Patent ID: 7930037
Filing Date: 2011-04-19
Classification: A61N,Y10T

Abstract:
1. An implantable electrode paddle adapted to receive an electrical signal from a medical device and generate an electrical field to stimulate selected body tissue, the electrode paddle comprising: a housing including walls that define an interior space and a plurality of windows formed through at least a first one of the walls for transmitting the electrical field to the body tissue, the housing having a longitudinal dimension that is greater than a lateral dimension of the housing; an electrode array including a plurality of longitudinally spaced electrode groups with each separated by a portion of the walls of the housing with longitudinal spacing of the electrode groups being in a direction of the longitudinal dimension of the housing, each electrode group including at least two electrodes that are individually secured in a respective window, that are immediately laterally adjacent, and that are laterally spaced from closest edge to closest edge by an amount that is less than the longitudinal spacing from closest edge to closest edge between the electrode groups that are immediately longitudinally adjacent, where the lateral spacing between the immediately laterally adjacent electrodes from closest edge to closest edge is between about 0.1 mm and less than 1 mm, and where the lateral spacing from closest edge to closest edge between two immediately adjacent electrodes of a first electrode group of the plurality is the same as the lateral spacing from closest edge to closest edge between two immediately adjacent electrodes of a second electrode group of the plurality that is longitudinally spaced from the first electrode group, with at least one electrode of at least one electrode group having an applied common electrical potential relative to an immediately laterally adjacent electrode of the at least one electrode group; and a plurality of wires, each of the wires being coupled to a respective electrode and routed within the interior space to receive the electrical signal.