reinforcing tissue, and methods of reinforcing tissue:

20080294223 - Fitting a neural prosthesis using impedance and electrode height: The invention is a method of automatically adjusting an electrode array to the neural characteristics of an individual subject. The response to electrical neural stimulation varies from subject to subject. Measure of impedance may be used to predict the electrode height from the neural tissue and, thereby, predict the threshold... Agent: Scott B. Dunbar Second Sight Medical Products, Inc.

20080294225 - Video configuration file editor for visual prosthesis fitting and related method: A method of editing a video configuration file downloadable to or from a video processing unit of a fitting system for a visual prosthesis is shown. The visual prosthesis has a plurality of electrodes and the video configuration file defines mapping of a video signal captured from a camera of... Agent: Second Sight Medical Products, Inc.

20080294224 - Visual color prosthesis: The present invention is a visual color prosthesis. The prosthesis creates the perception of a color image by electrically stimulating visual neurons in patterns consistent with the electrically patterns naturally produced by the retina in response to a color image.... Agent: Second Sight Medical Products, Inc.

20080294226 - Short duration pre-pulsing to reduce stimulation-evoked side-effects: A method and neurostimulation system of providing therapy to a patient is provided. At least one electrode is place in contact with tissue of a patient. A sub-threshold, hyperpolarizing, conditioning pre-pulse (e.g., an anodic pulse) is conveyed from the electrode(s) to render a first region of the tissue (e.g., dorsal... Agent: VistaIPLaw Group LLP

20080294227 - Uv light therapy delivery apparatus: An light therapy apparatus is defined to include a UV light source secured to a casing. A shroud is placed over an exposed portion of the UV light source and is secured or attached around the perimeter of the casing end. Since the UV light source can generate a significant... Agent: Adam K. Sacharoff Much Shelist Freed Denenberg Ament&rubenstein,pc

20080294228 - Method and device for controlled stimulation of lymphatic flow: A device and method for controllably augmenting the flow of lymphatic fluid through one or more lymphatic vessels. The device may utilize various means of modulating the flow of lymph, including neural, mechanical and/or chemical stimulation and could be a stand-alone device or be incorporated into any cardiac, neuromodulation and/or... Agent: Schwegman, Lundberg & Woessner, P.A.

20080294229 - Helical electrodes for intramyocardial pacing and sensing: The invention provides for an electrical lead, a steerable sheath and steerable catheter, a sheath and catheter that attach to cardiac tissue via an anchor screw, and a method of pacing, particularly via the atrioventricular septum.... Agent: Fish & Richardson P.C.

20080288007 - Hygienic-therapeutic multiplex devices: Multiplex hygienic-therapeutic devices are based upon plurality energy members arranged in at least one layered structure. The devices comprise energy members including, for example, electromagnetic, sonic, microwave, magnetic, thermal, electric, electrostatic, mechanical, ionic, and ionizing radiation. The use of multiplex hygienic-therapeutic devices with the hygienic and therapeutical substances whose hygienic-therapeutical... Agent: Nixon & Vanderhye, PC

20080288008 - Cardiac stimulation system and method: A cardiac stimulation assembly includes an energy source coupled to an energy emitter that extends form a delivery member into a region of tissue in the heart. An array of the emitters are adapted to extend from a delivery assembly and into unique locations along the region of tissue, such... Agent: Bozicevic, Field & Francis LLP

20080288009 - Self-adjusting ecg morphological feature correlation threshold: An apparatus comprising an implantable cardiac signal sensing circuit configured for sensing an intrinsic cardiac signal, a memory to store a template of a morphology of normal atrial-ventricular conduction, and a controller that includes a tachyarrhythmia detection circuit and a correlation circuit. The tachyarrhythmia detection circuit is configured for detecting... Agent: Schwegman, Lundberg & Woessner, P.A.

20080288011 - Method and article for storing an automatic external defibrillator for use without a prescription: A method and article for storing an automatic external defibrillator for use without a prescription are described. The hermetically sealed electrode pads of the OTC AED are electrically coupled to the OTC AED base unit where they are constantly accessible to self-test circuitry inside the base unit for periodic, automatic... Agent: Philips Medical Systems Philips Intellectual Property & Standards

20080288010 - Subcutaneous diaphragm stimulation device and method for use: A cardiovascular treatment assembly is provided including a cardiac rhythm management device and an electrical stimulation device configured to elicit a diaphragm contraction to thereby treat heart failure.... Agent: Levine Bagade Han LLP

20080288012 - System and method for cardiac rhythm management with synchronized pacing protection period: A device and method for cardiac rhythm management in which a heart chamber is paced in accordance with a pacing mode that employs sense signals from the opposite chamber. A protection period triggered by the sensing of intrinsic activity in the paced chamber is used to inhibit pacing without otherwise... Agent: Schwegman, Lundberg & Woessner/bsc-crm

20080288013 - Pulmonary pressure monitoring: Devices, methods, and systems for determining a systolic pulmonary artery pressure index (PAPi) corresponding to pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) and/or right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP) use lead-based electronic sensors detecting right heart valvular events. Suitable sensors include impedance sensors, accelerometers, cardiomechanical electric sensors, and sonomicrometers.... Agent: Pacesetter, Inc.

20080288014 - Strain reliever for a lead of an implantable heart stimulator: A strain reliever for a lead of an implantable heart stimulator, the lead including at least one cable having an electric conductor, has a body of electrically conducting material in electric contact with the electric conductor. The body is lockable in a position in electric contact with electric circuitry of... Agent: Schiff Hardin, LLP Patent Department

20080288015 - Diaphragm stimulation device and method for use with cardiovascular or heart patients: A method for treating a patient is provided where a sensed cardiac rhythm is used to adjust electrical stimulation that is used to activate a diaphragm to cause contraction. A cardiac rhythm management device in combination with a diaphragm stimulation device is also provided which includes a cardiac stimulation device... Agent: Levine Bagade Han LLP

20080288017 - External baroreflex activation: Methods and systems for external baroreflex activation of a baroreceptor system of a patient from a stimulator external to the patient. The method and devices, enable baroflex therapy on a temporary basis and/or assess the response of a patient to such baroreflex therapy.... Agent: Townsend And Townsend And Crew, LLP

20080288016 - Systems and methods for stimulating neural targets: Disclosed herein, among other things, is a method for stimulating neural targets in the vicinity of a human ear. According to an embodiment, a device is clipped on a patient ear lobe, the device including a neural stimulation electrode. A neural stimulation signal is applied to the electrode to transcutaneously... Agent: Schwegman, Lundberg & Woessner, P.A.

20080288018 - Methods of improving neuropsychological function in patients with neurocognitive disorders: The present invention provides methods of improving neuropsychological function in a patient having a neurocognitive disorder by chemical or electrically modulating a target site(s) in the ventral striatum/ventral capsule region. Methods also include modulating the treatment based on a closed-loop feedback system that measures bodily activities associated with the neuropsychological... Agent: Kenyon & Kenyon LLP

20080288019 - Electrochemical management of pain: The invention features electrochemical methods and devices for the treatment of pain.... Agent: Clark & Elbing LLP

20080288020 - Neuromuscular stimulation: Apparatus for muscle activation, comprising: at least one electrode (138, 140, 142, 144) adapted to deliver a neuromuscular stimulation (NMES) signal to a body portion (146); at least one controller (124) adapted to provide a NMES signal comprising a sequence of stimulation signals to said at least one electrode; and... Agent: Martin D. Moynihan D/b/a Prtsi, Inc.

20080288021 - Device for electrically stimulating biological material: The invention relates to a device for electrically stimulating biological material that can be electrically stimulated. Said device comprises an electrode array which can be implanted so as to be in active contact with the biological material. Said electrode array comprises a two-dimensional arrangement of individual electrodes (Eij) that produce... Agent: Crowell & Moring LLP Intellectual Property Group

20080288022 - Hearing system prostheses: There is disclosed a hearing prosthesis comprising a first housing (11) containing a primary signal processor that receives signals output by a microphone; and a second housing (13) removably connectable to the first housing (11); wherein a user interface (14) is provided on the second housing (13) that provides control... Agent: Connolly Bove Lodge & Hutz LLP

20080288023 - Medical treatment using patient states, patient alerts, and hierarchical algorithms: Systems and methods are described for adjusting the operation of implantable stimulation devices used to provide medical treatment. Several hierarchical algorithms are described which operate according to conditional strategies. In one such strategy semi-automatic therapy adjustment occurs by automatically issuing patient alert messages when selected operations are to occur, and... Agent: John, Michael Sasha

20080288026 - Electro-mechanical connector for thin medical monitoring patch: A device (8) comprises a medical device (10) which includes device electrical contacts (50). A patch (22) includes at least partially conductive first layer (28), which is in direct operative communication with a base surface (18). A patch connector (26) includes electrical contacts (42) being in electrical communication with the... Agent: Philips Intellectual Property & Standards

20080288024 - Medical transceiver device and method: A medical transceiver device for radio-based communication with an implantable medical device has circuitry for transmitting radio-frequency signals to, and/or receiving radio-frequency signals from, the implantable medical device, first and second electrically conductive structures, and an antenna feed network operatively interconnected between the circuitry and the first and second conductive... Agent: Schiff Hardin, LLP Patent Department

20080288027 - Method and apparatus for monitoring ingestion of medications using an implantable medical device: An implantable medical device, such as a pacemaker or implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), is configured to automatically detect ingestion of medications to verify that prescribed medications are taken in a timely manner and at the correct dosage. Briefly, individual pills are provided with miniature radio frequency identification (RFID) devices capable... Agent: Pacesetter, Inc.

20080288025 - Smart charger alignment indicator: Electrical energy is transmitted to charge the implanted medical device, and an electrical parameter (e.g., a steady-state voltage) indicating a rate at which the implanted medical device is charged by the electrical energy is detected. A threshold (e.g., by modifying a stored threshold value) at which the charge strength indicator... Agent: VistaIPLaw Group LLP

20080288029 - System and method for securely exchanging sensitive information with an implantable medical device: A system and method for securely exchanging sensitive information with an implantable medical device is presented. A crypto key stored on an implantable medical device is retrieved by a programmer via a secure short range interface. Sensitive information is encrypted as sensitive data using the crypto key. The encrypted data... Agent: Cascadia Intellectual Property

20080288028 - Variable antenna matching network for an implantable antenna: An implantable medical device can include an implantable antenna for communication with external devices or other internal devices. Changes in the patient's body position, weight, composition or other factors may change the efficiency of the implantable antenna and hinder communication. The disclosed circuit can calculate a value for a matching... Agent: Schwegman, Lundberg & Woessner/bsc-crm

20080288031 - Activity sensing for stimulator control: The disclosure describes a system that measures the distance between one or more electrodes and tissue of a patient, and controls one or more parameters of the stimulation delivered to the tissue by the electrodes based on the measured distance. The system controls the measurement of the distance between the... Agent: Shumaker & Sieffert, P. A.

20080288030 - Method and apparatus for regulating blood volume using volume receptor stimulation: A system delivers stimulation to volume receptors in the cardiovascular system to induce diuresis in a patient suffering volume overload. The system senses a volume signal indicative of a level of fluid retention in the patient's body and controls the delivery of the stimulation using the volume signal. In various... Agent: Schwegman, Lundberg & Woessner, P.A.

20080288032 - Device for uv photo-therapy: Skin disorders such as, for example, atopic dermatitis, dyshidrosis, eczema, lichen planus, psoriasis, and vitiligo, are treated by applying high doses of ultraviolet light to diseased regions of a patient's skin. The dosage exceeds 1 MED as determined for the particular patient and may range from about 1 MED to... Agent: Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear LLP

20080288033 - Heat transfer pad having occlusion-resistant ports: A heat transfer pad includes a bladder and a pad port. The bladder has an outside perimeter, an inner face and an outer face enclosing a bladder interior. The pad port has a tubing segment with a proximal end which extends through the outside perimeter of the bladder into the... Agent: Rodney F. Brown

20080288034 - Convective blanket with discontinuous air flow guides and air flow patterns: A convective blanket has multiple sets of discontinuous bonding strips that bond or attach its upper layer to its lower layer to form a number of air flow guides within the blanket. There is at least one set of substantially parallel discontinuous strips proximate to the air input port of... Agent: Louis Woo Law Office Of Louis Woo

20080288035 - Stimulation device for treating osteoarthritis: A device for providing therapeutic treatment to a body part such as a joint to promote healing of the body part comprises a signal generator for generating a pulsed electromagnetic field based upon a selected treatment mode, a controller for storing the treatment mode and communicating the treatment mode to... Agent: Faegre & Benson LLP Patent Docketing

20080288036 - Flexible circuit electrode array with wire or film support: The disclosure relates to a flexible circuit electrode array comprising: a polymer base layer; metal traces deposited on said polymer base layer, including electrodes suitable to stimulate neural tissue; a polymer top layer deposited on said polymer base layer and said metal traces; and at least one support embedded in... Agent: Second Sight Medical Products, Inc.

20080288037 - Flexible circuit electrode array: A flexible circuit electrode array with more than one layer of metal traces comprising: a polymer base layer; more than one layer of metal traces, separated by polymer layers, deposited on said polymer base layer, including electrodes suitable to stimulate neural tissue; and a polymer top layer deposited on said... Agent: Second Sight Medical Products, Inc.

20080288038 - Method for displaying catheter electrode-tissue contact in electro-anatomic mapping and navigation system: An electrode coupling output system associated with an electrode catheter that provides indication to the physician via the navigation system, concerning the electrical coupling of an electrode, such as an ablative or mapping electrode, with a patient. The indication may be provided by changing the color or other display characteristics... Agent: St. Jude Medical, Atrial Fibrillation Division

20080288039 - Systems and methods for fixating transvenously implanted medical devices: A transvenously implantable medical device (TIMD) includes an electrical lead and a control module. The electrical lead includes one or more electrodes and is adapted for transvenous implantation. The electrical lead is also pre-biased to expand from a collapsed state to an expanded state to mechanically engage an internal wall... Agent: Faegre & Benson, LLP 32469

20080288040 - Implantable lead with a stimulating electrode and a mapping electrode that is electrically disconnectable: An implantable lead for delivering electrical stimuli to a human heart has a stimulating electrode for transmitting electrical stimuli to the myocardium after implantation, and a mapping electrode for use during implantation. The mapping electrode is configured to deliver electrical stimuli to the heart and to sense intrinsic cardiac activity,... Agent: Schiff Hardin, LLP Patent Department

20080281365 - Neural signal duty cycle: A disorder (e.g., obesity) is treated by applying an electrical signal to an autonomic nerve (e.g., a vagus or splanchnic nerve). The treatment includes applying a signal to a nerve of a patient to be treated. The signal has a duty cycle including an ON time during which the signal... Agent: Merchant & Gould PC

20080281366 - Treatment apparatus for applying electrical impulses to the body of a patient: The present invention provides a treatment device for applying electrical impulses to a living body through the skin, for treating a variety of clinical conditions. The device comprises a pair of electrodes for contact with the skin, and a waveform generator for repeatedly generating an AC waveform for applying electrical... Agent: Andrus, Sceales, Starke & Sawall, LLP

20080281368 - Implantable digital device for tissue stimulation: An implantable vagal stimulation device with high-energy efficiency and novel data sensing is provided for use in a wide variety of applications where neural stimulation is required, including human heart rate control. The stimulation device uses low-impedance circuitry and digital waveforms to minimize energy losses, thereby requiring a relatively small... Agent: Quarles & Brady LLP

20080281367 - System and method to determine hemodynamic tolerability: An implantable medical device detects a tachyarrhythmia of a heart. During the detected tachyarrhythmia, the device determines a local myocardial impedance. Using the local myocardial impedance, the device determines whether there is sufficient perfusion to the heart. The device can then either deliver a less aggressive device therapy in response... Agent: Schwegman, Lundberg & Woessner, P.A.

20080281369 - System and method for determining the origin of a sensed beat: A method for monitoring a biological cardiac pacemaker is provided. The method may include stimulating a heart at a region selected for implantation of a biological pacemaker and sensing at least one electrical signal indicative of a cardiac depolarization originating in the region selected for implantation of the biological pacemaker.... Agent: Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner LLP

20080281370 - Apparatus and method for heart failure indication based on heart rate, onset and tachyarrhythmia: An indication of an actual or potential heart failure condition is computed. One example includes monitoring a first heart rate preceding a first onset of a first sinus tachyarrhythmia episode. Upon detecting the first sinus tachyarrhythmia episode, the indication is automatically provided using information about the first heart rate and... Agent: Schwegman, Lundberg & Woessner, P.A.

20080281371 - Method for controlling pacemaker therapy: The present invention includes a method for controlling pacemaker therapy in a patient with an implanted biological pacemaker. The method may include pacing a heart at a predetermined rate using an electronic pacemaker and configuring the pacemaker to periodically enter a biological pacemaker weaning mode. The weaning mode may include... Agent: Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner LLP

20080281372 - Neural stimulation system analyzer: Various embodiments relate to a device to analyze an implantable neural stimulation system that includes an implantable neural stimulation lead for an implantable neural stimulator to be implanted into a patient. Various device embodiments comprise an external housing, a pacing circuit in the housing, and a sensing circuit in the... Agent: Schwegman, Lundberg & Woessner, P.A.

20080281373 - Implantable heart stimulator and method for operation thereof: In an implantable heart stimulator and a method for operation thereof, stimulation pulses are delivered to a heart. The amplitude of the delivered stimulation pulses can be selectively set. For setting the amplitude, threshold searches are performed at selected time intervals. Each threshold search determines a threshold value required for... Agent: Schiff Hardin, LLP Patent Department

20080281375 - Gastrointestinal stimulator device for digestive and eating disorders: A stimulator device for providing stimulation to the gastrointestinal tract of a user including a housing, at least two electrodes, and a pulse generator. The housing has an exterior surface and an interior surface defining a sealed interior space. The housing is constructed of bio-compatible materials and sized and shaped... Agent: Dunlap Codding, P.C.

20080281374 - Method of using a gastrointestinal stimulator device for digestive and eating disorders: Methods of using a stimulator device in the treatment of: gastrointestinal disorders such as dysphagia, gastroesophageal reflux diseases, functional dyspepsia, gastroparesis, postoperative ileus, irritable bowel syndrome, constipation, diarrhea, fecal incontinence, nausea and vomiting; gastrointestinal obstruction or pseudo-obstruction; pain and/or discomfort related to visceral organs; eating disorders, such as obesity, binge... Agent: Dunlap Codding, P.C.

20080281376 - Therapy control using relative motion between sensors: The invention is directed to controlling therapy delivery based on a relative motion between a first and second activity sensor. The relative motion between the activity sensors is representative of the relative motion between the locations of the body of the patient at which the respective activity sensors are located.... Agent: Shumaker & Sieffert, P. A.

20080281377 - Spatial mapping for a visual prosthesis: A visual prosthesis and a method of operating a visual prosthesis are disclosed. Neural stimulation through electrodes is controlled by spatial maps, where a grouped or random association is established between the pixels of the acquired image and the electrodes. In this way distortions from the foveal pit and wiring... Agent: Second Sight Medical Products, Inc.

20080281379 - Activity sensing for stimulator control: The disclosure describes a system that measures the distance between one or more electrodes and tissue of a patient, and controls one or more parameters of the stimulation delivered to the tissue by the electrodes based on the measured distance. The system controls the measurement of the distance between the... Agent: Shumaker & Sieffert, P. A.

20080281378 - Neurological diagnostic and therapeutic system utilizing function-specific modules: e

20080281380 - Medical system with galvanic separation: A medical system with a medical device and with a supply unit. The supply unit is designed to be separably connected to the medical device and to supply the medical device with electric energy without interruption. The medical system has an isolating transformer and a changeover device, wherein the changeover... Agent: Mcglew & Tuttle, PC

20080281381 - Multi-location posture sensing: Techniques for controlling therapy delivery based on the relative orientation and/or motion of a device accelerometer and a lead accelerometer are described. In one embodiment, a therapy system includes an electrical stimulator and a lead. The electrical stimulator comprises a processor that controls delivery of a therapy to a target... Agent: Shumaker & Sieffert, P. A.

20080281382 - Treatment apparatus for applying electrical impulses to the body of a patient: The present invention provides a treatment device for applying electrical impulses to a living body through the skin, for treating a variety of clinical conditions. The device comprises a pair of electrodes for contact with the skin, and a waveform generator for repeatedly generating an AC waveform for applying electrical... Agent: Andrus, Sceales, Starke & Sawall, LLP

20080281383 - Wound management systems and methods for using the same: In one aspect, a wound management system is provided. The wound management system includes a multi-lumen cannula adapted to be disposed in a wound site. The multi-lumen cannula includes (1) a fiber optic light distribution system adapted to irradiate the wound site with light; (2) one or more catheters adapted... Agent: Dugan & Dugan, P.C.

20080281384 - Tanning system with video monitor: A tanning bed or booth including means for generating video images connected to a monitor for displaying video images. The monitor is positioned within an opening through a cover, door or a housing for the bed or booth.... Agent: Paul J. Cook

20080281385 - System and method for phototherapy with semiconductor light-emitting element: A system for phototherapy and a method for phototherapy are disclosed. The system redeems the faults of conventional fluorescent bulb-type phototherapeutic system. Moreover, the system is small size, lightweight and thus portable, and the system renders a topical irradiation for only a diseased portion of skin possible in combination with... Agent: Oliff & Berridge, PLC

20080281386 - Systems and methods for treating body tissue: Devices for treating body tissue. The device includes: an elongated cylindrical guide portion having a distal end and a proximal end; and one or more heat generators securely attached to the elongated guide portion. The heat generators are operative to inductively generate heat energy in response to an electromagnetic field... Agent: Patent Office Of Dr. Chung S. Park

20080281387 - Medical device clamp: A medical instrument device interconnection system decreases the vibrational effects on a hospital pole. The medical device is contained in a case and the case has a first clamping member, a first biasing apparatus, a second clamping member, a second biasing apparatus, and a pole receiving trench. Each clamping member... Agent: Kevin D. Mccarthy Roach Brown Mccarthy & Gruber, P.C.

20080281388 - Method of utilizing an implant for targeting external beam radiation: A novel method of partial breast radiation utilizing a breast implant which can provide a stable and improved target for stereotactic radiation treatment.... Agent: The Intellect Law Group

20080281389 - Methods and devices for treating tissue: The invention provides a system and method for achieving the cosmetically beneficial effects of shrinking collagen tissue in the dermis or other areas of tissue in an effective, non-invasive manner using an array of electrodes. Systems described herein allow for improved treatment of tissue. Additional variations of the system include... Agent: Levine Bagade Han LLP

20080281390 - Magnetostrictive electrical stimulation leads: A medical device lead is presented. The medical device lead includes a lead body, an electrode shaft, and a tip electrode. A magnetostrictive element is coupled to the electrode shaft. The magnetostrictive element comprises either terfenol-D and/or galfenol or any material with sufficient magnetostrictive properties. The magnetostrictive element expands when... Agent: Medtronic, Inc.

20080281391 - Mapping and ablation method for the treatment of ventricular tachycardia: An apparatus for mapping and/or ablating tissue includes a braided conductive member that that may be inverted to provide a ring-shaped surface. When a distal tip of the braided conductive member is retracted within the braided conductive member, the lack of a protrusion allows the ring-shaped surface to contact a... Agent: Wolf Greenfield & Sacks, P.C.

20080281392 - Electrostimulation device and face mask comprising said device: An electrostimulation device comprises at least one shell (2) forming an inner compartment (21) and comprising an opening (22); at least one electrode (3) located at least partly outside the corresponding shell (2) at the opening (22). The device is characterised by the fact that the electrode (3) is connected... Agent: Pearne & Gordon LLP

20080275515 - Apparatus and methods for stimulating tissue: Apparatus and methods for stimulating tissue employing local current imbalance to facilitate more effective stimulation regimens.... Agent: VistaIPLaw Group LLP

20080275513 - Vestibular stimulation system and method: An apparatus and method in which the portions of the labyrinth associated with the labyrinthine sense and/or the nerves associated therewith are stimulated to perform at least one of the following functions: augment or control a patient's respiratory function, open the patient's airway, induce sleep, and/or counteract vertigo. In one... Agent: Michael W. Haas Respironics, Inc.

20080275516 - Method and apparatus for detecting arrhythmias in a medical device: A method and apparatus of updating a sensing parameter in a medical device that includes sensing cardiac signals, determining intervals in response to the sensed cardiac signals, determining interval patterns associated with the determined intervals, and updating the sensing parameter in response to the determined interval patterns.... Agent: Medtronic, Inc.

20080275517 - Method and apparatus for detecting arrhythmias in a medical device: A method and apparatus for determining oversensing in a medical device that includes sensing cardiac signals, determining an oversensing characteristic associated with cardiac signals sensed during a predetermined sensing window, identifying oversensing in response to the oversensing characteristic, determining, in response to oversensing being identified, an adjusting characteristic associated with... Agent: Medtronic, Inc.

20080275520 - Automatic modulation of pacing timing intervals using beat to beat measures: Methods and systems to modulate timing intervals for pacing therapy are described. For each cardiac cycle, one or both of an atrioventricular (A-V) timing interval and an atrial (A-A) timing interval are modulated to oppose beat-to-beat ventricular (V-V) timing variability. Pacing therapy is delivered using the modulated timing intervals.... Agent: Hollingsworth & Funk, LLC

20080275518 - Method and apparatus for detecting arrhythmias in a medical device: A method and apparatus for determining oversensing of cardiac signals that includes a housing containing electronic circuitry, an electrode coupled to the electronic circuitry to sense cardiac signals, and a processor, positioned within the housing, to determine an oversensing characteristic associated with the cardiac signals sensed over a predetermined sensing... Agent: Medtronic, Inc.

20080275519 - Method and apparatus for detecting arrhythmias in a medical device: A method and apparatus for adjusting a sensing parameter in a medical device that includes a sensing electrode sensing cardiac signals, a processor to determine an adjusting characteristic associated with the cardiac signals sensed over a predetermined sensing window, and a control unit to update the sensing parameter in response... Agent: Medtronic, Inc.

20080275521 - Vector switching in an implantable cardiac stimulus system: The implantable cardiac treatment system of the present invention is capable of choosing the most appropriate electrode vector to sense within a particular patient. In certain embodiments, the implantable cardiac treatment system determines the most appropriate electrode vector for continuous sensing based on which electrode vector results in the greatest... Agent: Ari Pramudji Pramudji Wendt & Tran, LLP

20080275522 - Non-captured intrinsic discrimination in cardiac pacing response classification: Cardiac devices and methods discriminate non-captured intrinsic beats during evoked response detection and classification by comparing the features of a post-pace cardiac signal with expected features associated with a non-captured response with intrinsic activation. Detection of a non-captured response with intrinsic activation may be based on the peak amplitude and... Agent: Hollingsworth & Funk, LLC Attention: Stephen C. Jensen

20080275523 - Ring connector for implantable medical devices: An electrical contact for use in the header assembly of an implantable tissue stimulator includes a metal housing having a base and a sidewall where the opening in the base is adapted to receive the terminal of a medical lead therethrough. An electrical contact support member is welded to the... Agent: Schwegman, Lundberg & Woessner/bsc-crm

20080275524 - Implantable electrode arrangement: An implantable electrode arrangement (1) for stimulating excitable tissue, in particular the neosphincter to control urinary incontinence. The electrode is in the form of a extending peg with a pair of electrode elements (2, 3) extending from a base (4). The elements are arranged to fit over the tissue to... Agent: Jones Day

20080275525 - Method and system for regulating respiration by means of simulated action potential signals: A method to regulate respiration generally comprising generating and transmitting at least one simulated action potential signal to the body that is recognizable by the respiratory system as a modulation signal. In a preferred embodiment, the simulated action potential signal includes a positive voltage region having positive voltage (V1) for... Agent: Ralph C. Francis Francis Law Group

20080275526 - Methods and apparatus for effectuating a lasting change in a neural function of a patient, including via mechanical force on neural tissue: Methods and apparatus for effectuating a lasting change in a neural function of a patient, including via mechanical force on neural tissue, are disclosed. An apparatus in accordance with one embodiment includes an implantable force delivery device that is changeable between a first state in which the force delivery device... Agent: Michaud-duffy Group LLP

20080275528 - Electrode array for visual stimulation: The present invention is an electrode array adapted for stimulating the retina to create the perception of vision in blind patients.... Agent: Second Sight Medical Products, Inc.

20080275527 - Retinal prosthesis with a new configuration: Polymer materials are useful as electrode array bodies for neural stimulation. They are particularly useful for retinal stimulation to create artificial vision, cochlear stimulation to create artificial hearing, and cortical stimulation, and many related purposes. The pressure applied against the retina, or other neural tissue, by an electrode array is... Agent: Scott B. Dunbar Second Sight Medical Products, Inc.

20080275529 - Patient interactive neurostimulation system and method: A fully automated computer controlled system is provided for adjustment of neurostimulation implants used in pain therapy and in treating neurological dysfunction which includes a patient interactive computer, and a universal transmitter interface integrally embedded in the patient interactive computer or built into the antenna which is capable of stimulating... Agent: Shumaker & Sieffert, P. A.

20080275530 - Specialty surgical instrument: A metal surgical implant has a first antenna wrapped around an elongated portion, the first antenna electrically coupled with circuitry, all tuned to a frequency below 450 kilohertz. The assembly is substantially sterile. A second antenna may also be wrapped around the elongated portion, also electrically coupled with the circuitry.... Agent: Marina Larson & Associates, LLC

20080275531 - Implantable high efficiency digital stimulation device: An implantable device provides artificial electrical stimulation of animal tissue using a plurality of electrodes. A sensing unit detects a physiological parameter at a stimulation site. A control unit governs the stimulation, in response to the detected physiological parameter, by selecting certain pairs of the electrodes and by defining the... Agent: Quarles & Brady LLP

20080275533 - Display apparatus for providing information and therapeutic light: The invention relates to a light therapy device that may be used in the treatment of various conditions. The light therapy device may include a display screen communicating one or more operating parameters to the user. Furthermore, the light therapy device may include a control system that receives, from a... Agent: Stoel Rives LLP - Slc

20080275532 - Treatment device: A treatment device of the present invention includes: a housing in which an electric component such as a rechargeable battery is incorporated; first and second brush units each having a plurality of brushes and formed of a translucent material; an LED lamp incorporated in a base end part of the... Agent: Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner LLP

20080275514 - Minimal-heart-rate reduction parasympathetic stimulation: A method is provided for treating a subject, including applying a current to a site of the subject selected from the list consisting of: a vagus nerve of the subject, an epicardial fat pad of the subject, a pulmonary vein of the subject, a carotid artery of the subject, a... Agent: Cooper & Dunham, LLP

20080275534 - Method and thermally active multi-phase heat transfer apparatus and method for abstracting heat using liquid bi-phase heat exchanging composition: Apparatus for reducing pain at a joint or at a diseased area in the epithelium comprises a cold pack that produces spaced apart points of cold at the joint or diseased area for an extended period of time of two hours or more.... Agent: Tod R Nissle

20080275535 - Catheter for topical cooling and topical cooling device using the same: Topical cooling of spinal cord, brain, esophagus, etc. can be selectively and continuously carried out under convenient control without causing any changes in internal pressure of spinal cord cavity, brain pressure, etc. by inserting a catheter, which has no hole connecting to the outside and in which a heat-cooling medium... Agent: Sughrue Mion, PLLC