Claims
- 1. An arrangement for treatment of rhythm disturbances, especially tachycardia and fibrillation, of a heart, comprising:
a device for detecting the heart rhythm and determining when a fibrillation threshold limit is exceeded; and a therapy device, connected to the heart rhythm detecting device, to begin to treat the fibrillation when the fibrillation threshold limit is exceeded; wherein the heart rhythm detecting device determines whether a redetection threshold limit is still exceeded after the therapy device has treated the fibrillation, the redetection threshold limit being lower than the fibrillation threshold limit and higher than a tachycardia threshold limit, and wherein the therapy device continues to treat the fibrillation as long as the heart rhythm detector determines that the redection threshold limit is exceeded.
- 2. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the therapy device delivers a series of electrical impulses to the heart.
- 3. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein
the heart rhythm detector detects an atrial fibrillation and the therapy device treats the atrial fibrillation.
- 4. The arrangement of claim 2, wherein
the heart rhythm detector detects an atrial fibrillation and the therapy device treats the atrial fibrillation.
- 5. The arrangement of claim 2, wherein
the heart rhythm detector comprises an electrode that is situated in a region of an atrium of the heart to detect the electrical activity thereof, and the therapy device is connected to the atrial electrode to deliver electrical impulses to the atrium.
- 6. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein
the heart rhythm detector detects a ventricular fibrillation and the therapy device treats the ventricular fibrillation.
- 7. The arrangement of claim 2, wherein
the heart rhythm detector detects a ventricular fibrillation and the therapy device treats the ventricular fibrillation.
- 8. The arrangement of claim 3, wherein
the heart rhythm detector detects a ventricular fibrillation and the therapy device treats the ventricular fibrillation.
- 9. The arrangement of claim 4, wherein
the heart rhythm detector detects a ventricular fibrillation and the therapy device treats the ventricular fibrillation.
- 10. The arrangement of claim 5, wherein
the heart rhythm detector detects a ventricular fibrillation and the therapy device treats the ventricular fibrillation.
- 11. The arrangement of claim 6, wherein
the heart rhythm detector comprises an electrode that is situated in a region of a ventricle of the heart to detect the electrical activity thereof, and the therapy device is connected to the atrial electrode to deliver electrical impulses to the ventricle
- 12. The arrangement of claim 7, wherein
the heart rhythm detector comprises an electrode that is situated in a region of a ventricle of the heart to detect the electrical activity thereof, and the therapy device is connected to the atrial electrode to deliver electrical impulses to the ventricle
- 13. The arrangement of claim 8, wherein
the heart rhythm detector comprises an electrode that is situated in a region of a ventricle of the heart to detect the electrical activity thereof, and the therapy device is connected to the atrial electrode to deliver electrical impulses to the ventricle
- 14. The arrangement of claim 9, wherein
the heart rhythm detector comprises an electrode that is situated in a region of a ventricle of the heart to detect the electrical activity thereof, and the therapy device is connected to the atrial electrode to deliver electrical impulses to the ventricle
- 15. The arrangement of claim 10, wherein
the heart rhythm detector comprises an electrode that is situated in a region of a ventricle of the heart to detect the electrical activity thereof, and the therapy device is connected to the atrial electrode to deliver electrical impulses to the ventricle
- 16. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the heart rhythm detector further comprises:
a means to determine a heart activity limit and detect whether the heart activity exceeds the fibrillation threshold limit or the redetection threshold limit.
- 17. The arrangement of claim 2, wherein the heart rhythm detector further comprises:
a means to determine a heart activity limit and detect whether the heart activity exceeds the fibrillation threshold limit or the redetection threshold limit.
- 18. The arrangement of claim 11, wherein the heart rhythm detector further comprises:
a means to determine a heart activity limit and detect whether the heart activity exceeds the fibrillation threshold limit or the redetection threshold limit.
- 19. The arrangement of claim 12, wherein the heart rhythm detector further comprises:
a means to determine a heart activity limit and detect whether the heart activity exceeds the fibrillation threshold limit or the redetection threshold limit.
- 20. The arrangement of claim 13, wherein the heart rhythm detector further comprises:
a means to determine a heart activity limit and detect whether the heart activity exceeds the fibrillation threshold limit or the redetection threshold limit.
- 21. The arrangement of claim 14, wherein the heart rhythm detector further comprises:
a means to determine a heart activity limit and detect whether the heart activity exceeds the fibrillation threshold limit or the redetection threshold limit.
- 22. The arrangement of claim 15, wherein the heart rhythm detector further comprises:
a means to determine a heart activity limit and detect whether the heart activity exceeds the fibrillation threshold limit or the redetection threshold limit.
- 23. The arrangement of claim 16, wherein the heart rhythm detector further comprises:
the heart activity limit-determining means uses at least one of a plurality of heart activity parameters to determine the heart activity limit.
- 24. The arrangement of claim 23, wherein the heart activity parameter used is heart rate.
- 25. The arrangement of claim 23, wherein the heart activity parameter used is instantaneous rate of change in heart rate.
- 26. The arrangement of claim 23, wherein the heart activity parameter used is the difference between auricular activity and heart chamber activity.
- 27. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein:
the heart rhythm detector determines when a tachycardia is occurring, and the therapy device begins to treat the tachycardia when the tachycardia is detected.
- 28. The arrangement of claim 4, wherein:
the heart rhythm detector determines when a tachycardia is occurring, and the therapy device begins to treat the tachycardia when the tachycardia is detected.
- 29. The arrangement of claim 27, wherein
the heart rhythm detector determines that a tachycardia is occurring when the tachycardia threshold limit is exceeded, when the fibrillation threshold rate is exceeded and also when the redetection threshold limit is exceeded.
- 30. The arrangement of claim 28, wherein
the heart rhythm detector determines that a tachycardia is occurring when the tachycardia threshold limit is exceeded, when the fibrillation threshold rate is exceeded and also when the redetection threshold limit is exceeded.
- 31. The arrangement of claim 27, wherein:
the therapy device is designed so that no tachycardia treatment is performed during a fibrillation treatment.
- 32. The arrangement of claim 28, wherein:
the therapy device is designed so that no tachycardia treatment is performed during a fibrillation treatment.
- 33. The arrangement of claim 31, wherein
the heart rhythm detector is designed so that the redetection threshold limit is ignored, when a fibrillation is determined after either a fibrillation or a tachycardia treatment is started.
- 34. The arrangement of claim 32, wherein
the heart rhythm detector is designed so that the redetection threshold limit is ignored, when a fibrillation is determined after either a fibrillation or a tachycardia treatment is started.
- 35. The arrangement of claim 33, wherein
the therapy device treats an observed tachycardia through overdriving at a stimulation frequency.
- 36. The arrangement of claim 34, wherein
the therapy device treats an observed tachycardia through overdriving at a stimulation frequency.
- 37. The arrangement of claim 35, wherein
the therapy device is designed so that the overdriving stimulation frequency is in the range of 10 to 50 beats/minute higher than a frequency of the observed tachycardia.
- 38. The arrangement of claim 36, wherein
the therapy device is designed so that the overdriving stimulation frequency is in the range of 10 to 50 beats/minute higher than a frequency of the observed tachycardia.
- 39. The arrangement of claim 35, wherein
the therapy device is designed so that the overdriving stimulation frequency is increased in the absence of a successful treatment.
- 40. The arrangement of claim 36, wherein
the therapy device is designed so that the overdriving stimulation frequency is increased in the absence of a successful treatment.
- 41. The arrangement of claim 37, wherein
the therapy device is designed so that the overdriving stimulation frequency is increased in the absence of a successful treatment.
- 42. The arrangement of claim 38, wherein
the therapy device is designed so that the overdriving stimulation frequency is increased in the absence of a successful treatment.
Parent Case Info
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 60/411,905 which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
Provisional Applications (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60411905 |
Sep 2002 |
US |