A partially-masked electrode includes a conductive material and an insulated coating having an outer surface. The insulated coating defines a contoured opening that exposes or reveals an area of the conductive material, wherein the contoured opening has an upper perimeter at the outer surface of the insulated coating. When the upper perimeter of the insulated surface coating is placed in contact with a tissue of interest, wherein the tissue of interest is proximate a blood pool, the insulated coating creates a seal between the blood pool and the contoured opening so that no blood in the blood pool can contact the conductive material. This seal reduces or eliminates the reception of far field effects in the blood pool by the electrode, making it easier to locate and diagnose unhealthy tissue.

An electrically conductive connection element for a temporary electrically conductive connection to an electrical consumer, in particular an external pacemaker, which is implanted in the living tissue of a patient, may have at least one biocompatible and bioresorbable electrical conductor strand in the form of an individual wire or a multifilament formed by multiple wires. The at least one electrical conductor strand is surrounded by at least one biocompatible and bioresorbable polymer or is embedded in a matrix formed by the polymer.

A modified polyisobutylene-based polymer, method of making, and a medical device that includes such polymer, wherein the modified polyisobutylene-based polymer includes urethane, urea, or urethane-urea groups, hard segments, and soft segments, wherein the soft segments comprise phenoxy-containing polyisobutylene residues, and the hard segments include diisocyanate residues and optionally chain extender residues.

Disclosed herein are systems and methods for locating and identifying nerves innervating the wall of arteries such as the renal artery. The present invention identifies areas on vessel walls that are innervated with nerves; provides indication on whether energy is delivered accurately to a targeted nerve; and provides immediate post-procedural assessment of the effect of energy delivered to the nerve. The methods includes evaluating a change in physiological parameters after energy is delivered to an arterial wall; and determining the type of nerve that the energy was directed to (sympathetic or parasympathetic or none) based on the evaluated results. The system includes at least a device for delivering energy to the wall of blood vessel; sensors for detecting physiological signals from a subject; and indicators to display results obtained using said method. Also provided are catheters for performing the mapping and ablating functions.

A catheter including one or more echogenic members facilitate guiding the catheter to a selected locations within a patient using ultrasound imaging. The echogenic members may include expandable members, such as balloons, be positioned near a distal end of the catheter. The echogenic members include an echogenic material, such as a coating or a fluid, that is configured to enhance the diffuse sound scattering of the echogenic member. An expanded echogenic member is detectable using ultrasound imaging.

Devices for removing implanted objects from body vessels are provided. A device includes a sheath assembly having a cutting tip. The cutting tip includes a cutting surface that is adapted to cut tissue coupled to an implanted object as the cutting tip rotates. The sheath assembly further includes an outer shield carried outside of the cutting tip. The outer shield includes a distal opening, and the outer shield is translatable relative to the cutting tip from a first position to a second position and vice versa. In the first position the cutting surface of the cutting tip is disposed within the outer shield, and in the second position the cutting tip extends through the distal opening and the cutting surface is at least partially disposed outside of the outer shield.

This document describes methods and materials for improving the delivery of electroporation. For example, this document describes methods and devices for delivering electroporation while mitigating risks of ventricular fibrillation.

Implantable medical leads include rows of electrode segments where electrode segments within a given row may be a different size and/or adjacent electrode segments of adjacent rows may be of a different size. The arrangement of the electrode segments of different sizes may avoid intersections of the spaces between segments to reduce the size and/or number of blind spots that otherwise occur for delivery of stimulation signals and/or sensing of physiological signals. The electrode segments of different sizes may be of a same shape type but with different proportions.

Implantable devices and systems include one or more leads adapted to be emplaced in the internal thoracic vein (ITV) of a patient. The lead may include features to adapt the lead for such placement. An associated device for use with the lead may include operational circuitry adapted for use with a lead having an electrode for sensing and/or therapy purposes coupled thereto. Methods for implantation and use of such devices and systems are disclosed as well.

Methods and systems for use of the Q-wave to R-wave interval to guide placement of a leadless cardiac pacemaker are disclosed. An implant delivery device is equipped with sensing electrodes to sense R-wave onset in a ventricle of a patient's heart to allow placement at a location of last or latest onset of the R-wave. Guidance tools are provided to assist in determination of the Q-wave to R-wave interval during implantation. For a chronic system, a cooperative approach is disclosed in which an implantable medical device and a leadless cardiac pacemaker exchange data to determine Q-wave to R-wave intervals and enhance cardiac resynchronization therapy delivery by the leadless cardiac pacemaker.