An implantable medical lead has a torsional stiffness and is rotationally coupled to a stylet. Applying rotation directly to the lead in turn causes rotation of the stylet. Where the stylet has a bent tip for purposes of steering the lead, the rotation applied to the lead rotates the bent tip so that the lead can be steered by rotating the lead rather than rotating a hub of the stylet. The rotational coupling may be achieved through one or more features provided for the lead and/or the stylet, such as a feature within a lumen of the lead that mates to a feature along the stylet or a feature of the stylet hub that engages the proximal end of the lead. The torsional stiffness of the lead may be provided by adding a feature within the lead body, such as a braided metal wire or an overlapping foil.

A lead anchor includes a flexible housing having a first end and a second end opposite to the first end, the flexible housing defining a lead lumen forming a continuous passageway through the flexible housing. The lead anchor also includes a compressible retention ring disposed within the flexible housing and around a portion of the lead lumen. The retention ring defines an uncompressed position in which the retention ring has an elongate shape, with a major axis and a minor axis, to hold a portion of a lead received within the lead lumen. The retention ring further defines a compressed position achieved by compressing opposite ends of the major axis of the retention ring to transition the retention ring to a more circular shape that allows the lead to slidingly pass through the retention ring. Upon release of the compression, the retention ring returns to the uncompressed position.

Anchors for use with implantable medical leads include an elastic body containing one or more rigid bodies that have longitudinal free edges. The longitudinal free edges run from end to end to define full length slots. Partial length slots may also be included within the one or more rigid bodies. The full length and partial length slots allow for deflection of the rigid bodies against the body of an implantable medical lead to hold the anchor in place on the lead. The full length slots allow a blade to pass through and cut a slit in the elastic body which allows the anchor to be removed from the lead.

Implantable medical leads and implantable lead extensions include a shield. The implantable medical lead is coupled to the implantable lead extension. Stimulation electrodes of the implantable medical lead contact stimulation connectors within a housing of the implantable extension to establish a conductive pathway for stimulation signals from filars of the implantable extension to filars of the implantable medical lead. Continuity is established between the shield of the implantable medical lead and the implantable extension by providing a radio frequency conductive pathway within the housing. The radio frequency conductive pathway extends from a shield of the implantable extension to a shield connector that contacts a shield electrode of the implantable medical lead. The radio frequency conductive pathway may have various forms such as a jumper wire or an extension of the shield within the implantable extension.

A lead wire associated with a pacemaker, implantable cardiac defibrillator or other cardiac electric signal source is provided with a protector tube overlying at least a portion of the lead wire. In one embodiment, this protector tube is provided as a sheath tube portion of a sheath assembly along with a valve body. The valve body of the sheath assembly is fracturable and removable away from the sheath tube, leaving the sheath tube upon the lead wire as a protector tube. In other embodiments, a separate protector tube is provided and fed over the lead wire and through a sheath assembly until placed where desired. A grommet and/or plug can be provided at a proximal end of the protector tube for anchoring of the protector tube in a desired location and for plugging the protector tube, while also accommodating the lead wire passing therethrough.

Radiopaque markers represent that a lead is suitable for a particular medical procedure such as a magnetic resonance image scan and are added to the lead or related device. The markers may be added after implantation of the lead in various ways including suturing, gluing, crimping, or clamping a radiopaque tag to the lead or to the device. The markers may be added by placing a radiopaque coil about the lead, and the radiopaque coil may radially contract against the lead to obtain a fixed position. The markers may be added by placing a polymer structure onto the lead where the polymer structure includes a radiopaque marker within it. The polymer structure may include a cylindrical aperture that contracts against the lead to fix the position of the structure. The polymer structure may form a lead anchor that includes suture wings that can be sutured to the lead.

A anchor for an implantable medical device includes an anchor body and a locking member. The anchor body includes a first trough extending along a first axis. The locking member is coupled to the anchor body and rotates with respect to a second axis, between an unlocked position and a locked position. The locking member includes protruding members that define a second trough aligned with the first trough when the locking member is rotated to the unlocked position, so as to form an open path for the implantable medical device to move through the first and second troughs. When the locking member is rotated to the locked position, the protruding members block at least a portion of the first trough to define a tortuous path between the first trough and the second trough so as to restrict a movement of the implantable medical device through the first and second troughs.

The present technology is generally directed to medical implants, such as stimulation assemblies for stimulating the septal wall of the heart of a human patent, and associated methods. In some embodiments, a stimulation assembly includes a body, circuitry positioned at least partially within the body, an electrode, and an anchor coupled to the body. The anchor can be secured to the septal wall such that the body is positioned within the left ventricle of the heart and the electrode engages tissue of the septal wall. The circuitry can be configured to receive acoustic energy and to convert the acoustic energy to electrical energy, and the electrode can deliver the electrical energy to the tissue of the septal wall to stimulate the tissue.

A system and method for installing/implanting a leadless implant can include a leadless implant with shortened tine-based anchors and an implantation tool with a modified tip. The tines can extend from a surface of the leadless implant and may include a preformed curve or other shape to enable the tine to hook into or grapple tissue. The implantation tool may be provided with a modified tip to assist with proper alignment, insertion, and anchoring of the shortened tines. A tip of the implantation tool can have a reduced inner diameter to cause the tine tips to be approximately normal to the surface of the tissue to which the implant is being anchored. Upon deployment of the leadless implant, the tines of the anchoring mechanism are appropriately aligned for proper insertion so that robust anchoring is achieved.

An implantable medical device housing has an outer surface and an inner surface that defines an interior cavity. A wire is coupled to the housing outer surface. The wire wholly defines an open aperture for receiving a fixation member. The wire includes a first wire end, a second wire end, and an annular loop between the first and second ends. A cover extends over at least the first end and the second end of the wire.