An implantable electroacupuncture device (IEAD) treats Parkinson's disease or Essential Tremor through application of stimulation pulses applied to at least one of the acupoints on the chorea line. The IEAD includes an hermetically-sealed implantable electroacupuncture (EA) device and a conduit extending therefrom. At least one electrode is located on the outside of the housing. At least one electrode is located at an opening formed through the conduit. The housing contains a primary power source and pulse generation circuitry. A sensor wirelessly senses externally-generated operating commands, such as ON, OFF and AMPLITUDE. The pulse generation circuitry generates stimulation pulses. The stimulation pulses are applied to the specified acupoint or nerve through the electrodes in accordance with a specified stimulation regimen.

A subcutaneous implantable medical device and method (SIMD) provided. A pulse generator (PG) is configured to be positioned subcutaneously within a lateral region of a chest of a patient. The PG has a housing that includes a PG electrode. The PG has an electronics module. An elongated lead is electrically coupled to the pulse generator. The elongated lead includes a first electrode that is configured to be positioned along a first parasternal region proximate a sternum of the patient and a second electrode that is configured to be positioned at an anterior region of the patient. The first and second electrodes are coupled to be electrically common with one another. The electronics module is configured to provide electrical shocks for antiarrhythmic therapy along at least one shocking vector between the PG electrode and the first and second electrodes.

A system for stimulating body tissue may include a stimulation lead, sensors, and a control unit. The stimulation lead may include one or more energy sources. The control unit may include a processor and non-transitory computer readable medium, and an interface (e.g., touch screen interface) for receiving user inputs and communicating information to the user. The sensors may be configured to provide impedance measurements to the control unit. The control unit may calculate lung gas distributions and/or generate an image modeling lung gas distributions. Stimulation delivered by the stimulation may be adjusted based on the impedance measurements.

System and methods for monitoring and/or controlling nerve activity in a subject are provided. In one embodiment, a system includes electrodes configured to be placed proximate to a subject's skin, and a signal detector configured to detect electrical signals using the electrodes. The system also includes a signal processor configured to receive the electrical signals from the signal detector, and apply a filter to the received electrical signals to generate filtered signals, the filter configured to attenuate at least signals having frequencies corresponding to heart muscle activity during a heartbeat. The signal processor is also configured to identify a skin nerve activity using the filtered signals, estimate a sympathetic nerve activity using the identified skin nerve activity, and further to generate a report indicative of the estimated sympathetic nerve activity. In some aspects, the system further includes a signal generator to deliver the electrical stimulation to the subject's skin.

Implantable device systems include an electrical lead with one or more electrodes and a shield. The shield is attached to the electrical lead with the shield covering a first side of the electrode and extending laterally away from the electrode. The shield directs energy from at least one of the electrodes of the the electrical lead in a direction away from the shield.

Implant tools and techniques for implantation of a medical lead, catheter or other implantable component are provided. The implant tools and techniques are particularly useful in implanting medical electrical leads in implant locations such as substernal spaces or subcutaneous locations. The implant tools include a sheath coupled to a sealing device. The sheath includes a continuous lumen that is in fluid communication with a passage of the sealing device. The lead is advanced through the passage and the lumen for placement of the distal end of the lead at the implant location.

Systems and methods are provided for delivering vagus nerve stimulation and cardioversion/defibrillation therapies to patients for treating chronic heart failure. The vagus nerve stimulation and cardioversion/defibrillation therapies may be provided using a single implantable pulse generator, which can coordinate delivery of the therapies to provide an acute vagus nerve stimulation therapy in advance of delivering cardioversion-defibrillation energy.

An extra-cardiovascular implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) system receives a cardiac electrical signal by an electrical sensing circuit via an extra-cardiovascular sensing electrode vector and senses cardiac events from the cardiac electrical signal. The ICD system detects tachycardia from the cardiac electrical signal and determines a tachycardia cycle length from the cardiac electrical signal. The ICD system determines an ATP interval based on the tachycardia cycle length and sets an extended ATP interval that is longer than the ATP interval. The ICD delivers ATP pulses to a patient's heart via an extra-cardiovascular pacing electrode vector different than the sensing electrode vector. The ATP pulses include a leading ATP pulse delivered at the extended ATP interval after a cardiac event is sensed from the cardiac electrical signal and a second ATP pulse delivered at the ATP interval following the leading ATP pulse.

A subcutaneous implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (S-ICD) comprising shocking electrodes configured to reduce the defibrillation threshold. The S-ICD may include a canister housing a source of electrical energy, a capacitor, and operational circuitry that senses heart rhythms and an electrode and lead assembly. The electrode and lead assembly may comprise a lead, at least one sensing electrode, and at least one shocking electrode. The at least one shocking electrode may extend over a length in the range of 50 to 110 millimeters and a width in the range of 1 to 40 millimeters.

Tunneling tools and systems comprising electrodes and tunneling tool. In some examples the tunneling tools have a width that is greater than thickness, or may have enlarged portions to allow tunneling of a space. The tunneling tools may have expandable dissection portions including expandable balloons, linkages and/or springs in different examples. Systems may include tunneling tools with a lumen for receiving a lead having an electrode in a collapsed configuration, where the electrode is designed to expand once placed in a patient, with the tunneling tool designed to create a space in which the electrode can expand.