US4550737A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Intravenously implantable electrode lead for use with cardiac pacemakers
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1983-10-12
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Granted: 1985-11-05
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Expires: 2003-10-12
Abstract
Abstract An intravenously implantable electrode lead has a conductor whose rear end portion is connected to the casing of a cardiac pacemaker and whose front end has a stimulation surface. A sleeve-like screw surrounds the conductor immediately behind the stimulation surface and has a soft thread made of silicone rubber or polyurethane. The thread can yield during advancement of the screw through the openings of the trabecular network in the heart, and thereupon expand to reliably hold the stimulation surface in contact with a selected portion of the heart. The thread is continuous or discontinuous and tapers radially outwardly, and its height increases gradually from that end which is nearer to the stimulation surface toward the other end.
Inventors
- 👤 Peter Osypka
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 16:10
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61N; A61N1/00; A61N1/02; A61N1/04; A61N1/05; A61N1/056; A61N1/057
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 20
Claim 1
Independent Claim
166 words
An intravenously implantable electrode lead for transmission of stimuli from a cardiac pacemaker to a selected portion of a patient's heart, comprising elongated flexible conductor means for conducting the stimuli from the pacemaker to the selected portion of the heart, said conductor means having a first end portion adapted to be located nearer to and a second end portion adapted to be located distal from the pacemaker, and said second end portion being provided with a stimulation surface; and means for anchoring the distal end portion of the conductor means in the heart, including a screw consisting at least in part of yieldable soft material and surrounding the distal end portion of the conductor means behind the stimulation surface, said screw comprising a screw thread having a root adjacent to and a tip remote from the distal end portion of the conductor means, and said screw thread tapering in a direction from said root to said tip so that the latter is narrower than said root.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
166 words
An intravenously implantable electrode lead for transmission of stimuli from a cardiac pacemaker to a selected portion of a patient's heart, comprising elongated flexible conductor means for conducting the stimuli from the pacemaker to the selected portion of the heart, said conductor means having a first end portion adapted to be located nearer to and a second end portion adapted to be located distal from the pacemaker, and said second end portion being provided with a stimulation surface; and means for anchoring the distal end portion of the conductor means in the heart, including a screw consisting at least in part of yieldable soft material and surrounding the distal end portion of the conductor means behind the stimulation surface, said screw comprising a screw thread having a root adjacent to and a tip remote from the distal end portion of the conductor means, and said screw thread tapering in a direction from said root to said tip so that the latter is narrower than said root.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
15 words
The electrode lead of claim 1, wherein said soft material is a synthetic plastic substance.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
35 words
The electrode lead of claim 1, further comprising an insulating sheath surrounding said conductor means between said anchoring means and said first end portion and consisting of a material which is inert to body media.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
12 words
The electrode lead of claim 1, wherein aid soft material contains silicone.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
12 words
The electrode lead of claim 1, wherein said soft material contains polyurethane.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
30 words
The electrode lead of claim 1, wherein said screw includes a sleeve surrounding the respective part of said conductor means and having an external surface provided with said screw thread.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
15 words
The electrode lead of claim 6, wherein said sleeve consists of an electrical insulating material.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
13 words
The electrode lead of claim 7, wherein said insulating material contains silicone rubber.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
12 words
The electrode lead of claim 7, wherein said insulating material contains polyurethane.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
12 words
The electrode lead of claim 1, wherein said screw thread is discontinuous.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
23 words
The electrode lead of claim 10, wherein said thread comprises a helically arranged series of projections and has gaps alternating with said projections.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
15 words
The electrode lead of claim 11, wherein said projections have a substantially triangular cross-sectional outline.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
41 words
The electrode lead of claim 11, wherein each of said projections has a pair of end faces flanking the neighboring gaps and each extending at least substantially at right angles to the longitudinal direction of the respective portion of the thread.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
29 words
The electrode lead of claim 11, wherein the width of said gaps, as considered in the longitudinal direction of the thread, equals or approximates the width of said projections.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
69 words
The electrode lead of claim 1, wherein said conductor means has a longitudinally extending passage and said distal end portion has a socket adjacent to one end of said passage; and further comprising a guide wire provided in said passage and having an end portion non-rotatably received in said socket, said stimulation surface being arranged to rotate with said anchoring means in response to rotation of said guide wire.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
35 words
The electrode lead of claim 15, wherein said socket is a transverse slot and said end portion of the guide wire resembles the working end of a screwdriver and is non-rotatably fitted into said slot.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
44 words
The electrode lead of claim 1, wherein said screw thread has a first end adjacent to and a second end remote from said stimulation surface, the height of said thread increasing gradually from at least one of said ends toward the median portion thereof.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
18 words
The electrode lead of claim 1, wherein said screw thread extends along an arc of at least 360°.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
15 words
The electrode lead of claim 1, wherein said stimulation surface is a substantially hemispherical surface.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1988-11-04 | 1989-05-06 | 1989-11-05 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1992-11-04 | 1993-05-06 | 1993-11-05 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1996-11-04 | 1997-05-06 | 1997-11-05 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |