New and alternative approaches to the monitoring of cardiac signal quality for external and/or implantable cardiac devices. In one example, signal quality is monitored continuously or in response to a triggering event or condition and, upon identification of a reduction in signal quality, a device may reconfigure its sensing state. In another example, one or more trends of signal quality are monitored by a device, either continuously or in response to a triggering event or condition, and sensing reconfiguration may be performed in response to identified trends and events. In yet another example, a device may use a looping data capture mode to track sensing data in multiple vectors while primarily relying on less than all sensing vectors to make decisions and, in response to a triggering event or condition, the looped data can be analyzed automatically, without waiting for additional data capture to reconfigure sensing upon identification of the triggering event or condition. In another example a device calculates a composite cardiac cycle by overlaying signal morphology for a number of cardiac cycles and analyzes the composite cardiac cycle to calculate signal quality metrics.

An external wearable medical device includes an electrode to detect patient cardiac activity; a therapy electrode to provide a therapy in response to detecting an arrhythmia event; a GUI display comprising a caregiver interface and a patient interface; and a processor configured to provide, to the caregiver interface, a first set of information that includes information for operating the device in conjunction with the patient and an alert history of the device including an indication of one or more detected arrhythmia events, provide, to the patient interface, a second set of information that includes information for allowing the patient to cause the device to suspend providing the therapy and a direction to the patient to contact a caregiver responsive to detecting an event affecting at least one of the device and the patient, and responsive to detecting the event, automatically transmitting a notification of the event to an external entity.

A method and a device for defibrillation. When a shock is generated, energy is transmitted from the low-voltage range to a high-voltage range, at least one current surge being generated in the low-voltage range, stepped up to the high-voltage range and guided to electrodes. An energy supply, power electronics and an energy storage device are used in the low-voltage range.

This document discusses, among other things, systems and methods to receive physiologic information from a patient during different first and second pacing periods having respective, different first and second atrioventricular (AV) delays, determine first and second physiologic parameters using respective received physiologic information from the first and second pacing periods, and adjust the first AV delay using the determined first and second physiologic parameters, wherein the second AV delay is longer than the first AV delay.

An electrical connector includes a plug that mates with a receptacle. In a medical application, the plug is connected to electrical leads that pass through a patient's skin to an implanted medical device in the patient's body, while the receptacle is connected to external medical equipment. All electrical contacts in the plug are on internal portions. The receptacle includes annular contacts that contact the internal electrical contacts on the plug when the plug and receptacle are properly mated. The receptacle includes a plurality of annular electrical contacts that have a first diameter and are separated by a plurality of annular insulators having a second diameter smaller than the first diameter.

Methods, devices, and systems related to a wearable monitor with memory are described. An example device may include an electrode integrated into a multi-chip package (MCP) memory device, the electrode to monitor health data of a wearer of the wearable monitor. The device can include a first processing resource coupled to the MCP memory device, the electrode, or both, to receive the monitored health data. The MCP memory device may store the received health data. The MCP memory device may also be coupled to a wireless communication device. The wireless communication device may transfer the stored health data to a computing device. The computing device may be communicatively coupled to the example device.

A method of controlling discomfort of a patient during external pacing by an external medical device includes detecting a cardiac condition of the patient; receiving, via a user interface, discomfort information descriptive of the discomfort experienced by the patient; determining from the discomfort information whether the patient is conscious or unconscious; responsive to determining from the discomfort information that the patient is unconscious, executing, via at least one therapy electrode disposed on the patient, at least one pacing routine, the at least one pacing routine being associated with the cardiac condition; and responsive to determining from the discomfort information that the patient is conscious, adjusting at least one characteristic of the at least one pacing routine.

A modular medical device employs a defibrillator/monitor (20) and one or more pouch modules (60). The defibrillator/monitor (20) includes a defibrillator and/or an electrocardiogram (“ECG”) monitor (e.g., a defibrillator module and a ECG monitor module). Each pouch module (60) is permanently or detachably adjoined to the defibrillator/monitor (20) and is structurally configured to store one or more accessory items (40, 50) in support of an operation of the defibrillator/monitor (20) (e.g., ECG cable(s), electrode(s), transducer(s), pad(s), data storage device(s), paper, communication device(s), first aid product(s)/fluid(s) and medical supply(ies)/tool(s)). Alternatively, a cradle module (70) having a frame may be employed by the modular medical device to adjoin the pouch module(s) (60) to the defibrillator/monitor (20) and may partially, if not entirely, encircle the defibrillator/monitor (20). The pouch module(s) (60) and/or the cradle module (70) may include storage covers to secure the stored accessory item(s) (40, 50) within the pouch module(s) (60).

This document discusses, among other things, systems and methods to generate a first pacing waveform during a first pacing period and a second pacing waveform during a second pacing period, to alternate first and second pacing periods to provide pacing-based hypertension therapy to a heart of a patient to reduce patient blood pressure, and to determine an increased pacing rate for the first pacing waveform during the first pacing period using the first AV delay, wherein the first pacing waveform has a first atrioventricular (AV) delay and the second pacing waveform has a second AV delay longer than the first AV delay.

Systems and methods are described herein for determining whether a patient's cardiac conduction system or portions thereof are engaged by cardiac conduction system pacing therapy. One or more local metrics of electrical heterogeneity information may be generated based on surrogate cardiac electrical measured using a plurality of local external electrodes, which may be used to determine whether the patient's cardiac conduction system is engaged.