An electrode lead for the coronary sinus, having a lead body, which has a distal portion for insertion into the coronary sinus, and at least one electrode for contacting bodily tissue, wherein the at least one electrode is arranged on the distal portion of the lead body. The electrode lead, in order to fix the electrode lead in a blood vessel, has a fixing device, which is connected to a distal end of the lead body, wherein the fixing device is designed to be shortened incrementally or lengthened incrementally.

An electronic pacemaker for implantation in a body of a living being including an electrode portion that is configured to be attached to a body portion; an electronics assembly connected with the electrode portion, configured to generate a voltage impulse emitted via the electrode portion to the body portion; a rechargeable accumulator to supply the electronics assembly with electrical energy; and a charging impulse generation portion electrically connected to the accumulator, configured to emit a charging impulse to the accumulator for the recharging of the accumulator. The charging impulse generation portion includes a magnetization portion with oriented magnetic domains which can be contactlessly influenced by an changing magnetic field so that, when a certain field strength is reached, a remagnetization wave, caused by the continuously reversing magnetic domains, occurs in the magnetization portion which runs across the magnetization portion and leads to the generation of the charging impulse.

The adoption of His Bundle Pacing (HBP) has been hindered by the procedural difficulty of achieving good lead position without causing cardiac damage or perforation. The procedural success rates are much lower when compared to traditional right ventricle (RV) pacing procedures due to the difficulty in mapping the His potential with the exposed helix and maintaining position while the pacing helix is fixated. The use of multidirectional balloon tipped catheter system that includes a catheter body with curls and flexion points and anchor balloon mounted to a distal end of the catheter body increases positional precision and an improved procedural success rate when compared to the conventional system.

A prosthetic aortic valve is configured to be delivered to a native aortic valve of a patient in a constrained delivery configuration within a delivery sheath. The prosthetic aortic valve includes a frame; a plurality of prosthetic leaflets coupled to the frame; a cathode and an anode, which are mechanically coupled to the frame; and a prosthetic-valve coil, which is coupled to the frame and is in non-wireless electrical communication with the cathode and the anode. When the prosthetic aortic valve is in an expanded fully-deployed configuration upon release from the delivery sheath, (a) a line defined between upstream-most and downstream-most points of mechanical coupling between the prosthetic-valve coil and the frame and (b) a central longitudinal axis defined by the frame form an angle of between 20 and 70 degrees. Other embodiments are also described.

A steerable catheter system comprises an elongate catheter body including a distal end and a proximal end. The system also comprises a control mechanism coupled to the proximal end of the elongate catheter body. The control mechanism includes a rotatable steering control element configured to articulate the distal end of the elongate catheter body. The system also includes a lumen extending through the elongate catheter body and the control mechanism and terminating at the distal end of the elongate catheter body. The system also includes a valve coupled to the lumen. The valve is configured to couple a fluid delivery system to the lumen and to enable delivery of an instrument into the lumen.

In one embodiment, the present invention relates to a tissue shaping device adapted to be disposed in a vessel near a patient's heart to reshape the patient's heart. Such tissue shaping device can include an expandable proximal anchor; a proximal anchor lock adapted to lock the proximal anchor in an expanded configuration; an expandable distal anchor; a distal anchor lock adapted to lock the distal anchor in an expanded configuration; and a connector disposed between the proximal anchor and the distal anchor, the connector having a substantially non-circular cross-section.

Transcardiac diaphragmatic stimulation includes detecting a cardiac event based on signals sensed through a cardiac event sensor located in or on a region of a heart in proximity to a diaphragm, and delivering an ADS therapy through an ADS therapy mechanism that is located in proximity with the region of the heart, to induce a contraction of the diaphragm without inducing a contraction of the heart. The cardiac event sensor may be located a) on an interior surface of a cardiac wall that abuts the diaphragm, or 2) on an exterior surface of the heart, between a cardiac wall and the diaphragm. The ADS therapy mechanism may be located: a) on an interior surface of a cardiac wall that abuts the diaphragm, 2) on a superior surface of the diaphragm that abuts a cardiac wall, or 3) on an inferior surface of the diaphragm at a region of the diaphragm that abuts the heart.

Devices and methods are disclosed for the treatment or repair of regurgitant cardiac valves, such as a mitral valve. An illustrative annuloplasty device can be placed in the coronary sinus to reshape the mitral valve and reduce mitral valve regurgitation. The disclosure also provides improved techniques for cardiac pacing.

A leadless pacemaker, and method for storing event data therein, comprising a central processing unit, a first logic circuit configured to generate event data based on a first event occurring during operation of the leadless pacemaker, a first hardware event counter configured to be incremented if specific event data are generated by said first logic circuit, a first memory unit comprising a first bit configured to be set if said first hardware event counter is incremented to a first maximum number of counts, a second memory unit communicating with said first memory unit, wherein said central processing unit is configured to transfer said first bit to said second memory unit, a first RAM event counter in a random access memory of said leadless pacemaker, wherein said central processing unit is configured to increment said first RAM event counter if said first bit is transferred to the second memory unit.

A delivery device, a cardiac pacing device and a fixation structure are disclosed. The fixation structure includes a casing, a driving member and an elastic member. The casing has a first internal cavity and a slot, and the driving member is partially received in the first internal cavity in such a manner that one end of the driving member protrudes out of the first internal cavity from a proximal end thereof and is detachably connected to the driving sheath. The elastic member is accommodated in the first internal cavity in such a manner that its one end is coupled to the driving member and the other end extends outwardly from the driving member and is inserted in the slot. The driving member is configured for fitted connection with the casing while being able to move in an axial direction of the casing to drive the elastic member to move in the slot, thereby causing the elastic member to protrude out of or move back into the slot. As such, the cardiac pacing device can be fixed in a patient's body, allows retrieval and adjustment in pacing location, and features a simple structure, ease of operation, no limitation in tissue wall thickness and ease of fixation. Thus, the leadless pacing device can be fixed either in a ventricle or in an atrium to provide dual-chamber pacing and physiological pacing with atrioventricular synchronization.