US4969467A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Pacemaker with improved automatic output regulation
Assignee: Pacesetter Inc
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Filing: 1989-08-07
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Granted: 1990-11-13
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Expires: 2009-08-07
Abstract
Abstract A pacemaker which is provided with an improved automatic regulation circuit which is capable of distinguishing between a fashion beat and loss of capture. The failure to sense an evoked potential following a stimulus may be due to either. The cause is determined by generating a high-energy back-up pulse shortly after the stimulus. Failure to capture by the back-up pulse is an indication that there was just a fusion beat; the sensing of an evoked potential is an indication that the stimulus failed to capture.
Inventors
- 👤 Francis J. Callaghan
- 👤 William Vollmann
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 18:52
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61N; A61N1/00; A61N1/18; A61N1/32; A61N1/36; A61N1/362; A61N1/37; A61N1/371; A61N1/3712; A61N1/365; A61N1/36507; A61N1/3706
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim
94 words
A pacemaker comprising means for generating pacing pulses; means for adjusting the magnitude of said pacing pulses; means for sensing an evoked potential following the generation of a pacing pulse in order to determine if an adjustment is required in the magnitude of said pacing pulses; and means responsive to the failure to sense an evoked potential following the generation of a pacing pulse for increasing the pacing rate so that if said failure was due to a fusion beat, then the next pacing pulse is more likely to result in a heart capture.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
94 words
A pacemaker comprising means for generating pacing pulses; means for adjusting the magnitude of said pacing pulses; means for sensing an evoked potential following the generation of a pacing pulse in order to determine if an adjustment is required in the magnitude of said pacing pulses; and means responsive to the failure to sense an evoked potential following the generation of a pacing pulse for increasing the pacing rate so that if said failure was due to a fusion beat, then the next pacing pulse is more likely to result in a heart capture.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
32 words
A pacemaker in accordance with claim 1 wherein said rate increasing means increases the pacing rate in both of two successive heart cycles responsive to two successive failures to sense evoked potentials.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
28 words
A pacemaker in accordance with claim 1 further including means for controlling the generation of a back-up pacing pulse responsive to the failure to sense an evoked potential.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
38 words
A pacemaker in accordance with claim 3 further including means responsive to the failure to sense an evoked potential following generation of a back-up pacing pulse for determining that the preceding pacing pulse resulted in a fusion beat.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
41 words
A pacemaker in accordance with claim 4 wherein said determining means is further operative, responsive to the sensing of an evoked potential following generation of a back-up pulse, for determining that the preceding pacing pulse resulted in a heart capture failure.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
37 words
A pacemaker in accordance with claim 4 further including means responsive to the sensing of an evoked potential following generation of a back-up pulse for determining that the preceding pacing pulse resulted in a heart capture failure.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
93 words
A method of operating a pacemaker comprising the steps of generating pacing pulses; adjusting the magnitude of said pacing pulses; sensing an evoked potential following the generation of a pacing pulse in order to determine if an adjustment is required in the magnitude of said pacing pulses; and responsive to the failure to sense an evoked potential following the generation of a pacing pulse, increasing the pacing rate so that if said failure was due to a fusion beat, then the next pacing pulse is more likely to result in a heart capture.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
93 words
A method of operating a pacemaker comprising the steps of generating pacing pulses; adjusting the magnitude of said pacing pulses; sensing an evoked potential following the generation of a pacing pulse in order to determine if an adjustment is required in the magnitude of said pacing pulses; and responsive to the failure to sense an evoked potential following the generation of a pacing pulse, increasing the pacing rate so that if said failure was due to a fusion beat, then the next pacing pulse is more likely to result in a heart capture.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
32 words
A method of operating a pacemaker in accordance with claim 7 wherein said rate is increased in both of two successive heart cycles responsive to two successive failures to sense evoked potentials.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
33 words
A method of operating a pacemaker in accordance with claim 7 further including the step of controlling the generation of a back-up pacing pulse responsive to the failure to sense an evoked potential.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
41 words
A method of operating a pacemaker in accordance with claim 9 wherein, responsive to the failure to sense an evoked potential following generation of a back-up pacing pulse, it is determined that the preceding pacing pulse resulted in a fusion beat.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
40 words
A method of operating a pacemaker in accordance with claim 10 wherein, responsive to the sensing of an evoked potential following generation of a back-up pulse, it is determined that the preceding pacing pulse resulted in a heart capture failure.
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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) | 1993-11-12 | 1994-05-14 | 1994-11-13 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1997-11-12 | 1998-05-14 | 1998-11-13 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2001-11-12 | 2002-05-14 | 2002-11-13 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |