Embodiments described herein relate to implantable medical devices (IMDs) and methods for use therewith. Such a method includes using an accelerometer of an IMD (e.g., a leadless pacemaker) to produce one or more accelerometer outputs indicative of the orientation of the IMD. The method can also include controlling communication pulse parameter(s) of one or more communication pulses (produced by pulse generator(s)) based on accelerator output(s) indicative of the orientation of the IMD. The communication pulse parameter(s) that is/are controlled can be, e.g., communication pulse amplitude, communication pulse width, communication pulse timing, and/or communication pulse morphology. Such embodiments can be used to improve conductive communications between IMDs whose orientation relative to one another may change over time, e.g., due to changes in posture and/or due to cardiac motion over a cardiac cycle.

Some aspects relate to systems, devices, and methods of assessing heart rate recovery. A heart rate of a patient may be measured during a plurality of heart rate recovery events. Each of the plurality of heart rate recovery events comprises a duration of time after an activity resulting in an elevated heart rate. Heart rate recovery information may be determined based on the measured heart rate during each of the plurality of heart rate recovery events and a cardiac status of the patient may be generated from the determined heart rate recovery information over the plurality of heart rate recovery events.

An implantable lead includes a lead body, electrical conductors, and a lead anchor. The lead body includes an electrode segment configured to be positioned along a pericardial membrane of a heart and including a plurality of electrodes configured to at least one of sense electrical signals from the heart or deliver therapy to the heart. The electrical conductors extend through the lead body between distal and proximal ends of the lead body, and are configured to electrically couple the electrodes to a pulse generator. The lead anchor is configured to be secured to a chest wall. The electrical conductors extend through the lead anchor, and the electrode segment extends from the lead anchor to the pericardial membrane. The electrode segment includes a transition portion that is configured to extend a depth into a mediastinum and a contoured portion to extend alongside and curve about the pericardial membrane.

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.

Devices and methods for single therapy pulse (STP) therapy for tachyarrythmia are disclosed. The STP therapy can be delivered from a far-field position to allow a “global” capture approach to pacing. Due to the global capture in STP, a series of pulses, which is indicative of conventional anti-tachycardia pacing (ATP) delivered by transvenous systems, becomes unnecessary. One to four pulses at most are needed for STP, and after delivery of the one to four pulses, therapy delivery can be interrupted to determine whether the previously delivered therapy has been successful.

An active implantable medical device includes a detection electrode and a pulse generator. The pulse generator is configured to collect via the detection electrode at least two EGM signals, combine the EGM signals into two time components, and combine the components into a single 2D parametric characteristic representing the cardiac cycle. During a tachyarrhythmia episode, the device measures stores values of a cycle-to-cycle variation in an amplitude of the at least one of the EGM signals, distributes the amplitude variation values into a plurality of classes, each class corresponding to an amplitude interval, and analyzes a size of each of the plurality of classes to deliver at least one of an indicator of suspicion of an artifact of extracardiac origin or an indicator of a type of tachyarrhythmia selectively as a function of at least one predetermined criterion applied to the distribution of the amplitude variation values.

An implantable system for the diagnostic and/or therapeutic treatment of a human or animal patient contains a processor, a memory, a treatment unit and a remote data transmission unit. The system is characterized in that the memory includes a computer-readable program which prompts the processor to carry out the following steps when the program is being executed on the processor: a) ascertaining whether a treatment functionality of the treatment unit could jeopardize a patient in whom the system was implanted if a diagnostic and/or therapeutic treatment of the patient corresponding to the treatment functionality were to be carried out; b) deactivating the treatment functionality when a potential risk for the patient was ascertained; c) receiving reactivation data by way of the remote data transmission unit; and d) reactivating the deactivated treatment functionality based on the received reactivation data.

An autonomous intracorporeal capsule comprises a body containing electronic circuits and an energy harvesting module. The energy harvesting module comprises a moveable surface on the body of the capsule, subjected to pressure variations and to produce a mechanical stress under the effect of the pressure variations, and a transducer comprising a deformable piezoelectric component configured as a beam adapted to be forced to bend. The piezoelectric component has a recessed end integral with the capsule and a free end. A mechanical connection couples the free end of the piezoelectric component to the actuator. The mechanical connection may provide a degree of freedom in rotation between a main direction of the beam and the direction of application of the mechanical stress.

An example medical device system includes an implantable medical lead including a first defibrillation electrode and a second defibrillation electrode, the first and second defibrillation electrodes configured to deliver antitachyarrhythmia shocks, and a pace electrode disposed between the first defibrillation electrode and the second defibrillation electrode, the pace electrode configured to deliver a pacing pulse that generates an electric field proximate to the pace electrode. The medical device system includes a shield configured to be implanted in a patient separately from the implantable medical lead and disposed anterior at least one of the electrodes, wherein the shield is configured to impede an electric field of the electrical therapy in a direction from at least one of the first defibrillation electrode, the second defibrillation electrode, or the pace electrode away from a heart of the patient.

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.