Antenna for an implantable medical device

[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/798,249, filed on Mar. 2, 2001, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,708,065, the specification of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] This invention pertains to implantable medical devices such as cardiac pacemakers and implantable cardioverter/defibrillators. In particular, the invention relates to an apparatus and method for enabling radio-frequency telemetry in such devices.

[0003] Implantable medical devices, including cardiac rhythm management devices such as pacemakers and implantable cardioverter/defibrillators, typically have the capability to communicate data with a device called an external programmer via a radio-frequency telemetry link. A clinician may use such an external programmer to program the operating parameters of an implanted medical device. For example, the pacing mode and other operating characteristics of a pacemaker are typically modified after implantation in this manner. Modern implantable devices also include the capability for bidirectional communication so that information can be transmitted to the programmer from the implanted device. Among the data which may typically be telemetered from an implantable device are various operating parameters and physiological data, the latter either collected in real-time or stored from previous monitoring operations.

[0004] Telemetry systems for implantable medical devices utilize radio-frequency energy to enable bidirectional communication between the implantable device and an external programmer. An exemplary telemetry system for an external programmer and a cardiac pacemaker is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,562,841, issued to Brockway et al. and assigned to Cardiac Pacemakers, Inc., the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. A radio-frequency carrier is modulated with digital information, typically by amplitude shift keying where the presence or absence of pulses in the signal constitute binary symbols or bits. The external programmer transmits and receives the radio signal with an antenna incorporated into a wand which can be positioned in proximity to the implanted device. The implantable device also generates and receives the radio signal by means of an antenna, typically formed by a wire coil wrapped around the periphery of the inside of the device casing.

[0005] In previous telemetry systems, the implantable device and the external programmer communicate by generating and sensing a modulated electromagnetic field in the near-field region with the antennas of the respective devices inductively coupled together. The wand must therefore be in close proximity to the implantable device, typically within a few inches, in order for communications to take place. This requirement is an inconvenience for a clinician and limits the situations in which telemetry can take place.

[0006] The present invention is an apparatus and method for enabling communications with an implantable medical device utilizing far-field electromagnetic radiation. Using far-field radiation allows communications over much greater distances than with inductively coupled antennas. Efficient emission and reception of far-field energy in a desirable frequency range, however, requires an antenna structure with certain minimum dimensions. An objective of the present invention is to provide such an antenna structure that does not complicate the implantation procedure, does not interfere with the device at its implanted site, and is resistant to breakage or deformation due to body movements.

[0007] In accordance with the invention, a wire or other type of antenna is embedded in dielectric material and located within the unshielded header of an implantable device where therapy leads are routed via feedthroughs to circuitry within the device housing. Alternatively, the embedded antenna is located within an unshielded housing portion of an implantable device such as a dielectric pocket or window adjacent to the rest of the housing. The antenna is connected to circuitry in order to enable the transmitting and receiving of far-field radio-frequency radiation modulated with telemetry data. By containing the antenna in this manner, the antenna is protected from bending or breakage and requires no special implantation procedure.

[0008] The dimensions of an antenna structure contained within a device header or housing portion are constrained by the size of those compartments, and it is desirable for implantable medical devices to be as small as possible. In another aspect of the invention, a helically wound dipole or monopole antenna is employed. A helical antenna is especially advantageous for this purpose because it has a longer effective electrical length than a similarly dimensioned straight wire dipole or monopole antenna. The antenna may also be tuned with a tuning circuit that optimizes its impedance for a particular frequency.

[0012] As noted above, conventional radio-frequency (RF) telemetry systems used for implantable medical devices such as cardiac pacemakers utilize inductive coupling between the antennas of the implantable device and an external programmer in order to transmit and receive RF signals. Because the induction field produced by a transmitting antenna falls off rapidly with distance, such systems require close proximity between the implantable device and a wand antenna of the external programmer in order to work properly, usually on the order of a few inches. The present invention, on the other hand, is an apparatus and method for enabling telemetry with an implantable medical device utilizing far-field radiation. Communication using far-field radiation can take place over much greater distances which makes it more convenient to use an external programmer. Also, the increased communication range makes possible other applications of the telemetry system such as remote monitoring of patients and communication with other types of external devices.

[0013] A time-varying electrical current flowing in an antenna produces a corresponding electromagnetic field configuration that propagates through space in the form of electromagnetic waves. The total field configuration produced by an antenna can be decomposed into a far-field component, where the magnitudes of the electric and magnetic fields vary inversely with distance from the antenna, and a near-field component with field magnitudes varying inversely with higher powers of the distance. The field configuration in the immediate vicinity of the antenna is primarily due to the near-field component, also known as the induction field, while the field configuration at greater distances is due solely to the far-field component, also known as the radiation field. The near-field is a reactive field in which energy is stored and retrieved but results in no net energy outflow from the antenna unless a load is present in the field, coupled either inductively or capacitively to the antenna. The far-field, on the other hand, is a radiating field that carries energy away from the antenna regardless of the presence of a load in the field. This energy loss appears to a circuit driving the antenna as a resistive impedance which is known as the radiation resistance. If the frequency of the RF energy used to drive an antenna is such that the wavelength of electromagnetic waves propagating therein is much greater than the length of the antenna, a negligible far-field component is produced. In order for a substantial portion of the energy delivered to the antenna to be emitted as far-field radiation, the wavelength of the driving signal should not be very much larger than the length of the antenna.

[0014] An antenna most efficiently radiates energy if the length of the antenna is an integral number of half-wavelengths of the driving signal. A dipole antenna, for example, is a center-driven conductor which has a length equal to half the wavelength of the driving signal. Such a dipole antenna can be made of two lengths of metal arranged end to end with the cable from a transmitter/receiver feeding each length of the dipole in the middle. An efficiently radiating resonant structure is formed if each length of metal in the dipole is a quarter-wavelength long, so that the combined length of the dipole from end to end is a half-wavelength. A shorter antenna can produce a similar field configuration by utilizing a ground plane to reflect electromagnetic waves emitted by the antenna and thereby produce an image field. A monopole antenna is a conductor with a length equal to one-quarter the wavelength of the driving signal situated with respect to a reflecting ground plane so that the total emitted and reflected field configuration resembles that of the dipole antenna. As will be discussed below, an antenna tuning circuit may also be used to alter the effective electrical length of an antenna by loading it with capacitance or inductance.

[0015] One way of implementing far-field telemetry in an implantable medical device is to use an antenna that extends from the device housing. The device housing is metallic and forms an electrically shielded compartment for electronic circuitry that provides particular functionality to the device such as cardiac rhythm management, physiological monitoring, drug delivery, or neuromuscular stimulation. The housing also contains circuitry for transmitting and receiving RF communications. The antenna could then take the form of a conductor covered by insulation that extends from the housing and is electrically connected to the RF transmitter/receiver within the housing. The antenna could be any conductive structure capable of efficiently radiating electromagnetic energy well-known to those of skill in the art such as a rod, a wire, a patch, or a loop.

[0016] An external wire antenna for an implantable medical device capable of emitting far-field radiation, however, may require special implantation procedures and may also be broken or deformed as a patient moves resulting in de-tuning. In accordance with the present invention, therefore, an antenna for an implantable medical device is embedded in a dielectric and contained within a compartment of the implantable device. As described below with respect to specific embodiments, the compartment may take the form of a specialized dielectric pocket or window integral to the device housing or may be the unshielded device header.

[0017] As noted above, two common types of antennas are wire dipole and monopole antennas. If a substantial portion of the RF energy delivered to the antenna to be emitted as far-field radiation, the length of the antenna should not be very much shorter than one-quarter of the wavelength of the RF carrier signal provided by the RF transmitter. For implantable medical device applications, carrier frequencies between 300 MHz and 1 GHz are most desirable. For example, the carrier signal may be selected to be 1 gigahertz, which corresponds to a wavelength of approximately 32 cm. A half-wavelength dipole antenna would optimally be approximately 16 cm long, and a quarter-wavelength monopole antenna would optimally have a length approximately 8 cm with the housing 101 serving as a ground plane. If it is desired to use a lower frequency carrier, even longer antennas must be used. Depending upon the size of the implantable device, it may or may not be convenient to embed a wire antenna in a compartment of the device as described below. For reasons of patient comfort, however, it is desirable for implanted devices to be as small as possible, and this constrains the length of the antenna that can be used if it is to be embedded in a compartment.

[0018] In another aspect of the invention, therefore, a helical antenna is employed to transmit and receive RF signals. Such an antenna is formed by helically coiling a length of wire or other conductor along a particular axis. If circumference of the individual helices small in comparison to the wavelength of the driving or received signal, the radiation pattern of the helical antenna is approximately the same as either a dipole antenna or a monopole antenna if a ground plane is present. A helical dipole or monopole antenna may be formed by coiling a length of wire corresponding to just over one-half wavelength or one-quarter wavelength of the carrier frequency. Owing to the coiling of the wire, the resulting helical antenna is physically shorter than the monopole or dipole antenna formed from the straight piece of wire. The effective electrical length of a the helical antenna, however, is even longer than that owing to the added inductance of the coil and turn-to-turn capacitance which reduces the resonance frequency from that of the corresponding straight wire antenna. A helical antenna thus provides a shortened, space-saving monopole or dipole antenna that behaves electrically like a much longer antenna.

[0019] FIGS. 1A through 1D show different embodiments of an exemplary implantable cardiac rhythm management device with a compartmentalized helical antenna 200 suitable for radiating and receiving far-field electromagnetic radiation. The device housing 102 is metallic and contains therapy circuitry TC1 for providing particular functionality to the device such as cardiac rhythm management, physiological monitoring, drug delivery, or neuromuscular stimulation as well as circuitry RFC1 for providing RF communications. A battery B1 is used to supply power to the electronic circuitry within the housing. One or more therapy leads 310 are connected to the therapy circuitry contained within the housing by means of a header 103 with feedthroughs located therein for routing the therapy leads to the appropriate internal components.

[0020] In FIGS. 1A and 1B, the helical antenna 103 is shown as being embedded within the header 103. The header 103 is a solid block structure made from a synthetic polymer that has feedthroughs therein for routing electrical connectors between the therapy leads 310 and the therapy circuitry TC1, with the proximal ends of the therapy leads being inserted into bores 104. The polymer material of the header is a dielectric that allows transmission and receipt of RF energy while also providing a rigid covering that protects the antenna from bodily fluids and prevents breakage or bending of the antenna. Putting the antenna into the header in this manner also involves no special implantation techniques and leaves the physical profile of the device housing unaltered. FIG. 1A shows the antenna 200 positioned roughly parallel to the surface of the device housing. In this configuration the helically coiled wire acts as a dipole antenna with a particular effective electrical length. FIG. 1B shows an alternative embodiment in which the antenna 200 is positioned within the header perpendicular to the surface of the device housing. In this configuration, the conductive device housing 102 acts as a ground plane so that the helical coil acts as a monopole antenna and behaves with an electrical length twice that of a similarly dimensioned dipole antenna.

[0021] FIG. 1C illustrates an alternative location for embedding the antenna within the header. In this embodiment, an embedded conductor is helically wound around one of the bores 104 into which an end of a therapy lead inserts. The antenna in this instance then acts as a dipole antenna similar to that of FIG. 1A.

[0022] FIG. 1D shows another embodiment where the helical antenna, rather than being located within the header, is embedded within a dielectric pocket 105 adjacent an outer surface of the device housing. The pocket 105 may be constructed of a polymer material similar to that of the header described above and provides similar protective and electrical functions. Again, the size and shape of the device housing is affected minimally, if at all.

[0023] In the examples described above, the antenna embedded into either the header or a dielectric pocket was a helical antenna. It should be appreciated, however, that other types of antennas could be similarly embedded, and the same advantages would be obtained.

[0024] FIGS. 2A-B and 3A-B are block diagrams of an exemplary implantable cardiac rhythm management device showing examples of how monopole or dipole helical antennas may be connected and driven. In the figures, only one therapy lead 310 is shown but it should be understood that a cardiac rhythm management device may use two or more such leads. A microprocessor controller 302 controls the operation of the therapy circuitry 320, which includes sensing and stimulus generation circuitry that are connected to electrodes by the therapy leads for control of heart rhythm, and RF drive circuitry 330 for transmitting and receiving a carrier signal at a specified frequency modulated with telemetry data. The conductors of the therapy lead 310 connect to the therapy circuitry 320 through a filter 321 that serves to isolate the circuitry 320 from any RF signals that may be picked up by the lead. The filter 321 may be a low-pass filter or a notch filter such as a choke.

[0025] The microprocessor 302 also outputs and receives the data contained in the modulated carrier generated or received by the drive circuitry 330. The RF drive circuitry 330 includes an RF transmitter and receiver that are connected by a transmit/receive switch 333 to the antenna. The conductor that connects the transmit/receive switch to the antenna passes from the interior of the device housing to the exterior where the antenna is located through a feedthrough 404. One disadvantage of helical antennas is a relatively narrow bandwidth and low radiation resistance. An antenna tuning circuit may therefore be desirable, and all of the illustrated embodiments employ such a circuit to adjust the impedance of the antenna. An antenna tuning circuit loads the antenna with a variable amount of inductance or capacitance to thereby adjust the effective electrical length of the antenna, and hence the resonance frequency of the antenna. By matching the antenna impedance to the impedance of the transmitter/receiver at a specified carrier frequency, the reactance of the antenna may be tuned out at that frequency so that the antenna forms a resonant structure and efficiently transmits/receives far-field radiation.

[0026] FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate exemplary methods for connecting and driving helical monopole antennas such as the perpendicularly oriented helix shown in FIG. 1B. In FIG. 2A, the helical antenna 200 is simply connected to the transmit/receive switch 333 through a variable tuning capacitor 402. In FIG. 2B, the antenna is connected to the transmit/receive switch through a balun transformer 400 in addition to the tuning capacitor. The balun transformer allows better impedance matching than when the tuning capacitor alone is used. The driving impedance may also be improved by tapping the antenna 200 in the middle as shown in the figure. The balun transformer also electrically isolates the internal circuitry from the device housing which may be advantageous in some pacemakers and defibrillators where the housing or can is utilized as an electrode in delivering pacing or defibrillation pulses.

[0027] FIGS. 3A and 3B show exemplary methods for connecting and driving helical dipole antennas such as the parallel oriented helices shown in FIGS. 1A, 1C, and 1D. In these embodiments the balun transformer serves to convert the single ended RF signal generated or received by the circuitry into a differential RF signal that is transmitted or received at the antenna in addition to providing improved impedance matching. FIG. 3A shows an embodiment where the balun transformer 400 is interposed between the tuning capacitor and the antenna 200 and also provides electrical isolation. FIG. 3B is an alternative embodiment where the antenna itself serve as one of the windings of the balun transformer 400. This saves space but suffers from a disadvantage that the balun is outside of the housing and hence cannot be used to isolate the internal circuitry from the housing.

[0028] Although the invention has been described in conjunction with the foregoing specific embodiment, many alternatives, variations, and modifications will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. Such alternatives, variations, and modifications are intended to fall within the scope of the following appended claims.