US 12,415,069 B2
Activation fixation lead for cardiac conductive system pacing
Lili Liu, St Paul, MN (US); Arthur J. Foster, Blaine, MN (US); and Matthew J. Miller, Stillwater, MN (US)
Assigned to Cardiac Pacemakers, Inc., St. Paul, MN (US)
Filed by Cardiac Pacemakers, Inc., St Paul, MN (US)
Filed on Jun. 14, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/839,633.
Application 17/839,633 is a continuation of application No. 16/722,470, filed on Dec. 20, 2019, granted, now 11,383,079.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/783,916, filed on Dec. 21, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2022/0305255 A1, Sep. 29, 2022
Int. Cl. A61N 1/05 (2006.01); A61N 1/362 (2006.01)
CPC A61N 1/0573 (2013.01) [A61N 1/362 (2013.01); A61N 2001/058 (2013.01)] 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system for pacing a patient's heart at a stimulation site, the system comprising:
an implantable lead including:
an elongate body extending between a proximal end and a distal end and including at least one lumen extending between the proximal end and the distal end, the distal end of the elongate body configured to embed within heart tissue and including a tapered portion reducing the elongate body in diameter with a minimum diameter of the tapered portion at the distal end and a maximum diameter of the tapered portion being substantially equal to a maximum outer diameter of the elongate body, and
a fixation helix having an outer diameter, the fixation helix extending from distally from the at least one lumen and configured to rotate and therefore translate relative to the elongate body, the fixation helix further including a proximal portion and a distal portion, wherein the proximal portion of the fixation helix is covered by an electrically insulative material and the distal portion is uninsulated, and wherein the minimum diameter of the tapered portion of the elongate body is equal to the outer diameter of the fixation helix; and
a guide wire having a proximal end, an insulated intermediate portion distal to the proximal end, and an uninsulated distal end located distally of the intermediate portion, wherein the guide wire is removably disposed within the lead body and is selectively extendable beyond the fixation helix, wherein the distal portion of the fixation helix and the uninsulated distal end of the guide wire are configured as a bipolar electrode pair;
a programmer coupled to the guide wire and adapted to receive electrical signals from the uninsulated distal end prior to embedding the fixation helix and adapted to receive electrical signals from the uninsulated distal end to confirm contact with the stimulation site, wherein the programmer is configured to facilitate placement of the fixation helix by analyzing the electrical signals prior to embedding the fixation helix.