Patent attributes
A ring electrode for an implantable medical device includes a conductive tubular member adapted to be attached to a lead body and having a continuous generally helical slot formed therein to form a coil thereby enabling omni directional bending. The coil is of flattened cross section and in one embodiment, the coil is shaped as a spiral of uniform pitch. In another embodiment, a plurality of uniformly spaced dovetail joints connect a plurality of first and second adjacent loops. Each dovetail joint includes a plurality of uniformly spaced wedge-shaped tenons projecting longitudinally from a first loop, a plurality of uniformly spaced wedge-shaped mortises longitudinally indented into a second loop, the wedge-shaped mortises being similarly shaped and sized in relation to the wedge-shaped tenons, the plurality of wedge-shaped tenons being fittingly received by the wedge-shaped mortises at all locations between the proximal and distal ends of the ring electrode.
