Some time ago, my friend and colleague Paul Spehr gave me a copy of Arco Medical’s product catalog. I scanned the original datasheets for Arco Medical’s nuclear fixed-rate and demand pacemakers models NU-5 and NU-6 and posted them here in pdf format: Arco_Nuclear_Datasheets
Click here for a color picture and more information on Arco Medical’s nuclear pacemakers.
Today St. Jude announced that its first controlled study of Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) confirms benefit of constant current system for patients with Parkinson’s Disease.
Results were published online today by The Lancet Neurology journal. The aim of the study was to evaluate the Libra(TM) and LibraXP(TM) DBS constant current systems to determine the devices’ safety and effectiveness in managing the symptoms of PD. Continue reading
Yesterday, Jan 9, 2011, St. Jude Medical announced preliminary revenue results for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2011:
“Fourth quarter cardiac rhythm management sales were approximately $728 million, a 4 percent decrease compared with the fourth quarter of 2010. Fourth quarter sales of implantable cardiac defibrillators were approximately $436 million, a 5 percent decrease from the comparable quarter in 2010. Pacemaker sales during the quarter were approximately $292 million, a 4 percent decrease compared with the fourth quarter of 2010.
…
Fourth quarter sales of neuromodulation products were approximately $121 million, a 12 percent increase compared to the fourth quarter of 2010.”
Company website: www.sjm.com
I apologize for yesterday’s interruption of service in this blog. I moved hosting company because the old one was too slow and unreliable.
Unfortunately, I fell for the 5-star reviews which actually ended up being paid by the hosting company… I wish that they would invest half their marketing dollars on lowering server load.
Oh well… The blog does work much faster on the new server, so I’m sure that it will make your experience on this site much more pleasant. Hope you enjoy it!
The Cardio Care II Pacemaker was American Optical’s second implantable device. It was an improved version of the Cardio Care pacemaker. Besides improvements to the circuitry, the circuit board was enclosed separately inside a hermetic can within the epoxy encapsulation. Continue reading
Barouh Berkovits at American Optical Co of Boston, MA designed the first “Demand Pacemaker” – what we now know as a VVI pacemaker. The Cardio-Care Demand Pacemaker, introduced in 1968, was American Optical’s first implantable device.
From Kirk Jeffrey’s Machines in our Hearts(2001):
“Berkovits in 1963 designed a sensing capability into the pacemaker. His invention behaved exactly like an asynchronous pacer until it detected a naturally occurring R wave, the indication of a ventricular contraction. This event would reset the timing circuit of the pacemaker, and the countdown to the next stimulus would begin anew. Thus the pacer stimulated the heart only when the ventricles failed to contract. It worked only ‘‘on demand.’’ As an added benefit, noncompetitive pacing extended the life of the battery. Continue reading
Biotectix of Ann Arbor, MI recently contacted me to let me know of new conductive polymer materials that they are developing to enhance the performance of next-gen implantable stimulation and sensing devices.
Indeed, their materials sound very promising. According to Biotectix, their electrode coatings and device components are made from proprietary conducting polymers that provide intimate, long-term electrical and biological connections between implantable electrodes and the target tissue. They offer the conductivity and stability of metals at a low-cost with the ease of processing and biological functionality of polymers. Continue reading
Nanowattics was founded in 2007 to provide development services of ultra-low-power application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) for safety-critical applications.
Nanowattics’ core team is extremelly experienced in the design of ASICs for implantable medical devices. Their designs include the main ASIC for a DDDR pacemaker, a sub-microvolt differential amplifier for electroneurographic signal acquisition, and the chipset for a multi-channel current-mode implantable stimulator.
Besides IC design services, Nanowattics also offers IC development project management through the entire product design cycle, including feasibility studies, translation of requirements, foundry submission, fabrication, packaging, prototype testing, documentation, certifications, and production. Continue reading
I took this picture a very long time ago at the office of one of my implanter friends in Europe. Ever since then, I’ve tried to find out about “Digikon,” but have had no luck so far. All that I have been able to find from the St. Jude legacy device database is that Digikon had produced a number of pacemaker models, including the one shown in this picture.
In 1983, Bill Cook and Dr. Neal Fearnot began to work under the Cook Pacemaker Company in Leechburg, PA on developing the technology developed by Dr. Fearnot at Purdue University into an improved prototype for a temperature-based exercise responsive pacemaker that was released in 1988 as the Kelvin Sensor rate-responsive pacemaker. One of the first CVT rate-adaptive pacemakers was the Cook Model Kelvin 500 series. Continue reading
The Circadia pacemaker was one of the very few devices that had a lead-borne thermistor to measure cental venous temperature (CVT) as a sensor for rate-response.
A unique feature of this pacemaker was an iridium-oxide (IrOx)-coated button welded to the can. It was believed that this button would improve unipolar IEGM sensing and reduce unipolar pacing thresholds (it didn’t). Continue reading
One of the indicators of metabolic demand that has been used for controlling the rate of pacemakers is central venous blood temperature (CVT).
In 1983, Bill Cook and Dr. Neal Fearnot began to work under the Cook Pacemaker Company on developing the technology developed by Dr. Fearnot at Purdue University into an improved prototype for a temperature-based exercise responsive pacemaker that was released in 1988 as the Kelvin Sensor rate-responsive pacemaker. One of the first CVT rate-adaptive pacemakers was the Cook Model Kelvin 500 series.
Another one of the first CVT rate-adaptive pacemakers was the Intermedics Nova MR, which differs from the Kelvin 500 series in that its pacing algorithm had a more dynamic HR response. Continue reading
The Medtronic Chronicle implantable hemodynamic monitor used a specialized RV lead/sensor. The device was able to monitor and telemeter:
Medcor was established in Hollywood, FL in 1969, and began developing pacemakers, lead and accessories in 1971. By 1975 it had a series of lithium-powered pacemaker in the market, but they never became popular with physicians.
On July 1980, Daig Corporation of Minnetonka, MN acquired Medcor with the expectation that Medcor pacemaker technology could be profitably marketed.
Daig had hoped to market a new line of Medcor pacemakers, but significant electronic malfunctions were encountered which foreclosed further development Medcor’s pacemaker product line. As a result of malfunctions in the first pacemaker line, FDA approval was withheld on a second Medcor line of pacemakers due to similarities in product design.
In 1981, amidst a very serious financial condition, Daig closed its doors. The remaining assets were acquired by Daig’s largest customer – Pacesetter (now part of St. Jude Medical).
UPDATE, May 20, 2013:
Mark Christensen – who worked at Daig Corporation from 1980 to 1986 – sent me a kind note with some additional information: “As you note in your comments on Medcor, it was purchased by Daig in 1980 but remained as a separate business. Daig’s financial crisis in 1981 caused Daig to go into Chapter 11 Bankruptcy and Medcor went to Chapter 7 – liquidation and was sold at auction in late 1981. No pacemaker company bought any of the assets. Daig reorganized, diversified into EP catheters and was bought by St Jude Medical in 1996 (15 years later).” Thanks Mark!
Image Credit: VeriMed
VeriMed’s VeriChip is the only RFID tag that has been cleared by FDA for human implant. The concept behind the medical use of the VeriChip is that patients would have the tiny chip implanted just under the skin, in the back of the arm. Each VeriMed microchip contains a unique identification number that emergency personnel may scan to immediately identify the patient and access his/her personal health information, thus facilitating appropriate treatment without delay. This is especially important for patients who suffer from conditions that may render them unconscious, confused, or unable to communicate. Although the FDA approved the use of the device for anyone 12 years of age or older, it would mostly be recommended for patients with diabetes, stroke, seizure disorders, dementia, Alzheimer’s, developmental disorders, and organ transplants.