Exclusion devices for anatomical structures, and related instruments and related methods, are disclosed. An exclusion device for an anatomical structure may include a first beam, a second beam, and/or a first spring operatively coupled to the first beam and the second beam to exert a closing force on the first beam and the second beam. The first spring may be generally U-shaped and/or may include a first end portion and a second end portion generally opposite a connecting portion.

A system for treating cardiac arrhythmias comprising a generator including: a sensing circuitry configured to evaluate one or more identified signals representative of electrical activity of the heart and detect an arrhythmia, a control circuitry that is configured to control delivery of a therapy in response to the detected arrhythmia, the therapy including a first stage of electrical pulses delivered via at least a first electrode, wherein the first set of electrical pulses is configured to destabilize and/or terminate a reentry associated with the arrhythmia, and a first lead coupled to the generator, wherein the first lead includes the first electrode.

Method for recovering and stabilizing normal heart rate of patients suffering in or being inclined to having atrial fibrillation, comprising the step of sensing primary electrical pulses generated in the right atrium (1), of generating artificial electrical stimulation pulses coordinated with the sensed pulses and stimulating therewith the portion of the left atrium (9) which is remote from the right atrium (1), whereby increasing the areas of the heart muscles that can be reached during a simulation pulse within a predetermined period of time.

A medical device is configured to detect an atrial tachyarrhythmia episode. The device senses a cardiac signal, identifies R-waves in the cardiac signal attendant ventricular depolarizations and determines classification factors from the R-waves identified over a predetermined time period. The device classifies the predetermined time period as one of unclassified, atrial tachyarrhythmia and non-atrial tachyarrhythmia by comparing the determined classification factors to classification criteria. A classification criterion is adjusted from a first classification criterion to a second classification criterion after at least one time period being classified as atrial tachyarrhythmia. An atrial tachyarrhythmia episode is detected by the device in response to at least one subsequent time period being classified as atrial tachyarrhythmia based on the adjusted classification criterion.

In some examples, processing circuitry of a medical device system determines, for each of a plurality of patient parameters, a difference metric for a current period based on a value of a patient parameter determined for the current period and a value of the patient parameter determined for an immediately preceding period, and determines a score for the current period based on a sum of the difference metrics for at least some of the plurality of patient parameters. The processing circuitry determines a threshold for the current period based on scores determined for N periods that precede the current period, compares the score for the current period to the threshold, and determines whether to generate an alert indicating that an acute cardiac event of the patient, e.g., ventricular tachyarrhythmia, is predicted, and/or deliver a therapy configured to prevent the acute cardiac event, based on the comparison.

An implantable electrical stimulating device and system provides for a remote determination of the identity of the person in whom the stimulating device is implanted. The stimulating device may be a pacemaker, a defibrillator, another medical device or a non-medical device. The bases for the remote identification are (1) the commingling of (A) biologic identification information of the person linked to the stimulating device, and (B) information pertaining to a physiologic parameter (e.g. heart rate information) of that person, and (2) the modulation of the physiologic parameter by external information. Embodiments of the invention in which the stimulating device is external to the person are possible. By utilizing the apparatus providing for the remote identification of a person plus stimulating device, one aspect of secure communication—that based on reliable mutual identification of each participant in a communication—is achieved.

The defibrillating electrical apparatus is controlled such that the enabling signal generator generates an enabling signal for the (n+1)-th R wave (R.sub.n+1) when and after a first time interval (T.sub.1) as a time interval from the n-th R wave (R.sub.n) to the (n+1)-th R wave (R.sub.n+1) of an electrocardiographic waveform (50) exceeds a first predetermined time period, if the first time interval (T.sub.1) is equal to or less than the first predetermined time period, the defibrillating electrical apparatus is controlled such that the enabling signal generator generates an enabling signal for the (n+2)-th R wave (R.sub.n+2) when and after a second time interval (T.sub.2) as a time interval from the n-th R wave (R.sub.n) to the (n+2)-th R wave (R.sub.n+2) of an electrocardiographic waveform (50) exceeds a second predetermined time period.

A defibrillator system employs an external ECG monitor (40) and a defibrillator (20). In operation, external ECG monitor (40) generates a synchronized cardioversion input signal as one of an external ECG waveform (50) of a heart (11) of a patient (10) or an external synchronized pulse (51) indicative of a detection by the external ECG monitor (40) of at least one QRS complex of the external ECG waveform (50). Defibrillator (40) includes a synchronized cardioversion input channel (29) for receiving the synchronized cardioversion input signal from external ECG monitor (40), and controls a conditional delivery of a defibrillation shock synchronized with the synchronized cardioversion input signal to the patient (10) in response to the defibrillator (20) receiving the synchronized cardioversion input signal. One condition for shock delivery is a measured time delay between an internal ECG waveform (30) and the synchronized cardioversion input signal being less than a baseline time delay.

Provided is an atrial fibrillation detection system which can reduce the burden on a test subject, with which it is possible to detect even paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, and which can be used in the home, contributing to early detection of atrial fibrillation. This atrial fibrillation detection system detects the presence of atrial fibrillation in a subject, and is provided with a heartbeat period measurement means that measures heartbeat periods of the heart; a normalized heartbeat period computation means that computes normalized heartbeat periods DR(N) from heartbeat periods of the heart measured by the heartbeat period measurement means; an abnormal normalized heartbeat period cumulation means that, from among a prescribed number of successive normalized heartbeat periods DR(N), adds up the count of abnormal normalized heartbeat periods that have an absolute value exceeding a normal heartbeat period value; and a comparison/determination means that compares the cumulative count of the abnormal normalized heartbeat periods and a normal cumulative count threshold value, and in the event that the cumulative count of the abnormal normalized heartbeat periods exceeds the normal cumulative count threshold value, determines that atrial fibrillation has occurred.

An implantable system stimulates a human or animal heart. The system contains a processor, a memory unit, an atrial stimulation unit, a ventricular stimulation unit, and a detection unit for detecting atrial tachycardia. The memory unit stores a computer-readable program that prompts the processor to: a) detect by the detection unit whether atrial tachycardia to be treated is present in the heart; b) when atrial tachycardia to be treated is present, carrying out a ventricular conditioning stimulation by way of the ventricular stimulation unit; and c) applying atrial antitachycardia pacing in the form of a stimulation pulse sequence of 2 to 20 pulses or a high-frequency burst having a frequency of up to 50 Hz and a duration of up to 60 seconds by way of the atrial stimulation unit as the ventricular conditioning stimulation is being carried out and/or thereafter.