A HOUSING, COMPRISING A TUBULAR CONNECTOR, FOR A HEART STIMULATOR

Abstract: The invention relates to a metallic pulse generator housing comprising a tubular connector (2) adapted to receive a proximal lead end plug (34), the connector being located inside the housing and having a closed end within said housing and an open end welded or bonded to an opening in a wall of the housing. Said connector (2) comprises a metallic barrel (4) being weldable or bondable (at 62) to the metallic housing and constituting a structurally unitary tube member with a cavity (6) containing electric contact means for contacting contact surfaces on said lead end plug (34), at least one insulating substrate means (14), which is provided with said contact means (20, 22), being arranged in or on a region of a barrel wall portion defining said cavity (6).

Description: A HOUSING, COMPRISING A TUBULAR CONNECTOR, FOR A HEART STIMULATOR Technical field of the invention The present invention relates to a metallic pulse generator housing according to the - preamble of claim 1. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a tubular adapter according to the preamble of claim 12. Background of the invention An implantable pacemaker (pacer) is a system composed of a pulse generator and the pacing lead(s) connected thereto. At the proximal end of such pacing lead there is a male plug (terminal pin) which is connected to the pulse generator, and at the distal end of the lead there is (at least) one electrode adapted to be implanted in (or in the vicinity of) a patient's heart. The pulse generator normally comprises a housing ("case" or "can"), which contains a battery and electronic circuitry, and a connector ("header"). The connector is a receptacle into which said pacing lead(s) is (are) inserted. The internal parts of the pacer must be well protected against especially the body fluids for a long time period. This places strict requirements on all entries into the interior of the housing, especially on the lead connection to the housing. It should also be possible to disconnect the pulse generator from the implanted lead(s), e.g. for replacement or servicing of the generator. The connective parts of the pulse generator and the lead(s) have largely been standardized to include in practice a relatively deep female socket having internal contact surfaces, while the male plug (at the proximal end of each lead) comprises corresponding external contact surfaces. At present the connective pulse generator housing part containing said female socket is made of a transparent material, usually a medical grade epoxy resin, which is moulded onto the housing and onto contacts protruding from the housing. The lead's male plug is normally locked in the connector receptacle by means of a set-screw or some other fastening means. However, the positioning and alignment of the contact surfaces and of the fastening means or metallic threads for the set-screw, prior to the moulding of the connective part, is very complicated, and the delay in the manufacturing process incurred by the curing of the epoxy is considerable. Thus, it would be desirable that such moulding procedure could be dispensed with. It has been considered that a possibility of avoiding said problems might be to design a pulse generator which is provided with a female socket located inside its metal housing. As far as known such integrated socket, sometimes called a "black hole", is presently not used. US-A- 4.262,982, US-4,934.366 and US-5.324.31 1 describe interior sockets or blind holes in pacemaker housings. In all cases the interior socket comprises a tubular member consisting of a number of put together sections of different materials, e.g. metal and insulating ceramics. A metallic end section of the tubular member can be welded or bonded to an opening in the pacemaker housing by means of an exterior flange on said end section. However, the use of sections of different materials in the tubular member makes the assembly procedure more complicated and demanding regarding precision and durability of the component parts. The integrity of the interior of the housing also must be guaranteed during a very long period of implantation. In US-5.007.864 there is disclosed a lead-to-pacemaker adapter which allows the use of a smaller diameter terminal electrode lead assembly than that for which the pacemaker was designed. The adapter permits direct electrical connection from the terminal pin electrode (at the proximal lead end portion) to the pacemaker connector block and its terminal set screw, without any intermediate connecting elements. The adapter is tubular and includes a cylindrical body which tapers at its rear open end to an extension. At its forward closed end the adapter has an end face from which an electrically conductive half-round tube extends outwardly. On its underside the adapter has a retaining bump provided for latching the adapter in place within a receptacle cavity in the pacemaker's head portion. Near the outer opening of the receptacle cavity there is a small hole along the bottom side thereof. When the adapter is inserted in place within the receptacle cavity said retaining bump engages within said small hole. When the terminal pin electrode at the proximal lead end portion has been inserted into the adapter, said pin electrode will be positioned in the channel-shaped half-round tube at the--, forward end of the adapter. A socket recess set screw, which is threaded into said connector block, is brought into contact and locking engagement with said pin electrode, thereby retaining the lead assembly in firm mechanical and electrical coupling to the pacemaker. US-4.583.543 discloses an upsizing adapter for electrically and mechanically coupling a small size terminal electrode assembly (which is mounted at the proximal end of a pacing lead) to a large size terminal electrode assembly socket in a pacemaker. The adapter is adapted to be inserted into said electrode assembly socket in the pacemaker, and the electrode assembly at the proximal end of the pacing lead is inserted into a socket in the adapter. Thus, the smaller terminal electrode assembly at the lead's proximal end is received and held in a larger size socket in the pacemaker by means of the adapter. The adapter with the pacing lead electrode assembly inserted therein is retained in the pacemaker socket by means of an Allen set screw in a connector block within an upper body portion of the pacemaker. A pointed tip of said set screw forces a side wall portion of the adapter's forward end tube (enclosing the lead ' s terminal pin electrode) into contact with the lead ' s terminal pin electrode. In this way, an electrical and mechanical connection is provided between said pin electrode and the connector block. Objects of the invention A primary object of the invention is to provide a tubular connector for a pulse generator housing that s suitable for so called black holes. A further object is to construct a new type of connector which provides a mechanically locking, electrical connection of a proximal lead end portion to the lead connection unit in a pacemaker or some other type of pulse generator. Another object of the invention is to design a tubular connector, as well as an adapter suitable for that type of connector, which facilitates the connection of an undersized proximal lead end electrode assembly to the receiving cavity of the lead connection unit of a heart stimulator. A still further object is to provide a connector including a tubular, male plug receiving member or barrel being designed to be optimized from a manufacturing as well as a strength-of-material standpoint. Summary of the invention According to the present invention the primary object is obtained with a metallic pulse generator housing provided with a tubular connector having the constructive features defined in the characterizing part of claim 1. The additional objects are obtained by means of a metallic pulse generator according to the characterizing parts of claims 2 - 11 and with an adapter according to claims 12 - 17. Brief description of the drawings The invention will now be further elucidated by means of the following description of a preferred embodiment shown on the enclosed drawings, wherein: Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a partly assembled tubular connector according to the invention; Fig. 2 shows (on a larger scale) a bottom view of the connector in Fig. 1 ; Fig. 3 shows an end view of the connector in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 shows a longitudinal section through the connector, at plane A-A in Fig. 3; Fig. 5 shows an end view of the connector in fully put together state; Fig. 6 shows a longitudinal section through the connector in Fig. 5. at plane B-B thereof: Fig. 7 shows an end view of the barrel of the tubular connector in Figs. 1-6; Fig. 8 shows a longitudinal section through the barrel in Fig. 7, at plane C-C thereof; Fig. 9 shows a bottom view of the adapter of the tubular connector in Figs. 1-6; Fig. 10 shows a side view of the adapter in Fig. 9; Fig. 1 1 and Fig. 12 show end views of the right and left end, respectively, of the adapter in Fig. 9; Fig. 13 shows a longitudinal section through the adapter in Fig. 11 , at plane D-D thereof; Fig. 14 shows (on a larger scale) a side view of the substrate slab of the connector in Fig. 4; Fig. 15 shows a cutaway side view of a pulse generator with a tubular connector barrel ~- mounted in the upper part of the pulse generator housing; Fig. 16 shows a partial cutaway side view of a pulse generator with a tubular connector barrel included in a specific receptacle part (header) of the generator. Detailed description of a preferred embodiment A preferred embodiment of a metallic housing with tubular connector according to the invention will now be elucidated with reference to Figs. 1-6 on the enclosed drawings, and the three major components thereof are depicted separately in Figs. 7-8, 9-13 and 14, respectively. In Figs. 1, 2, 4 and 6 a tubular connector 2 is shown in a partly assembled state. The connector, which is adapted to form part of a lead connection unit 100 of a heart stimulator or pulse generator schematically shown in Fig. 15, comprises a metallic barrel 4 with a cavity 6 having an entrance opening 8 at its rear end (right end in Figs. 4 and 8). In a thickened side wall portion 10 of the barrel 4 there is formed an elongated, longitudinal through opening 12 between the cavity 6 and the outside of the barrel. A rectangular slab or substrate 14 of ceramic material is sealingly fastened in opening 12, e.g. by brazing solder 16. On its narrow longitudinal top side 18 the slab 14 is provided with two spaced apart contacts 20, 22 with convex surfaces that are metallized with e.g. gold. These contacts are individually electrically connected to a pair of external pads 24. 26 on a lateral surface 28 of the slab, see Figs. 1 and 14. The substrate 14 may however also be an integral part of the substrate carrying the internal electronics of the pacer, this substrate thus extending into the opening 12 and being sealingly fastened thereto. In the case of a pacer with two connectors, the connectors could be located on opposite sides of the electronics substrate with the substrate extending into the respective openings 12. In both cases, separate conducting means connecting the internal electronics with the barrel would not be necessary. This design of course could be used irrespectively of whether the embodiment utilising the adaptor part is used or an embodiment is used in which the means connecting the substrate with the male connector are permanently mounted in the barrel. As shown in Figs. 1 , 2 and 4 a tubular adapter 30 is insertable and sealingly lockable in the barrel cavity 6. This adapter, which constitutes a casing with a central bore 32, is made of an elastic, electrically insulating material, e.g. a semi-soft elastomer, which may be transparent to allow easy visual supervision of the position of a proximal lead end portion 34 which is inserted into the adapter bore 32. The rear end portion of the adapter is axially split open into two half-shells 36, 38. Each half-shell has an outward flange 40 at its rear end. As visible in Figs. 1-3 and 9-13 one half-shell 38 is elastically and flexibly connected with the rest of the adapter by way of a transition portion 42. The half- shells 36, 38 are provided, on the insides thereof, with locking means adapted to lock the proximal lead end portion 34 in its fully inserted position in adapter bore 32 when also the adapter itself has been fully inserted into the barrel cavity 6. Said locking means comprises circumferential engagement means, e.g. ribs 44, which are brought into engagement with said lead end portion 34 when half-shell 38 is turned down (from its angular position shown in Figs. 1-3) to its axial engagement position obtained by fully inserting the adapter 30 into barrel cavity 6, as shown in Fig. 6. Furthermore, to space apart and mutually seal the electrical pole surfaces 46, 48 on the outside of the adapter tube or casing from each other in barrel cavity 6, the adapter is provided, on the outside thereof, with axially spaced apart circumferential grooves 50, 52, 54 (see Figs. 9, 10, 13) adapted to accommodate O-ring type sealing means 50a, 52a, 54a (see Figs. 4 and 6). When the adapter 30, with lead end portion 34 fully inserted therein (as in Fig. 4), has been axially fully inserted in barrel cavity 6 (as in Fig. 6), the adapter is positively locked in position therein by being turned clockwise 90°, so that slots 56, 58 (which contain said pole surfaces 46, 48) will slid onto the convex contacts 20, 22 on slab 14. Thereby the adapter will become mechanically locked in position in cavity 6, and the metal parts (e.g. thin metal leafs comprising pole surfaces 46, 48) molded in the elastomeric adapter will become electrically connected to the convex or spherical, metallic contacts 20, 22 on the ceramic material slab 14. To facilitate the 90° turning of the adapter, the flanges 40 of the two half-shells 36, 38 are - provided, at the edges thereof, with a suitable number of notches 60 adapted to be engageable by means of an external, simple, adapter turning tool (not shown on the drawings). To turn the adapter said tool is merely folded around the lead end portion 34 and fit into the notches 60 in the adapter flanges 40, whereupon the adapter can be turned 90° to its definite locking position. The tubular connector 2 is adapted to form part of a lead connection unit of a heart stimulator or pacemaker. Such unit can be positioned in a header or specific receptacle part of a pacemaker, or in a "black hole" cavity provided in the actual pacemaker housing or can. To facilitate the installation of the tubular connector according to the invention in a header or such black hole, the barrel 4 preferably is provided with a circumferential flange 62 in the region of its entrance opening 8. By means of this flange the adapter can easily be attached to the pacemaker can, e.g. by laser welding. In Fig. 15 there is shown a pacemaker housing or can 64 containing a connector barrel 4, electrical circuits 66 and a battery 68. In this case the barrel 4 is mounted in an opening 70 in a side wall portion 72 of the upper part of the housing 64. The barrel 4 is attached to the wall portion 72 by means of the circumferential flange 62 which is laser welded to said wall portion. The preferably cylindrical cavity 6 within barrel 4 is adapted to receive and support an adapter 30 (having a proximal lead end portion inserted therein), in the way shown in Fig. 6. Thus, the socket configuration shown in Fig. 15 is of the "black hole" type. A substrate means 14, which is made of an electrically insulating material and provided with contact means 20, 22, is sealingly fastened in a longitudinal through opening in a thickened wall portion 10 of the barrel 4. In Fig. 16, on the other hand, there is shown a more conventional pacemaker having a housing or case 74 with a specific receptacle part or header 76 attached thereto. This header 76 may e.g. be an epoxy resin body 78 moulded on a planar top surface 80 of case 74. The tubular connector barrel 4 may be embedded in epoxy body 78 from the very moulding thereof or may be inserted afterwards in a cylindrical cavity formed in the moulded body. In the preferred embodiment described above, the cavity comprising the insulating substrate has been illustrating as being located laterally in the envelope surface of the . tubular connector (which in the preferred embodiment is cylindrical). It should however be noted that the insulating substrate of course could be located in the end of the connector, for instance forming a plug brazed or soldered into the end of the connector. The inner side of the plug then could carry the spaced-apart contact surfaces, which for instance could be arranged concentrically on said inner surface and which would be in electrical connection with the exterior of the tubular connector. The tubular adapter would be provided with corresponding exterior contacts on the outer end surface being in electrical connection with the contacts on the inside of the adapter. In other respects the design would be similar to the design described in the preferred embodiments with lateral slots and lugs forming a bayonet joint between adapter and connector.

Claims: Claims 1. A metallic pulse generator housing comprising a tubular connector (2) adapted to receive a proximal lead end plug (34), the connector being located inside the housing and having a closed end within said housing and an open end welded or bonded to an opening in a wall — ■ of the housing, characterized in that the connector (2) comprises a metallic barrel (4) being weldable or bondable (at 62) to the metallic housing and constituting a structurally unitary tube member with a cavity (6) containing electric contact means for contacting contact surfaces on said lead end plug (34), at least one insulating substrate means (14), which is provided with said contact means (20,22), being arranged in or on a region of a barrel wall portion defining said cavity (6). 2. A metallic pulse generator housing according to claim 1, characterized in that the connector comprises: said barrel (4) having a cavity (6) with an entrance opening (8) at one end of the barrel, in a side wall (10) of the barrel there is at least one through opening (12) providing communication between the cavity and the outside of the barrel, a tubular adapter (30). which is insertable and sealingly lockable in the cavity (6) and made of an electrically insulating material, a rear end portion (36, 38) of the adapter being provided with locking means (44) adapted to lock a proximal lead end portion (34) in position in the adapter (30) when said lead end portion is inserted in the adapter and the adapter is also fully inserted in the barrel cavity (6), said at least one substrate means (14) being sealingly fastened in said at least one through opening (12) and being provided with electrical contacts (20, 22) adapted to make contact with mating contact surfaces (46, 48) on the outside of the adapter when same is fully inserted in the cavity (6). 3. A metallic pulse generator housing according to claim 2, characterized in that the through opening is an elongated, longitudinal opening (12) in a thickened side wall portion (10) of the barrel, and that the substrate means is a unitary substrate element (14) being at least partly accommodated in said longitudinal opening (12) and positively fixed therein, e.g. by brazing (16). 4. A metallic pulse generator housing according to claim 2, characterized in that the at least one through opening comprises two or more spaced apart openings in a thickened side wall portion (10) of the barrel, and that the substrate means comprises one substrate element in each through opening, each substrate element being at least partly accommodated in its opening and positively fixed therein, e.g. by brazing. — 5. A metallic pulse generator housing according to claim 3, characterized in that the substrate means is a slab (14) of ceramic material on one narrow longitudinal side (18) of which there are arranged two spaced apart contacts (20, 22) having convex surfaces adapted to be in contact with mating contact elements (46, 48) at the surface of the adapter (30), the contacts (20, 22) on the slab being individually electrically connected with pads (24, 26) situated in a surface region of the slab outside the barrel (4). 6. A metallic pulse generator housing according to any of claims 2 - 5, characterized in that the adapter constitutes a casing having a central bore (32) with an entrance opening for the insertion of the proximal lead end portion (34), the rear end portion of the adapter is axially split open into two half-shells (36, 38), at least one (38) of these half-shells being elastically connected with the rest of the adapter and having an outward flange (40) at the rear end thereof. 7. A metallic pulse generator housing according to claim 6, characterized in that each half-shell has an outward flange (40) at its rear end, and the flange of each half-shell is provided, at the edge thereof, with at least one notch (60) adapted to be engageable by an external, simple, adapter turning tool. 8. A metallic pulse generator housing according to any of claims 2 - 7, characterized in that the adapter (30) is made of an elastic material, e.g. a semi-soft elastomer, which may be transparent. 9. A metallic pulse generator housing according to any of claims 2 - 8, characterized in that the adapter (30) is provided, on the outside thereof, with axially spaced apart circumferential grooves (50, 52, 54) adapted to accommodate sealing means, e.g. O-ring type sealing rings (50a, 52a, 54a). 10. A metallic pulse generator housing according to any of the claims 6-9, characterized in that the adapter (30) is provided, on the inside of its half-shells (36, 38), with circumferential engagement means (44), e.g. ribs, which are brought into engagement with said lead end portion (34) when the two half-shells are closed and locked around the lead . . end portion. 11. A metallic pulse generator housing according to any of the claims 6-10, characterized in that at least one (38) of the half-shells (36, 38) subtends at an acute angle with the longitudinal axis of the adapter (30) when the rear end portion of the adapter is free and not yet inserted into the cavity (6) of the barrel (4). 12. A tubular adapter (30) for use in a metallic pulse generator housing according to any of claims 1 - 1 1 , characterized in that the adapter, which is made of an electrically insulating material, constitutes a casing (30) having a central bore (32) with an entrance opening for the insertion into the bore of a proximal lead end portion (34) to be locked in position in the adapter bore by closing and locking around said lead end portion a rear end portion (36, 38) of the adapter, this rear end portion being axially split into two half-shells of which at least one (38) is elastically connected (via 42) with the rest of the adapter and provided with engagement ribs (44) on its inner side and with an outward flange (40) at the rear end thereof. 13. A tubular adapter (30) according to claim 12, characterized in that each half-shell has an outward flange (40) at its rear end, and the flange of each half-shell is provided, at the edge thereof, with at least one notch (60) adapted to be engageable by an external, simple, adapter turning tool. 14. A tubular adapter (30) any of claims 12 - 13, characterized in that the adapter (30) is made of an elastic material, e.g. a semi-soft elastomer, which may be transparent. 15. A tubular adapter (30) according to any of claims 12 - 14, characterized in that the adapter (30) is provided, on the outside thereof, with axially spaced apart circumferential grooves (50, 52, 54) adapted to accommodate sealing means, e.g. O-ring type sealing rings (50a, 52a. 54a). 16. A tubular adapter (30) according to any of the claims 12-15. characterized in that the adapter (30) is provided, on the inside of its half-shells (36, 38). with circumferential - engagement means (44), e.g. ribs, which are brought into engagement with said lead end portion (34) when the two half-shells are closed and locked around the lead end portion. 17. A metallic pulse generator housing according to any of the claims 12-16, characterized in that at least one (38) of the half-shells (36, 38) subtends at an acute angle with the longitudinal axis of the adapter (30) when the rear end portion of the adapter is free and not yet inserted into the cavity (6) of the barrel (4).

Inventors: FROEBERG PAUL, FROEBERG, PAUL
Applicants: FROEBERG PAUL, PACESETTER AB, FROEBERG, PAUL
Application year: 1999
Main classification: A61N1
IPC codes: A61N1