Patent ID: 8437865

Claim:
An implantable lead configured to be permanently or removably connectable to an active implantable medical device, comprising: a) a conductor having a length extending from a proximal end to a distal end; b) a distal electrode contactable with biological cells disposed at the distal end of the conductor; c) a bandstop filter disposed in series along the length of the conductor, the bandstop filter comprising a self-resonant inductor having an inductance in parallel with a capacitance; and d) an electromagnetic shield substantially surrounding the bandstop filter; e) wherein the bandstop filter comprises a first resonant center frequency when removed from the surrounding relationship with the electromagnetic shield and a second resonant center frequency when in the surrounding relationship with the electromagnetic shield; f) wherein the inductance or capacitance is adjusted to account for a shift between the first and second resonant center frequencies; g) wherein the bandstop filter comprises an overall circuit Q wherein the resultant 3 dB bandwidth is at least 10 kHz, such that the bandstop filter attenuates RF current flow substantially about the second resonant center frequency.