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.

Systems and methods for cardiac pacing are provided, where a pacing lead is placed at or near the bundle of His. A method for pacing a heart of a patient comprises: introducing a sheath to vasculature of the patient; steering the sheath within a coronary sinus in the heart to lodge a distal end of the sheath to a target location proximal to the bundle of His above a septum separating a left ventricle and a right ventricle of the heart; advancing a pacing lead through a lumen of the sheath to the target location; coupling the pacing lead to cardiac tissue at the target location; removing the sheath; and electrically pacing the bundle of His using the pacing lead.

A leafless biostimulator, such as a leadless pacemaker, includes a housing sized and configured to be implanted within a heart of a patient and includes both primary and secondary fixation features. The primary fixation feature is adapted to rotate to fix the leadless biostimulator to a wall of the heart during initial implantation. Once the leadless biostimulator is implanted, the secondary fixation feature is adapted to resist counter-rotation of the leadless biostimulator. The primary fixation feature may include a fixation helix configured to affix the housing to the heart by rotating in a screwing direction. The secondary fixation feature may include an apex to engage the heart to resist unscrewing of the primary fixation feature.

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.

A system may include a leadless cardiac pacing device including a body, a proximal hub, and a helical fixation member opposite the proximal hub; and a first elongate shaft having a lumen extending from a distal end of the elongate shaft proximally into the elongate shaft and a transverse member extending transversely across the lumen. The proximal hub may include a transverse channel extending into the proximal hub, the transverse channel being configured to engage the transverse member.

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.

A pacemaker has a housing and a therapy delivery circuit enclosed by the housing for generating pacing pulses for delivery to a patient's heart. An electrically insulative distal member is coupled directly to the housing and at least one non-tissue piercing cathode electrode is coupled directly to the insulative distal member. A tissue piercing electrode extends away from the housing.

Methods, implantable devices, and systems for treating a cancer or inhibiting cancer growth or recurrence in a subject are described herein. Such methods can include electrically stimulating a thoracic splanchnic nerve (such as a greater splanchnic nerve) of the subject with a plurality of electrical pulses emitted from one or more electrodes m electrical communication with the splanchnic nerve, wherein the plurality of electrical pulses triggers one or more action potentials in the splanchnic nerve to increase circulating natural killer (NK) cells in the subject. An implantable device may include one or more electrodes configured to be in electrical communication with a thoracic splanchnic nerve of a subject with cancer, and be configured to operate the one or more electrodes to electrically stimulate the splanchnic nerve with a plurality of electrical pulses that triggers one or more action potentials in the splanchnic nerve that increase circulating NK cells.

A biostimulator, such as a leadless cardiac pacemaker, including a fixation element that can be locked to a helix mount, is described. The fixation element includes a fastener that engages a keeper of the helix mount. When engaged with the keeper, the fastener locks the fixation element to the helix mount. Accordingly, the fixation element does not move relative to the helix mount when the biostimulator is delivered into a target tissue. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Presented herein are techniques for monitoring the healing of a recipient of an implantable medical device after a surgical procedure, such as after initial implantation of the implantable medical device in the recipient. The implantable medical device comprises one or more implantable sensors configured to detect input signals and to generate sensor output signals therefrom. The sensor output signals are analyzed to determine when the recipient is sufficiently healed from the surgical procedure so as to activate (switch-on) the implantable medical device.