Methods and systems can facilitate visualizing cathodic and anodic stimulation separately via displaying and modifying graphical representations of anodic and cathodic volumes of activation. Alternately, the methods and systems may separately visualize stimulation of different neural elements, such as nerve fibers and neural cells. These methods and systems can further facilitate programming an electrical stimulation system for stimulating patient tissue.

In an embodiment herein, an aortopulmonary stimulation method is provided including positioning at least one aortic electrode in or near the aorta, and using the at least one aortic electrode, to deliver stimulation to the aorta to decrease aortic after load.

Techniques for mitigating transmission of stale data from an implantable device are provided. In one embodiment, a method includes monitoring one or more data items stored in a data management queue prior to submission to a packet transmission queue for transmission as packets on a communication network to one or more other devices. The method also includes discarding a data item from the data management queue based on a determination that the data item has an expected arrival time to another device that is after a latest acceptable arrival time associated with the data item. The method also includes estimating a size of the packet transmission queue, and transmitting another data item from the data management queue to the packet transmission queue based on a determination that the size of the packet transmission queue has a defined relationship to the threshold size.

A cochlear implant includes a cochlear lead, a housing, an antenna, a stimulation processor operably connected to the antenna and to the cochlear lead, a first fixation element, a second fixation element with a different configuration than the first fixation element, and a connector configured to simultaneously connect the first and second fixation elements to the housing in such a manner that the first and second fixation elements are independently detachable from the housing.

A system and method for extracting a cardiac signal from a spinal signal include measuring a spinal signal at one or more electrodes that are connected to a neurostimulator and implanted within a patient's spinal canal and processing the spinal signal to extract the cardiac signal, which includes features that are representative of the patient's cardiac activity. Processing the spinal signal to extract the cardiac signal can include filtering the spinal signal, or use of model reduction schemes such as independent component analysis. The extracted cardiac signal can include a number of features that correspond to an electrocardiogram and can be used to determine the patient's heart rate and/or to detect a cardiac anomaly. Cardiac features that are determined from the cardiac signal can additionally be used to adjust parameters of the stimulation that is provided by the neurostimulator.

A cochlear implant includes a cochlear lead, a housing, an antenna, a stimulation processor operably connected to the antenna and to the cochlear lead, a first fixation element, a second fixation element with a different configuration than the first fixation element, and a connector configured to simultaneously connect the first and second fixation elements to the housing in such a manner that the first and second fixation elements are independently detachable from the housing.

An implantable medical device is configured determine a numerical value of a variable that is monitored by the implantable medical device and convert the numerical value to a data sequence of modulated electrical stimulation rate intervals. The implantable medical device delivers electrical stimulation pulses according to the data sequence of modulated stimulation rate intervals to cause a modulated rate of activation of excitable tissue of a patient corresponding to the modulated stimulation rate intervals. The modulated rate of activation is detectable by a rate monitor for demodulation to the numerical value of the monitored variable data value. In some examples, the implantable medical device is a pacemaker delivering cardiac pacing pulses according to modulated pacing rate intervals to cause a modulated heart rate of the patient detectable by a heart rate monitor for demodulation to the numerical value of the monitored variable.

Brugada syndrome and related forms of ion channelopathies, including ventricular asynchrony of contraction, originate in the region near the His bundle or para-Hisian regions of the heart. Manifestations of Brugada syndrome can be corrected by delivering endocardial electrical stimulation coincident to the activation wave front propagated from the atrioventricular (AV) node. By performing the start of the activation of the HIS bundle or para-Hisian region early enough, electrical stimulation can be delivered fast enough to compensate for the conduction problems that start in those region, such that the activation wave front, as stimulated, transitions from the AV node to the His bundle in a normal, albeit electrically-supplemented, fashion. This stimulation not only helps resolve the conditions that trigger Brugada syndrome, but also resolves the asynchrony of the contraction of the heart.

Systems, devices, and methods for tracking and determining the motion of a cardiac implant is disclosed. The motion of the implant is determined by transmitting acoustic energy to a tissue location using an acoustic controller-transmitter comprising an array of acoustic transducers; wherein the implant is configured to convert the transmitted acoustic energy to electrical energy; and the tracking is achieved by determining the electrical energy delivered to the tissue throughout one or more cardiac cycles in order to create a motion profile of the cardiac implant.

A magnetic connection can be formed between a magnet set of a first device and magnet set of a second device. The magnetic strength of the magnetic connection can be modified by changing an orientation of a magnet set of a first device from a first orientation to a second orientation. The magnet set or a case in which the magnet set is disposed can be asymmetric, such that alternating between the first and second orientations results in different magnetic connections.