Did You Know...
...that the Eveready Battery began as an invention called the "electric flowerpot," which was a tube with a battery and light bulb inside? The idea was to fasten this gizmo to the side of a flowerpot so it would illuminate the flowers from the bottom. The idea died on the vine and the businessman who licensed the flower pot, Conrad Huber, was left with a pile of useless tubes -- until he found a way to market them as batteries to light the world!
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 6343233 | Medical lead adaptor A medical lead adaptor that provides a rapid, secure, insulated connection of the lead connector end assembly of a cardiac lead having electrodes adapted to be placed in or on the body with an external medical device. The adaptor connector assembly is con... | 01/29/2002 |
| 6263243 | Rate adaptive pacemaker A rate-adaptive pacemaker includes an impedance measuring device for measuring a waveform over time of the intracardial impedance over at least a predetermined portion of one cardiac cycle. An impedance processing device obtains an impedance value from th... | 07/17/2001 |
| 6241726 | Catheter system having a tip section with fixation means A catheter system having a tip section with fixation means for use in treatment of tissues, such as mapping pulmonary veins or ablating tumors in a natural body conduit or cavity by applying RF energy, wherein the catheter system passes through a natural ... | 06/05/2001 |
| 6223078 | Discrimination of supraventricular tachycardia and ventricular tachycardia events A method and system for discrimination of supraventricular tachycardia and ventricular tachycardia events. Morphological features points are extracted from normal sinus rhythm (NSR) complexes and used to generate a NSR template. A numerical convolution is... | 04/24/2001 |
| 6193735 | Combined rotary and axial reciprocating guide wire Apparatus for opening an obstructed region of a patient blood vessel comprising a catheter and guidewire. The guidewire is of sufficient length to extend from a region outside the patient to the obstructed region. The catheter acts as a guide tube support... | 02/27/2001 |
| 6167309 | Method for monitoring end of life for battery A system is described which has a battery, a device which is powered by the battery in an episodic manner, and a charge storage capacitor, the system having a device(s) attached to the charge storage capacitor which is capable of: g) reading the rate of c... | 12/26/2000 |
| 6154672 | Method and apparatus for improving the probability of success of defibrillation shocks A system and method for providing improved defibrillation thresholds. In one embodiment of the invention, following the detection of fibrillation, a pacing pulse train is applied to a pacing electrode placed in the low gradient region of the left ventricu... | 11/28/2000 |
| 6149657 | Insertion tool for placement of a flexible silicone mold or positioner within a cochlea An insertion tool is used to insert an electrode array or positioner into a human cochlea. The insertion tool includes a main body portion (151), a pushing tube (152) slidably engaged within the main body portion so that the pushing tube may assume a retr... | 11/21/2000 |
| 6151524 | Apparatus and method for treating ventricular tachyarrhythmias A system and method for selectively treating a ventricular tachycardia based on sensed atrial and ventricular intervals from the patient's heart. A detection window of the ten most recent atrial and ventricular intervals are analyzed for the occurrence of... | 11/21/2000 |
| 6148228 | System and method for detecting and locating heart disease A method is delineated for detecting and locating coronary artery and heart disease comprising the steps of obtaining electrocardiograph (EKG) signals from a patient, modifying the EKG signals, and establishing a base value for use in evaluating modified ... | 11/14/2000 |
| 6148237 | Cardiac pacemaker lead with swaged distal electrode A cardiac stimulator lead is provided. The cardiac stimulator lead includes a connector for connecting to a cardiac stimulator and a flexible tubular sleeve that has a first end coupled to the connector and a second end. An electrode has a proximal end th... | 11/14/2000 |
| 6144882 | Medical electrical lead A cardiac pacing lead for use in the coronary sinus and coronary veins. The lead is provided with a lead body configured to exhibit a curved configuration along a distal portion thereof, induced to maintain a portion of the curved configuration solely by ... | 11/07/2000 |
| 6144883 | Method of making a cochlear electrode array with electrode contacts on medial side A method of making an implantable electrode array, adapted for insertion into a cochlea, provides stability relative to the electrode contact direction. In-line electrodes are spaced-apart along one side of a flexible carrier. The structure of the electro... | 11/07/2000 |
| 6141585 | Implantable cardiac stimulator with electrode-tissue interface characterization A cardiac stimulator capable of measuring pacing impedance includes a tank capacitor for delivering charge to the heart via device leads, a shunt resistor, and high-impedance buffers for measuring pacing current through the shunt resistor. Soon after the ... | 10/31/2000 |
| 6128534 | Implantable cardiac stimulation device and method for varying pacing parameters to mimic circadian cycles Provided herein are methods and apparatus for automatically adjusting pacing parameters in implantable programmable stimulation devices, such as rate-responsive pacemakers and cardioverter defibrillators. The methods and apparatus provide a circadian vary... | 10/03/2000 |
| 6128529 | Device and method providing pacing and anti-tachyarrhythmia therapies Recognizing that delivery of pacing therapy to a patient may increase the risk of inappropriate delivery of anti-tachyarrhythmia therapy, a modified atrial-based timing device and method delivers pacing and anti-tachyarrhythmia therapy to the patient such... | 10/03/2000 |
| 6120431 | Method for assisting stystolic and diastolic cardiac function The present invention pertains to an apparatus for assisting a patient's heart operation. The apparatus comprises a mechanism for expanding and collapsing a right ventricle free wall of a heart of a patient. The apparatus also comprises a mechanism for po... | 09/19/2000 |
| 6112119 | Method for automatically adjusting the sensitivity of cardiac sense amplifiers Two mechanisms work together to adjust two variables independently so that the gain of an input amplifier used to find physiologic signals in an implantable medical device can be automatically adjusted to enhance the signal to noise ratio of the electrica... | 08/29/2000 |
| 6096062 | Method and apparatus for maintaining a high voltage capacitor in an implantable cardiac device An implantable cardiac device incorporating a processor and a waveform generation circuit incorporating a high voltage capacitor wherein the processor is adapted to charge the capacitor to an initial voltage, less than the peak voltage, and then measure t... | 08/01/2000 |
| 6086527 | System for treating congestive heart failure A system is provided for regulating blood flow to a portion of the vasculature, such as the renal system, in order to treat heart disease. A regulator maintains blood flow so as to control physiological feedback responses in order to relieve overload cond... | 07/11/2000 |
| 6083252 | Techniques for adjusting the locus of excitation of electrically excitable tissue The locus of electrically excitable tissue where action potentials are induced can be controlled using the physiological principle of electrotonus. A first pulse having a first amplitude and a first pulse width is applied to a first electrode adapted to b... | 07/04/2000 |
| 6083250 | Apparatus and method for inhibiting lesion formation by selectively treating the prodromal stage of the lesion with a pulsatile electrical stimulation An apparatus and method for preventing the formation of a herpes lesion by applying an electrical stimulation to the prodromal herpes lesion. The electrical stimulation apparatus is configured to be small enough to be hand portable and, preferably, concea... | 07/04/2000 |
| 6078841 | Flexible positioner for use with implantable cochlear electrode array A tapered, flexible positioner, typically molded in a curved or hooked shape from a silicone polymer, is adapted to be inserted into the scala tympani duct of a human cochlea so as to position or force an electrode array, also inserted into the scala tymp... | 06/20/2000 |
| 6067469 | Method and system for detecting dislodgment of an implanted right atrial endocardial lead using a sensing period derived from a ventricular lead A system and method are provided for detecting dislodgment of a right atrial endocardial lead implanted within a heart right atrium wherein the lead includes an electrode. Heart activity of the right ventricle of the heart and heart activity with the endo... | 05/23/2000 |
| 6066085 | Single chamber blood pump A blood pump apparatus can include a pump housing having a drive chamber containing a drive mechanism. A cupped member can be connected to the housing and the drive mechanism can include a motor for rotating an eccentric shaft. A pumping arm can be provid... | 05/23/2000 |
| 6059739 | Method and apparatus for deflecting a catheter or lead An apparatus for deflecting a catheter or lead, for example a deflectable stylet or guidewire. The device includes an outer tubular member, a tension member mounted within the outer tubular member and coupled to the outer member and a handle mounted at th... | 05/09/2000 |
| 6058329 | Optimization of pacing parameters based on measurement of acoustic noise Hemodynamic performance of the heart as a pump is optimized by using an accelerometer and signal processing circuitry to measure total acoustic noise (TAN) over predetermined time periods when a pacemaker is made to function in a variety of modes. By dete... | 05/02/2000 |
| 6058326 | Method and apparatus for cardiac pacing in accordance with multiple pacing therapy features A method and apparatus for the simultaneous administration of multiple pacing therapies in which two or more pacing features which operate to cause the dynamic adjustment of a common operational parameter of a pacing system are activatable at the same tim... | 05/02/2000 |
| 6055456 | Single and multi-polar implantable lead for sacral nerve electrical stimulation An implantable medical lead for stimulation of the sacral nerves comprises a lead body which includes a distal end and a proximal end, and the distal end having at least one electrode contact having a length of between 0.10 and 1.50 inches extending longi... | 04/25/2000 |
| 6052625 | Extractable implantable medical lead A medical electrical lead with a tip-ring assembly optimized to resist damage during extraction. The lead includes an elongated plastic tube and at least two elongated conductors mounted in the plastic tube. A tip-ring assembly is mounted to the distal en... | 04/18/2000 |
| 6051017 | Implantable microstimulator and systems employing the same Improved implantable microstimulators covered with a biocompatible polymeric coating in order to provide increased strength to the capsule thereof and to capture fragments of the microstimulator should it become mechanically disrupted and to make the micr... | 04/18/2000 |
| 6047206 | Generation of localized cardiac measures A subject suspected of experiencing a myocardial infarction is monitored by applying sensors to the subject, where the sensors are configured to produce electrical signals representative of cardiac activity of the subject. Electrical signals are received ... | 04/04/2000 |
| 6044298 | Optimization of pacing parameters based on measurement of integrated acoustic noise Hemodynamic performance of the heart as a pump is optimized by using an accelerometer and signal processing circuitry to measure total acoustic noise (TAN) over predetermined time periods when a pacemaker is made to function in a variety of modes. By dete... | 03/28/2000 |
| 6044297 | Posture and device orientation and calibration for implantable medical devices A method of and apparatus for determining the physical posture of a patient's body, having a superior-inferior body axis, an anterior-posterior body axis and a lateral-medial body axis, in relation to earth's gravitational field. A medical device having f... | 03/28/2000 |
| 6041259 | Externally worn medical device A medical device, such as a TENS unit, includes a case and a cover which are pivotally connected. The cover is attached to a patient's clothing by a clip. When the cover and case are in a closed position, a control panel having a display and inputs is pos... | 03/21/2000 |
| 6038484 | Cochlear electrode with modiolar-hugging system including a flexible positioner An electrode system includes (1) an electrode array, made in a straight or curved shape, but made on a flexible carrier so that it can easily bend within a curved body cavity, such as the cochlea; and (2) a flexible positioner, typically molded in a curve... | 03/14/2000 |
| 6038481 | Medical lead adaptor A medical lead adaptor that provides a rapid, secure, insulated connection of the lead connector end assembly of a cardiac lead having electrodes adapted to be placed in or on the body with an external medical device. The adaptor connector assembly is con... | 03/14/2000 |
| 6038479 | Medical lead adaptor A medical lead adaptor that provides a rapid, secure, insulated connection of the lead connector end assembly of a cardiac lead having electrodes adapted to be placed in or on the body with an external medical device. The adaptor connector assembly is con... | 03/14/2000 |
| 6032074 | Method and apparatus for improving the function of sensory cells A method and system for enhancing the function of sensory cells. The method includes locating a sensory cell area associated with the sensory cell whose function is to be enhanced, and inputting a bias signal to the sensory cell area. The system includes ... | 02/29/2000 |
| 6026326 | Apparatus and method for treating chronic constipation An anticonstipation apparatus, and method, that may include using an implanted stimulus generator that may supply electrical stimuli to the muscles associated with a target portion of the patient's gut, from the esophagus to the anus, through an electrica... | 02/15/2000 |
