A blog about what is new (and old) in the world of active implantable medical devices

Spinal Modulation Neuromodulation System

Posted on by Posted in Mir A Imran (InCube), Pain, Spinal Modulation
Spinal Modulation Neurostimulator

Photo credits: Obtained from Spinal Modulation's site

Spinal Modulation is a company based in Menlo Park, CA.  It has developed a neurostimulator for chronic intractable pain management.

According to the company, the Spinal Modulation System utilizes low-level electrical signals to modulate neural structures of primary sensory neurons located within the dorsal root ganglion (DRG). These cell bodies have been implicated in the development and maintenance of chronic pain conditions. Continue reading→

MTC’s Piezos Used for Wireless Power Transmission in EBR’s Wireless Pacemaker

Posted on by Posted in Bradycardia, EBR Systems, Engineering & OEM Services, Heart Failure (CHF), Wireless Power Transmission

Morgan Technical Ceramics (MTC) announced that its Bedford, Ohio site manufactures the piezoelectric ceramic materials used in EBR Systems, Inc.’s innovative new WiCS® Wireless Cardiac Stimulation System. The PZT (lead zirconate titanate) material made by MTC is critical to the efficiency of the WiCS system, which is powered by a battery with a 10-year lifespan.

The WiCS technology, which recently began clinical trials, is the first truly wireless pacing device. It was developed to eliminate cardiac pacing leads, historically a major source of complications and reliability issues. Continue reading→

ST Microelectronics Developing Implantable SOCs

Posted on by Posted in Engineering & OEM Services, Ultra-Low-Power ICs

Medical Product Manufacturing News announced that ST Microelectronics is developing ultra-low-power Systems On Chip (SOCs) suitable for implantable medical devices.  ST Microelectronics’ 65nm features a Vt of only 0.6V that can be used very near threshold.  The REISC processor consumes barely 10.8pJ/cycle at 0.6V.  This type of technology will certainly enable many new implantable devices that must operate at extremely low powers and squeeze every bit of juice out of their batteries or energy-harvesting means.  Click here for link to article.

NEXUS Pacemaker with Hemodynamics Sensing and Patient Alert

Posted on by Posted in Bradycardia, Intermedics (1974-1999), My Portfolio

(c) 2011 David Prutchi

Intermedics’ next-generation pacing platform would have been full of neat features such as: hemodynamic sensing (impedance-based hemodynamic sensor), autocapture (capture verification), autothreshold (self-tuning based on automatic strength-duration curve generation), high-quality digital telemetry, large-volume memory for electrogram storage, non-volatile memory for self-recovery and patient information, advanced noise detection, etc. My favorite feature though was “Patient Alert”. That saddle-shaped electrode in the picture was used to stimulate the patient’s pectoral muscles whenever the pacemaker wanted to alert the patient of a problem (e.g. low battery, fractured lead, etc.). The project was canceled when Guidant (now Boston Scientific) purchased Intermedics in 1998.

 

 

Tantalus II System for Treating Metabolic Syndrome

Posted on by Posted in Diabetes, Dr. Shlomo Ben-Haim (Medinvest), MetaCure, My Portfolio, Obesity, Rechargeable Batteries

MetaCure’s TANTALUS II device is an advanced implantable electrical stimulator used to apply gastric stimulation. It works by enhancing the activity of gastric muscles only when the patient eats, which modifies hormone secretion, favorably affecting glucose and fat metabolism. At the same time, the stimulation causes the patient to feel satiated sooner and consume less food. The result is an improvement in blood glucose levels, which is often accompanied by weight loss, and reduction of blood pressure, waist circumference and blood lipid level. Continue reading→

Impulse Dynamics’ OPTIMIZER III IPG for Treatment of Heart Failure

Posted on by Posted in Dr. Shlomo Ben-Haim (Medinvest), Heart Failure (CHF), Impulse Dynamics, My Portfolio, Rechargeable Batteries

Optimizer III Implantabe Pulse Generator for the treatment of congestive heart failureImpulse Dynamics’ OPTIMIZER™ III Implantable Pulse Generator delivers Cardiac Contractility Modulation (CCM), non-excitatory electrical signals during the myocardial absolute refractory period in synchrony with locally sensed electrical activity. CCM signals are intended to treat patients with symptomatic heart failure despite appropriate medical treatment. Continue reading→

Welcome to implantable-device.com!

Posted on by Posted in Administrative, David Prutchi's Portfolio

Welcome to implantable-device.com, a blog dedicated to professionals interested in the fascinating world of active implantable medical devices!

Let me tell you a bit about myself: I have over twenty-five years of experience in the design of Medical Electronic Instrumentation, most of it developing active implantable medical devices. In addition to over 40 papers and 80 patents on implantable medical devices, I am the lead author of the books “Design and Development of Medical Electronic Instrumentation”, “Exploring Quantum Physics Through Hands-On Projects,” and “Exploring Ultraviolet Photography – Bee Vision, Forensic Imaging, and Other Adventures in Ultraviolet Photography.”

Please contact me if you would like to contribute to the blog, correct information that you find in these pages, make a news release, or if you have a picture of an implantable device that you would like to share with everyone else.

I hope that you enjoy reading and participating in this blog!

David Prutchi, Ph.D.