Patent ID: 8588911

Claim:
A medical device implant comprising: stimulation circuitry for providing stimulation signals to electrodes, the stimulation circuitry including one or more power supply rails for providing first and second direct current voltages, respectively; an insulated conductor for carrying electrical charge, wherein the medical device implant is structured so that when the medical device implant is implanted in a recipient, insulation of the insulated conductor is in contact with tissue of the recipient; a sensing electrode in the insulation; and a current detection circuit electrically connectable to the sensing electrode so as to detect current between a point of failure of said insulation and one or more additional electrodes connected to the stimulation circuitry, wherein the current detection circuit is configured to provide an output indicative of detection of said current; and wherein the stimulation circuitry is configured to selectively connect at least one of the sensing electrode and the one or more additional electrodes to the one or more power supply rails, respectively.