Switched capacitor defibrillation circuit

Abstract

A defibrillator circuit for generating a rectangular waveform across a patient from capacitively stored energy and employing a plurality of capacitors initially chargeable to a common voltage and thereafter sequentially switchable into parallel relation with one another so as to raise the voltage supplied to an H-bridge circuit from a point of decay back to said common voltage.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0003] The subject invention relates to electronic circuitry and particularly to circuitry having applications in defibrillating apparatus.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0004] Defibrillation/cardioversion is a technique employed to counter arrhythmic heart conditions including some tachycardias in the atria and/or ventricles. Typically, electrodes are employed to stimulate the heart with electrical impulses or shocks, of a magnitude substantially greater than pulses used in cardiac pacing. Because current density is a key factor in both defibrillation and pacing, implantable devices may improve what is capable with the standard waveform where the current and voltage decay over the time of pulse deliver. Consequently, a waveform that maintains a constant current over the duration of delivery to the myocardium may improve defibrillation as well as pacing.

[0005] Defibrillation/cardioversion systems include body implantable electrodes that are connected to a hermetically sealed container housing the electronics, battery supply and capacitors. The entire system is referred to as implantable cardioverter/defibrillators (ICDs). The electrodes used in ICDs can be in the form of patches applied directly to epicardial tissue, or, more commonly, are on the distal regions of small cylindrical insulated catheters that typically enter the subclavian venous system, pass through the superior vena cava and, into one or more endocardial areas of the heart. Such electrode systems are called intravascular or transvenous electrodes. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,603,705, 4,693,253, 4,944,300, 5,105,810, the disclosures of which are all incorporated herein by reference, disclose intravascular or transvenous electrodes, employed either alone, in combination with other intravascular or transvenous electrodes, or in combination with an epicardial patch or subcutaneous electrodes. Compliant epicardial defibrillator electrodes are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,567,900 and 5,618,287, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. A sensing epicardial electrode configuration is disclosed in U.S. Pat No. 5,476,503, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0006] In addition to epicardial and transvenous electrodes, subcutaneous electrode systems have also been developed. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,342,407 and 5,603,732, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference, teach the use of a pulse monitor/generator surgically implanted into the abdomen and subcutaneous electrodes implanted in the thorax. This system is far more complicated to use than current ICD systems using transvenous lead systems together with an active can electrode and therefore it has no practical use. It has in fact never been used because of the surgical difficulty of applying such a device (3 incisions), the impractical abdominal location of the generator and the electrically poor sensing and defibrillation aspects of such a system.

[0007] Recent efforts to improve the efficiency of ICDs have led manufacturers to produce ICDs which are small enough to be implanted in the pectoral region. In addition, advances in circuit design have enabled the housing of the ICD to form a subcutaneous electrode. Some examples of ICDs in which the housing of the ICD serves as an optional additional electrode are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,133,353, 5,261,400, 5,620,477, and 5,658,321 the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0008] ICDs are now an established therapy for the management of life threatening cardiac rhythm disorders, primarily ventricular fibrillation (V-Fib). ICDs are very effective at treating V-Fib, but are therapies that still require significant surgery.

[0009] As ICD therapy becomes more prophylactic in nature and used in progressively less ill individuals, especially children at risk of cardiac arrest, the requirement of ICD therapy to use intravenous catheters and transvenous leads is an impediment to very long term management as most individuals will begin to develop complications related to lead system malfunction sometime in the 5-10 year time frame, often earlier. In addition, chronic transvenous lead systems, their reimplantation and removals, can damage major cardiovascular venous systems and the tricuspid valve, as well as result in life threatening perforations of the great vessels and heart. Consequently, use of transvenous lead systems, despite their many advantages, are not without their chronic patient management limitations in those with life expectancies of >5 years. The problem of lead complications is even greater in children where body growth can substantially alter transvenous lead function and lead to additional cardiovascular problems and revisions. Moreover, transvenous ICD systems also increase cost and require specialized interventional rooms and equipment as well as special skill for insertion. These systems are typically implanted by cardiac electrophysiologists who have had a great deal of extra training.

[0010] In addition to the background related to ICD therapy, the present invention requires a brief understanding of a related therapy, the automatic external defibrillator (AED). AEDs employ the use of cutaneous patch electrodes, rather than implantable lead systems, to effect defibrillation under the direction of a bystander user who treats the patient suffering from V-Fib with a portable device containing the necessary electronics and power supply that allows defibrillation. AEDs can be nearly as effective as an ICD for defibrillation if applied to the victim of ventricular fibrillation promptly, i.e., within 2 to 3 minutes of the onset of the ventricular fibrillation.

[0011] AED therapy has great appeal as a tool for diminishing the risk of death in public venues such as in air flight. However, an AED must be used by another individual, not the person suffering from the potential fatal rhythm. It is more of a public health tool than a patient-specific tool like an ICD. Because >75% of cardiac arrests occur in the home, and over half occur in the bedroom, patients at risk of cardiac arrest are often alone or asleep and can not be helped in time with an AED. Moreover, its success depends to a reasonable degree on an acceptable level of skill and calm by the bystander user.

[0012] What is needed therefore, especially for children and for prophylactic long term use for those at risk of cardiac arrest, is a combination of the two forms of therapy which would provide prompt and near-certain defibrillation, like an ICD, but without the long-term adverse sequelae of a transvenous lead system while simultaneously using most of the simpler and lower cost technology of an AED. What is also needed is a cardioverter/defibrillator that is of simple design and can be comfortably implanted in a patient for many years.

[0013] Moreover, it has appeared advantageous to the inventor to provide the capability in such improved circuitry to produce a defibrillating waveform which includes a defibrillating pulse approximating a rectangular pulse. Such a pulse is advantageous, for example, because it can approximate a constant current density across the heart.

SUMMARY

[0014] According to the invention, circuitry is provided for enabling the generation of an approximation of a rectangular waveform from energy stored in energy storage devices such as a capacitor.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] For a better understanding of the invention, reference is now made to the drawings where like numerals represent similar objects throughout the figures and wherein:

[0016] FIG. 1 is an electrical circuit schematic of an illustrative embodiment of the invention.

[0017] FIG. 2 is a waveform diagram illustrative of operation of the circuit of FIG. 1.

[0018] FIG. 3 is a waveform diagram illustrative of operation of the circuit of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

[0019] An illustrative embodiment is shown in FIG. 1. The illustrative embodiment includes an H bridge circuit 13 and a drive circuit 15 for supplying voltage or energy to the H bridge circuit 13.

[0020] The H bridge circuit 13 may be of conventional form, including first and second high side switches H1, H2 and first and second low side switches L1, L2. The switches H1, H2; L1, L2 may be manipulated to appropriately and selectively apply a voltage present at junction 17 across a patient indicated by a patient resistance RPAT. The H bridge circuit 13 may also include features disclosed in co-pending applications filed herewith on behalf of inventor Alan H. Ostroff and entitled Defibrillation Pacing Circuitry and Simplified Defibrillator Output Circuit.

[0021] The drive circuit 15 of FIG. 1 includes a plurality of energy storage devices in the illustrative form of four capacitors C1, C2, C3, C4. Across each capacitor C1, C2, C3, C4 is connected a respective secondary l1, l2, l3, l4 of a transformer T1. The primary of the transformer T1 is switchable via a switch SW2 to connect to a source of D.C. voltage Vs, e.g., a battery.

[0022] The first capacitor C1 has a first terminal connected to ground and a second terminal in common with the junction 17. The second terminal of the capacitor C1 is further connected to the cathode of a diode D1, whose anode is connected to a first terminal of the first secondary winding l1. The remaining capacitors C2, C3, C4 have second terminals which are switchable via respective switches SW2, SW3, SW4 to establish or remove electrical connection to the junction 17. The respective first terminals of the capacitors C2, C3, C4 are connected to respective switches SW5, SW6, SW7 which can be selectively operated to connect those respective first terminals to ground. The respective second terminals of the capacitors C2, C3, C4 are connected to the respective cathodes of respective diodes D2, D3, D4. The respective anodes of the diodes D2, D3, D4 are connected to respective first terminals of the secondary windings l2, l3, l4, whose second terminals are connected to ground.

[0023] In illustrative operation of the circuit of FIG. 1, the capacitors C1, C2, C3, C4 are charged to a common voltage level V. Next, the high side switch H1 and the low side switch L2 are closed while H2 and L2 are open, thereby connecting the voltage on the capacitor C1 across the patient resistance RPAT.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 2, the voltage across the patient is initially VPAT and decays with a time constant RC1 for a selected time period up to a point in time denoted t1 in FIG. 2. At time t1, a switching signal Φ2 (FIG. 3) is activated to close the switch SW2. The patient voltage VPAT initially rises back up to its original value and then begins to decay with a time constant equal to R(C1+C2). At a selected time t2, a switching signal Φ3 is activated, closing the switch SW3 and connecting the voltage across the capacitor C3 to the junction 17. As shown in FIG. 2, the patient voltage again rises to VPAT and thereafter begins to decay with a time constant equal to R(C1+C2+C3). Then, at time t3, the switching signal Φ3 is activated, closing the switch SW4, thereby applying the voltage across the capacitor C4 and to the junction 17, again resulting in the voltage VPAT rising back to its initial value and thereafter decaying with a time constant R(C1+C2+C3+C4). Finally, at time t4, the switches H1, L2 are opened, thereby terminating the first phase of the waveform.

[0025] If desired, these switches H1, L2 may then be closed to produce a conventional second phase 19 of a biphasic waveform. This waveform drops to a voltage VPAT1 and then decays with a time constant determined by the patient resistance RPAT and the effective value of the parallel capacitors C1, C2, C3, C4. An inverted biphasic waveform may also be produced by first activating H2 and L1.

[0026] It will be observed that circuitry according to the preferred embodiment produces an approximation to a square or rectangular pulse. The times t1, t2, t3, t4 can easily be adjusted to further control the shape of the waveform, for example, such that ΔV remains constant for each interval of decay despite the change in time constants each time an additional capacitor, e.g., C2, C3, C4, is switched into the current. Additionally, the number of parallel capacitors, e.g., C1, C2, C3, etc., may be more or less than the number depicted in FIG. 1, a particularly useful range being two to seven.

[0027] While the present invention has been described above in terms of specific embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. On the contrary, the following claims are intended to cover various modifications and equivalent methods and structures included within the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising: an H-bridge circuit adapted to be connected to a patient; and a drive circuit connected to said H-bridge circuit and including a plurality of energy storage devices and a plurality of switches, the switches enabling each energy storage device to be charged to a common voltage and thereafter sequentially connected to supply a drive voltage to said H-bridge circuit.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each of said energy storage devices comprises a capacitor.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein each capacitor is selectively couplable across a transformer secondary winding to enable charging each said capacitor to said voltage.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein four capacitors are employed, each chargeable to a common voltage and each switchable into a parallel configuration with one or more of the remaining capacitors.

5. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the time of switching of each of said plurality of capacitors is selected such that an approximation of a rectangular voltage wave is applied across said patient.

6. An apparatus of claim 5 wherein a plurality of switches are controlled so as to produce a negative going phase of a biphasic waveform after application of said approximation of a rectangular voltage.

7. The apparatus comprising: first and second switches adapted to be connected across a patient resistance and activatable when so connected to deliver a current to said patient in response to application of a voltage to said first and second switches; and means including a plurality of capacitor means switchable into parallel relation with one another for applying an approximation of a rectangular voltage waveform to said first and second switches.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said first and second switches comprise part of an H-bridge circuit.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said waveform rises to a first voltage level, decays for a selected time interval and thereafter experiences a second rise to said first voltage level and decays for a second selected time interval.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said second rise and second decay are caused by switching of a second capacitor into parallel connection with a first of said plurality of capacitors.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said means includes a plurality of switches selectively activated to create said parallel connection.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said decay is a function of a time constant including a value which is the sum of the value of said first and second capacitors.

13. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said means includes at least four capacitors and a plurality of switches permitting said capacitors to be selectively coupled into a plurality of parallel combinations.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein said capacitors are selectively coupled so as to create a plurality of decays proportional respectively to C1, C1+C2, C1+C2+C3, and C1+C2+C3+C4 where C1, C2, C3, and C4 represent the respective values of said four capacitors.

15. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein each capacitor is selectively couplable across a transformer secondary winding to enable charging each said capacitor to said voltage.

16. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein four capacitors are employed, each chargeable to a common voltage and each switchable into a parallel configuration with one or more of the remaining capacitors.

17. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein first and second switches form part of an H-bridge circuit.

18. A method of generating a drive signal for use in delivering a defibrillating signal to a patient comprising the steps of: charging each of a plurality of capacitors to a common voltage; applying the voltage on a first of said capacitors to create said drive signal; and selectively connecting at least one of the remaining said plurality of capacitors in parallel with said first capacitor.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein each of said remaining capacitors is selectively coupled into a parallel configuration with one or more of the other capacitors.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein each of said capacitors is sequentially coupled into said parallel configuration.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein the timing of coupling of each successive capacitor into said parallel configuration is selected such that said drive signal approximates a rectangular pulse.

22. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the number of capacitors is in the range of two to seven.

23. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the number of capacitor means is in the range of two to seven.

24. The method of claim 18 wherein the number of capacitors is in the range of two to seven.

25. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said H-bridge circuit and said drive circuit form part of a subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillator.

26. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said first and second switches and said means form part of a subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillator.

27. The method of claim 18 wherein said method is performed in a subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillator.