A leadless pacemaker (100, 200, 300) and trailing (1, 3, 5) and leading (2, 4, 6) components thereof are disclosed. The trailing component (1, 3, 5) includes a first connecting member (12, 32) and a second connecting member (13), and the leading component (2, 4, 6) includes a third connecting member (23, 42, 62) and a fourth connecting member (24, 63). The first connecting member (12, 32) is configured to be detachably connected to the third connecting member (23, 42, 62) and the second connecting member (13) is configured to be detachably or non-detachably connected to the fourth connecting member (24, 63), thereby achieving interlocking between the trailing component (1, 3, 5) and the leading component (2, 4, 6). Additionally, both the first connecting member (12, 32) and the third connecting member (23, 42, 62) are non-biodegradable. At least one of the second connecting member (13) and the fourth connecting member (24, 63) is biodegradable, or the second connecting member (13) is fitted and connected to the fourth connecting member (24, 63) by an associated biodegradable connecting member. Thus, before the connecting member is degraded, it can be ensured that the trailing component (1, 3, 5) and the leading component (2, 4, 6) are firmly connected together by the four connecting members, facilitating overall retrieval or adjustment of the pacemaker (100, 200, 300). Moreover, after the connecting member is degraded, the trailing component (1, 3, 5) can be easily retrieved.

Delivery devices, systems, and methods for delivering implantable leadless pacing devices are disclosed. An example delivery device may include an outer tubular member including a lumen extending from a proximal end to a distal end thereof and an intermediate tubular member including a lumen extending from a proximal end to a distal end thereof. A distal holding section may be coupled to the intermediate tubular member and define a cavity therein for receiving a proximal implantable leadless pacing device and a distal implantable leadless pacing device in a linear arrangement. The distal holding section may have a proximal body portion and a distal body portion. The proximal body portion may be more flexible than the distal body portion. An inner tubular member including a lumen extending from a proximal end to a distal end thereof may be slidably disposed within the lumen of the intermediate tubular member.

A stent for intravascular stimulation comprises a scaffold comprising first and second scaffold structures, each scaffold structure comprising at least one substantially annular portion. The stent further comprises one or more anodal electrodes formed from or electrically coupled to at least a substantially annular portion of the first scaffold structure and one or more cathodal electrodes electrically formed from or coupled to at least a substantially annular portion of the second scaffold structure. The stent further comprises an anodal lead electrically coupled to the first scaffold structure to form a conductive path from the one or more anodal electrodes to a generator and a cathodal lead electrically coupled to the second scaffold structure to form a conductive path from the one or more cathodal electrodes to the generator. The stent further comprises a sleeve of insulating material, wherein the scaffold structures are attached to or formed on the sleeve of insulating material and are separated from each other by a distance such that the first and second scaffold structures are electrically insulated from each other.

Implantable medical devices (IMD), such as but not limited to leadless cardiac pacemakers (LCP), subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillators (SICD), transvenous implantable cardioverter defibrillators, neuro-stimulators (NS), implantable monitors (IM), may be configured to communicate with each other. In some cases, a first IMD may transmit instructions to a second IMD. In order to improve the chances of a successfully received transmission, the first IMD may transmit the instructions several times during a particular time frame, such as during a single heartbeat. If the second IMD receives the message more than once, the second IMD recognizes that the messages were redundant and acts accordingly.

Described herein is an implantable device having a sensor configured to detect an amount of an analyte, a pH, a temperature, strain, or a pressure; and an ultrasonic transducer with a length of about 5 mm or less in the longest dimension, configured to receive current modulated based on the analyte amount, the pH, the temperature, or the pressure detected by the sensor, and emit an ultrasonic backscatter based on the received current. The implantable device can be implanted in a subject, such as an animal or a plant. Also described herein are systems including one or more implantable devices and an interrogator comprising one or more ultrasonic transducers configured to transmit ultrasonic waves to the one or more implantable devices or receive ultrasonic backscatter from the one or more implantable devices. Also described are methods of detecting an amount of an analyte, a pH, a temperature, a strain, or a pressure.

An implanted stimulator can deliver a patient-detectable electrical stimulation to remind or prompt a patient to interact with an implanted therapeutic device (e.g., neurostimulator) when a prompting event occurs. For example, the apparatuses and methods described herein may be configured to apply a prompting patient-detectable electrical vagus nerve stimulation to remind a patient that it is time to administer a therapeutic dose. When the therapeutic device is operated in an automatic fashion, the apparatus can also deliver a patient-detectable warning stimulation prior to the therapeutic stimulation to let the patient know that a therapeutic stimulation will be delivered soon thereafter.

A leadless cardiac pacemaker is provided which can include any number of features. In one embodiment, the pacemaker can include a tip electrode, pacing electronics disposed on a p-type substrate in an electronics housing, the pacing electronics being electrically connected to the tip electrode, an energy source disposed in a cell housing, the energy source comprising a negative terminal electrically connected to the cell housing and a positive terminal electrically connected to the pacing electronics, wherein the pacing electronics are configured to drive the tip electrode negative with respect to the cell housing during a stimulation pulse. The pacemaker advantageously allows p-type pacing electronics to drive a tip electrode negative with respect to the can electrode when the can electrode is directly connected to a negative terminal of the cell. Methods of use are also provided.

A method of treating cardiovascular disease in a patient includes generating, by an implantable stimulator configured to be implanted beneath a skin surface of the patient, stimulation sessions at a duty cycle that is less than 0.05 and applying, by the implantable stimulator in accordance with the duty cycle, the stimulation sessions to a location, within the patient, that is associated with the cardiovascular disease. The duty cycle is a ratio of T3 to T4. Each stimulation session included in the stimulation sessions has a duration of T3 minutes and occurs at a rate of once every T4 minutes.

Method and system for determining an atrial contraction timing fiducial in a leadless cardiac pacemaker system is disclosed. An electrical cardiac signal associated with an atrial contraction of the patient's heart and a mechanical response to the atrial contraction of a patient's heart are used to determine an atrial contraction timing fiducial. A ventricle pacing pulse may then be generated an A-V delay after the atrial contraction timing fiducial.

Methods and systems for terminating a pacemaker mediated tachycardia (PMT) are described herein. During a period that a PMT is not detected, an implantable system delivers an atrial pacing pulse to an atrial cardiac chamber in response to a PA interval expiring without an intrinsic atrial event being detected during the PA interval. The systems performs atrial sensing to thereby monitor for intrinsic atrial events in the atrial cardiac chamber, performs ventricular sensing to thereby monitor for intrinsic ventricular events in a ventricular cardiac chamber, and detects the PMT. Additionally, the system, in response to the PMT being detected, initiates a PMT PA interval that is shorter than the PA interval that the system would otherwise use for atrial pacing if the PMT was not detected.