Default connection in multi-electrode leads for cardiac pacemakers

Abstract

Modern pacemakers deliver localized electrical stimuli to the cardiac tissue using electrodes located in the stimulation lead. Recently pacemakers with multiple electrode leads have shown lot of potential in cardiac therapy. However, pacemaker devices have limited lifetime (5 to 7 years), after which it must be surgically replaced potentially by devices not designed to support the operation of multi electrode lead thereby creating compatibility problems. In this paper we present the design and implementation of a chip which addresses these problems. Our solution enlarges our lead compatibility to cover all pacemakers in the market. We discuss and provide solutions to the key challenges of such design in a constrained cardiac environment. Our chip has been manufactured in 0.18 μm technology, occupies 2.2 × 1.75 mm2 area and harvests the stimulation energy to power itself. To the best of our knowledge our study is the first published study of its kind.