Implantable dynamic pressure transducer system

Claim 2

An implantable dynamic pressure and motion transducer system for use in an implantable medical device comprising: a force responsive transducer for converting a physiological signal into a corresponding electrical signal; buffer amplifier means, receiving said transducer electrical signal, and producing an amplified output signal; clock means for generating energizing pulses coupled to said buffer amplifier for periodically activating said buffer amplifier; and signal recovery means responsive to said output signal for recovering a signal corresponding to said physiological signal.

Claim 3

The implantable dynamic pressure and motion transducer system of claim 1 further including: a hermetic sensor capsule for containing said force transducer and said buffer amplifier; a hermetic device can for containing said signal recovery means and additional signal utilization circuitry; and a lead system for interconnecting said sensor capsule and said device can.

Claim 4

The implantable dynamic pressure and motion transducer of claim 1 or 2 wherein: said buffer amplifier comprises a field effect transistor (FET) operated in voltage-follower configuration with said transducer signal applied to the gate of said FET.

Claim 5

The. implantable dynamic pressure and motion transducer of claim 3 including a pacing pulse generator for stimulating a body organ, having at least one pacing terminal for delivering simulating energy to said organ, and wherein the drain connection of said FET is in common with one pacing terminal.

Claim 6

An implantable pacer system having an implantable dynamic pressure and motion transducer comprising: a force responsive transducer for converting a physiological force signal into a corresponding electrical signal, said transducer being incorporated in a transducer capsule incorporated in turn in a lead body for placement in cardiac tissue; buffer amplifier means adapted to receive said electrical signal, and producing an amplified output signal, said buffer amplifier means being incorporated in said transducer capsule; clock means for generating energizing pulses coupled to said buffer amplifier for periodically activating said buffer amplifier, said clock means being incorporated in said implantable pacer; and signal recovery means responsive to said output signal for recovering a signal corresponding to said physiological signal, said signal recovery means being incorporated in said implantable pacer.

Claim 7

An implantable pacer system having an implantable dynamic pressure and motion transducer comprising: a force responsive transducer for converting a physiological force signal into a corresponding electrical signal, said transducer being incorporated in a transducer capsule incorporated in turn in a lead body for placement in cardiac tissue; buffer amplifier means adapted to receive said electrical signal, and producing an amplified output signal, said buffer amplifier means being incorporated in said transducer capsule; clock means for generating energizing pulses coupled to said buffer amplifier for periodically activating said buffer amplifier, said clock means being incorporated in said implantable pacer; and signal recovery means responsive to said output signal for recovering a signal corresponding to said physiological signal, said signal recovery means being incorporated in said implantable pacer.

Claim 8

The pacer system of claim 5 wherein said lead body includes: multiple conductors embedded in a flexible body-inert material, said conductors being electrically connected to said transducer capsule to couple it to said implantable pacer.

Claim 9

The pacer system of * claim 5 or 6 wherein said lead body positions said transducer capsule in cardiac tissue to monitor the motion of the cardiac tissue.

Claim 10

The pacer system of claim 5 or 6 wherein said lead body positions said transducer capsule remote from cardiac tissue to monitor intracardiac pressure variations.

Claim 11

The pacer system of any of claims 5 to 8 wherein said buffer amplifier is configured to provide full bandwidth pressure information to said signal recovery means.

Claim 12

The pacer system of any of claims 5 to 8 wherein said buffer amplifier is configured to provide the time derivative of said physiological force signal to said signal recovery means.