Patent ID: 7274963

Claim:
A method of fabricating a modular header for providing electrical connections between an array of feed-through pins extending through a wall of a hermetically sealed enclosure of an implantable medical device and lead connector receptacles within a modular header assembled to said device comprising: (a) providing a pre-formed molded header module having paths therein to accept and incorporate a set of flexible conductors and connector blocks associated with lead connector receptacles; (b) providing a separate set of intermediate conjoined flexible conductors each having a free end and a fixed end, wherein the fixed ends of the flexible conductors are connected to a common element and assembling said set of conductors into said paths in said pre-formed molded header module attaching the free ends thereof to corresponding connector blocks provided in said molded header module; (c) performing an over-molding operation to incorporate and hermetically seal said conductors into said header structure; (d) removing said common element to provide an array of spaced connectors configured and positioned to match and mate with said array of feed-through pins when said header is assembled to a compatible corresponding hermetically sealed enclosure; (e) assembling said header module to said hermetically sealed enclosure and connecting said flexible conductors to said feed-through pins; and (f) backfilling any open interface volume between said header module and said hermetically sealed enclosure after connecting said flexible conductors to said feed-through pins.