Surgery: light – thermal – and electrical application – Light – thermal – and electrical application – Electrical energy applicator
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-29
2001-04-10
Getzow, Scott M. (Department: 3762)
Surgery: light, thermal, and electrical application
Light, thermal, and electrical application
Electrical energy applicator
Reexamination Certificate
active
06216042
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is broadly concerned with a holder for pacemaker wires often implaced in post-operative heart patients. More particularly, the invention pertains such a holder which is designed to safely and positively retain the pacemaker wires and their connection leads for easy identification and deployment thereof to allow the wires to be attached to an external pacemaker.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In many cases of heart surgery, the surgeon will attach pacemaker wires to a patient's heart. These wires pass through a skin opening, normally in the patient's chest, and are adapted to be connected as necessary to an external pacemaker. Thus, during the course of a heart patient's recuperation, it may be necessary to attach the patient to a pacemaker to in order to restart or adjust the rhythm of the patient's heart. This may be done on a regular or periodic basis and may also be required in emergency situations.
In the past, the external portions of pacemaker wires have been simply taped to the patient's chest in needle caps or gloves. This is an unsatisfactory practice because the wires can become tangled and may be difficult to identify (i.e., normally the two wires are attached to the atrium and ventricle of the heart respectively, and it is important that an attendant be able to recognize the connection site of each wire Furthermore, the conventional practice provides no assurance that the electrical contacts at the ends of the wires remain clean and readily accessible.
There is accordingly a need in the art for an improved holder or securement device for pacemaker wires which overcomes the problems associated with the improvisations of the prior art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present overcomes the problems outlined above, and provides an improved holder for pacemaker wires extending through a patient's skin and presenting endmost leads adapted for selective coupling with a pacemaker. The holder of the invention broadly includes a body having a pair of spaced apart lead-receiving receptacles as well as a mount coupled with the body for supporting the latter on the patient adjacent the external pacemaker wires. The receptacles are configured for releasably receiving the pacemaker wire leads while providing clear and unambiguous identification of the leads.
Preferably, the holder body is generally heart-shaped in configuration and has a pair of elongated lead-receiving passageways in the lobe sections of the body; each of the passageways is equipped with a spring-loaded resilient keeper for engaging and releasably holding a corresponding wire lead. In order to provide a positive wire lead identification, the body lobe sections are marked with an “A” and “V” to identify the atrium and ventricle leads respectively. In addition, the holder body is advantageously equipped with wire-supporting elbow pairs allowing excess pacemaker wire length to be wrapped in convolutions about the elbow pairs.
The holder body may be mounted on a patient through use of a conventional adhesive pad, or by provision of a flexible neck support or chain allowing the body to be suspended from the patient's neck.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4903826 (1990-02-01), Pearce
patent: 4911178 (1990-03-01), Neal
patent: 4978085 (1990-12-01), Letourneau
Getzow Scott M.
Hovey Williams Timmons & Collins
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