A blog about what is new (and old) in the world of active implantable medical devices

Category Archives: Therapies

AIMDs classified according to general type of therapy

Cameron Health’s Leadless Implantable Defibrillator

Posted on by Posted in Cameron Health, Cardioversion/Defibrillation, Tachycardia

Cameron Health's subcutaneous defibrillatorCameron Health was founded in 2000 in San Clemente, CA to develop a leadless implantable defibrillator.

The device does not require a lead to be implanted into the heart. Instead, the device has a lead that is tunneled beneath the skin from the upper left chest below the level of the clavicle to the level of about the breast, then tunneled laterally to the side of the chest beneath the arm. The device uses the subcutaneous lead to sense the heart rhythm and can detect rapid arrhythmias from the surface ECG created between the lead electrode and the can of the device. Its maximum shocking output is 80 joules. Continue reading→

EBR System’s Wireless Pacemaker

Posted on by Posted in Bradycardia, Cambridge Consultants, Cardiac Pacing, EBR Systems, Heart Failure (CHF), Ultra-Low-Power ICs, Ultrasonic Transducers, Wireless Power Transmission

EBR Systems, Inc., founded in 2003 and headquartered in Sunnyvale, CA, is developing the WiCS® Wireless Cardiac Stimulation technology to eliminate cardiac pacing leads, historically a major source of complications and reliability issues.  The startup was spun out of research by founder Debra Echt, a former professor of medicine and a cardiologist at Vanderbilt University. Continue reading→

Nanostim’s Leadless Pacemaker

Posted on by Posted in BetaBatt, Bradycardia, Cardiac Pacing, EBR Systems, Medtronic, Nanostim, Nuclear Batteries

Nanostim's leadless pacemakerNanostim is an early-stage AIMD company in Milpitas, CA that is developing a pacemaker that can be implanted inside the heart through a catheter.  The tiny device is attached directly to the heart, eliminating the need for leads.

In May 2011 Nanostim announced that St. Jude Medical had made a substantial investment in the company.

The company is operating in stealth mode, but some details about the leadless pacemaker have emerged from Nanostim’s patents and patent applications.  An interesting detail is about the possible use of a betavoltaic power source: Continue reading→

American Optical’s Nuclear Pacemaker (1970’s)

Posted on by Posted in American Optical (1965-1975), Bradycardia, Cardiac Pacing, History, Museum, Nuclear Batteries

American Optical Nuclear Pacemaker

Barouh Berkovits at American Optical Co of Boston, MA designed the first “Demand Pacemaker” – what we now know as a VVI pacemaker.  As other companies in the 1970s, American Optical developed a nuclear-battery-powered version of their pacemaker.

American Optical used a 3Ci Pu-238 Radioisotope Thermal Generator (RTG) produced by Fred Hittman’s Hittman Nuclear Development Corp. (Model NB-200).  It consisted of a tiny 8 Ci slug of metallic Plutonium 238 (Pu-238). The radiation produced by the Pu-238 bombarded the walls of its container, producing heat that a thermopile then converted to an electrical current. A thermopile is a stack of thermocouples, which are devices that convert thermal energy directly into electrical energy using Seebeck effect. The thermocouple was made of two kinds of metal (or semiconductors) connected to each other in a closed loop. If the two junctions are at different temperatures, an electric current will flow in the loop. Continue reading→

Arco Medical’s Nuclear-Powered Pacemaker (ca.1974)

Posted on by Posted in Arco Medical (1969-1980), Cardiac Pacing, History, Museum, Nuclear Batteries
Arco pacemaker powered by a plutonium 238 RTG

Image Credit: Arco Medical Products Co. (1974)

An isotopic thermoelectric generator was developed in the US by Numec Corporation under a contract from the US Atomic Energy Commission and sold for $3,200 (back in 1974). The thermopile consisted of doped bismuth telluride pairs that were placed in a parallel/series arrangement to generate some 300 μW of power to run this Arco Medical model NU-5F pacemaker. Continue reading→

Medtronic’s Atomic Pacemaker (early 1970’s)

Posted on by Posted in Bradycardia, Cardiac Pacing, History, Medtronic, Museum, Nuclear Batteries

Medtronic's atomic pacemaker powered by an Alcatel plutonium 238 RTG

In the late 1960s Medtronic – today the largest manufacturer of implantable medical devices in the world – teamed up with Alcatel, a French company, to design a nuclear-powered pacemaker. The first human implant of the device took place in Paris in 1970.

The nuclear battery in the Medtronic device used a tiny 2.5 Ci slug of metallic Plutonium 238 (Pu-238). The radiation produced by the Pu-238 bombarded the walls of its container, producing heat that a thermopile then converted to an electrical current. A thermopile is a stack of thermocouples, which are devices that convert thermal energy directly into electrical energy using Seebeck effect. A thermocouple is made of two kinds of metal (or semiconductors) connected to each other in a closed loop. If the two junctions are at different temperatures, an electric current will flow in the loop. Continue reading→

CCC del Uruguay’s Atomic Pacemaker (1972)

Posted on by Posted in Bradycardia, Cardiac Pacing, CCC del Uruguay, CCC Medical, History, Museum, Nuclear Batteries

Promethium Betacell-Powered Atomic Pacemaker Manufactured by CCC in 1972

This nuclear pacemaker was manufactured ca. 1972 by Dr. Orestes Fiandra’s CCC del Uruguay. It was powered by a McDonell-Douglas Betacel 400 which had promethium-147 sandwiched between semiconductor wafers. As the radioactive promethium isotope decays, it emits β-particles (electrons). The impact of the β-particles on a p-n junction causes a forward bias in the semiconductor similar to what happens in a photovoltaic cell (a solar cell).

The Betacel 400 had an open-circuit voltage of 4.7V and a short circuit current of 115μA. The maximum power output was 370μW.   CCC’s pacemaker was expected to last for 10 years when powered by this nuclear battery. Continue reading→

Indian Pacemaker Companies: Shree Pacetronix and MediVed

Posted on by Posted in Bradycardia, Cardiac Pacing, CCC del Uruguay, CCC Medical, CCC Medical, MediVed, Shree Pacetronix

Shree Pacetronix Ltd., was founded in Pithampur, Dist. Dhar, India in 1988.  In 1993 the company was converted to a Public Limited Company. The company is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and regional exchanges.

Pacetronix’s website shows EC type certificates for its Pinnacle SSIR (model 297), Pinnacle SSI (model 8820), Charak DDD (model ND 747), and Akash VDD (model ND 244) pacemakers. Continue reading→

CCC del Uruguay’s Early Mercury-Cell Pacemaker (1969)

Posted on by Posted in Bradycardia, Cardiac Pacing, CCC del Uruguay, CCC Medical, History, Museum

1969 CCC del Uruguay Pacemaker

This is one of my most prized possessions.  It is one of the very first pacemakers produced by CCC del Uruguay in 1969.  It was given to me by my friend, the late Dr. Orestes Fiandra, founder of CCC del Uruguay.

On February 2, 1960, Dr. Orestes Fiandra and Dr. Roberto Rubio accomplished the first succesful long-term human implant of a pacemaker. The pacemaker was manufactured by Dr. Rune Elmqvist of Elema-Schönander in Sweden, and was implanted in Uruguay in a 34-year-old patient with AV block. This unit worked successfully for nine and a half months, until the patient died of sepsis from an unrelated infection.

In 1969, Dr. Fiandra started the “Centro de Construccion de Cardioestimuladores del Uruguay” (CCC for short) with the purpose of producing pacemakers for use in Latin America at prices well under those of American devices.  The device in the photograph above is one of these devices – a simple VOO pacemaker powered by 5 mercury cells encapsulated in epoxy resin.

 

CCC Medical – Top OEM to AIMD Start-Ups

Posted on by Posted in Bradycardia, CCC del Uruguay, CCC Medical, CCC Medical, History, Pain, Ultra-Low-Power ICs, Vagus Nerve Stimulation, Wireless Power Transmission
CCC del Uruguay Teros SSI pacemaker model 503CCC is one of the oldest pacemaker manufacturers in the world. It was founded in 1969 by Dr. Orestes Fiandra, who performed the first succesful, human, long-term pacemaker implant in the world.

This was achieved in Uruguay on February 2, 1960 by Dr. Orestes Fiandra and Dr. Roberto Rubio. The pacemaker was manufactured by Dr. Rune Elmqvist of Elema-Schönander in Sweden, and was implanted in Uruguay in a 34-year-old patient with AV block. This unit worked successfully for nine and a half months, until the patient died of sepsis from an unrelated infection. Continue reading→

Omikron Scientific – Israeli Pacemaker Company (1979-1985)

Posted on by Posted in Bradycardia, Cardiac Pacing, History, Museum, Omikron Scientific (1979-1985)

Omikron Scientific Model 811 Pacemaker

Omikron Scientific was a small-scale pacemaker company founded in Rehovot, Israel in 1979.  The company stopped pacemaker production in 1985.

Besides pacemakers, Omikron also produced a skin substitute called Omniderm, which was a thin, transparent, flexible membrane. It was used when a biological dressing would otherwise have been used.

Omikron’s pacemakers were all VVI and featured gradual decline Magnet Rate & Programmed Rate.  Models included the 811 (6.5 year longevity), 811L (10 year longevity), 811XL (14 year longevity), 821 (VVIM with 8 year longevity), 837, a 838 (6.5 year longevity).

Click here for Omikron’s patents.

MicroTransponder’s Injectable Stimulators

Posted on by Posted in MicroTransponder, Pain, Vagus Nerve Stimulation, Wireless Power Transmission

 

MicroTransponder's concept for injectable microstimulators

From US Patent Application Publication US 2009/0163889 A1

 

MicroTransponder was founded in Dallas, TX in  2007 when it licensed technology developed at University of Texas in Dallas (UTD) by Larry Cauller, who heads the cortical connections lab. The first wireless transponder was developed under a DARPA Revolutionizing Prosthetics grant to create a bi-directional neural interface for a prosthetic hand. Continue reading→

Northstar Neuroscience’s Renova Cortical Stimulation System (1999-2009)

Posted on by Posted in Brain Stimulation, Museum, Northstar Neuroscience (1999-2009), Stroke

Northstar's Renova Implantable Stimulator for the Treatment of Stroke

Northstar was founded in 1999 as Vertis Neuroscience headquartered in Seattle, WA, and the original goal was to develop electrical stimulation for chronic back pain.  In 2003, under its new name, Northstar Neuroscience, then developed the Renova cortical stimulation system to deliver targeted electrical stimulation to the brain cortex as a treatment for stroke-related upper extremity. Continue reading→

Intrapace Abiliti Gastric Stimulator for the Treatment of Obesity

Posted on by Posted in Gastric Stimulation, Intrapace, Mir A Imran (InCube), Obesity

Intrapace Ability IPG for Treatment of ObesityIntrapace was founded in Mountain View, CA by Mir Imran in 2001 to develop an implantable system for the treatment of obesity.  Once implanted and activated, the Abiliti system is designed to detect when a person consumes food or drink. When food or drink is detected, the system delivers a series of low-energy electrical impulses to the stomach intended to create a feeling of fullness.

In January 2011 Intrapace received the CE Mark for the Ability system.

The Ability IPG connects to the stomach via a lead that integrates the food sensor and stimulation electrodes. The sensor is able to detect food and drink and can trigger the abiliti stimulator device to create a feeling of fullness. These eating events, along with physical activity the patient engages in, are automatically recorded and available for downloading to a personal computer using the connect.abiliti Wand. Continue reading→