Electrode for atrial pacing with curved end for atrial wall engagement

Claim 1

Electrode apparatus of the intravascular type for use with devices for electrically stimulating the heart of a patient, said apparatus including at least one long, thin, flexible electrical conductor, an electrically-insulating flexible catheter enclosing said conductor, there being an electrically non-conducting material forming an outer wall of said catheter, said conductor having one end extending through the exterior surface of said catheter to permit electrical contact between said heart and said conductor near one end of said conductor, and catheter curveholding means carried by said outer wall adjacent said end and substantially parallel to and secured along substantially its entire length to the catheter for normally urging said catheter in a curve near said end, the configuration of said curve arranged to be curved-over and supported by a wall of an atrium moving in response to the beating of said heart and being suitable for causing electrical contact to be maintained between said conductor and said atrium, and where said catheter curveholding means further includes torsion means for maintaining an axial restoring torque on said catheter at said end to encourage said curve to be planar.