US007996090B2 <12) United States Patent <16) Patent N0.: US 7,996,090 B2 Cross, Jr. et al. (45) Date of Patent: Aug. 9, 2011 (54) METHODS OF MAKING IMPLANTABLE 6,434,431 B1 8/2002 Camps et al. MEDICAL LEADS WITH A NON-LINEAR 615741512 B1 6/2°03 Z1111116 @1111 6,587,733 B1 7/2003 Cross, Jr. et al. SHAPE 6,843,870 B1 1/2005 Bluger 2002/0116042 A1 8/2002 B 1' (75) Inventors: Thomas E. Cross, Jr., St. Francis, MN 2003/0139794 A1 >1 7/2003 ]e(;1:e;g,e1a1, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, _, 607/122 (US); Michaelene M. Williams, Fridley, 2005/0016657 A1 1/2005 Bluger MN (US) 2005/0033394 A1 2/2005 s6i16i1 6161. 2005/0203599 A1 9/2005 Garabedian et al. . . . . 2006/0032657 A1 2/2006 Z b (73) Assignee: Medtronic, Inc., Minneapolis, MN (US) 2007/0282410 Al 12/2007 Cigils 1?, ei ai, ( * ) Notice: Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this (COIIIIIIIIEII) patent is extended or adjusted under 35 U_S_C_ 15403) by 1102 dayS_ FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS DE 10 2004 035 002 A 2/2006 (21) Appl. No.: 11/742,449 (Continued) (22) Filedr Ar11- 30; 2007 OTHER PUBLICATIONS (65) P1-i01~ Publicafign Data PCT Search Report (mailed Nov. 6, 2007); 11 pgs. US 2008/0269860A1 Oct. 30, 2008 (Continued) (51) 1111- CL Primary Examiner — Carl H Layno A610, 1/05 (200601) Assistant Examiner — Jem1ifer Stewart (52) U.S. Cl. ....... .. 607/116; 607/117; 607/122; 607/123 (58) Field of Classification Search ........ .. 607/116-117, (57) ABSTRACT _ _ 607/1227123 Implantable medical leads and methods of making. The See apphcanon IIIe for COmpIe1e Search hIS1OIy' method includes providing first and second tubes, and arrang(56) References Cited ing a segment of the first tube side-by-side with a segment of
the second tube along a region of interface. The tubes are forced to a non-linear shape along at least a portion of the region of interface. An adhesive is applied to the portion of the region of interface and cured. Upon curing, the adhesive bonds the tubes to one another and elastically maintains the non-linear shape in the absence of an extemal force. A conductive element is disposed within at least one of the tubes. In some embodiments, the non-linear shape is a sigmoid shape, and the method includes arranging the tube segments in a fixture having a structure defining the sigmoid shape.
2 Claims, 7 Drawing Sheets
