Housing for a Medical Implant with a Current Feedthrough

Simple SummaryContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

This invention concerns a specially designed housing for a medical implant (such as those used for brain or cardiac stimulation). The housing includes a wall made from electrically insulating material, incorporating an integrated capacitor. Instead of standard metal feed-throughs (which carry risk of leakage and increase implant size), this solution allows electrical signals to be transmitted by capacitive coupling through the wall—connecting the inside electronics to external electrodes without a direct wire. This enables miniaturization and improved safety of the implant.

Use CasesContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Deep brain stimulators for treating neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease or epilepsy
• Cardiac pacemakers and other heart-stimulating implants
• Spinal cord stimulation devices for chronic pain therapy
• Other implantable medical devices requiring safe, hermetically sealed electrical connections to external electrodes

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Reduces implant size, allowing for easier and less conspicuous placement (e.g. under the skull)
• Improves hermetic sealing of the housing, minimizing risks of fluid leakage, infection, or device malfunction
• Eliminates direct metallic feedthroughs, lowering the risk of electrical shorts or corrosion
• Enables individualized implant shapes using 3D printing, including custom fitting to patient anatomy (e.g. skull contour)
• Limits transferred charge for patient safety and tissue protection, thanks to capacitor coupling
• Allows integration of many stimulation channels without greatly increasing implant bulk

Technical Classifications (CPCs)

Inventors & Applicants

Patent Abstract

The invention relates to a housing for a medical implant. The housing comprises a housing wall made of an electrically insulating material with an inner face and an outer face and an electrical transmission through the housing wall. The electrical transmission comprises an electrically conductive first terminal contact surface which is arranged on the inner face of the housing wall, an electrically conductive second terminal contact surface which is arranged on the outer face of the housing wall, a capacitor which is integrated into the housing wall and which comprises a first capacitor electrode and a second capacitor electrode, a first connection line which electrically connects the first terminal contact surface to the first capacitor electrode, and a second connection line which electrically connects the second terminal contact surface to the second capacitor electrode. No continuously electrically conductive connection exists between the first terminal contact surface and the second terminal contact surface.