Header assembly for connecting an active medical device to a lead

1 . A medical device, comprising:

a) a device housing containing an electrical power source connected to a printed circuit board supporting at least one electronic component;

b) a feedthrough welded into an opening in the device housing, the feedthrough comprising:

i) a ferrule defining a ferrule opening extending to a ferrule device side end surface and a ferrule body fluid side end surface;

ii) an insulator hermetically sealed to the ferrule in the ferrule opening, the insulator extending to an insulator device side residing at or adjacent to the ferrule device side end surface, and the insulator extending to an insulator body fluid side residing at or adjacent to the ferrule body fluid side end surface;

iii) a first feedthrough spring wire comprising a first pair of spaced-apart terminal pin legs extending through the insulator and being connected to an intermediate first spring portion of the first feedthrough spring wire, and a second feedthrough spring wire comprising a second pair of spaced-apart terminal pin legs extending through the insulator and being connected to an intermediate second spring portion of the second feedthrough spring wire, wherein the first and second intermediate spring portions are aligned, spaced from, and parallel to the body fluid side of the insulator; and

iv) a hub having a hub opening, wherein the hub including the hub opening extend distally from and outwardly beyond the body fluid side end surface of the ferrule.

2 . The medical device of claim 1 , wherein a first blind bore and a second blind bore extend into the insulator device side adjacent to the respective first and second intermediate spring portions of the respective first and second feedthrough spring wires.

3 . The medical device of claim 2 , wherein device side portions of the first and second pairs of spaced-apart terminal pin legs comprising the respective first and second feedthrough spring wires extend outwardly beyond the device side of the insulator.

4 . The medical device of claim 1 , further comprising a strain-relief device having an inlet and a channel that extend inwardly from a proximal annular sidewall, and wherein the channel leads to an off-center spiral cavity terminating at an edge that is spaced closer to the proximal annular sidewall than the rest of the off-center spiral cavity, and wherein with the hub of the ferrule of the feedthrough received in a lead connector comprising an inlet having an opening, a screw in the aligned hub and the lead connector inlet openings has a depending eccentric pin so that screwing the screw into the hub opening and into the inlet of the strain-relief device and then into the channel leading to the off-center spiral cavity in the strain-relief device to cause the eccentric pin to travel along the perimeter of the off-center spiral cavity until it seats at the terminating edge to thereby secure the AMD to the lead connector and the strain-relief device connected to a lead.

5 . An active medical device (AMD) assembly, comprising:

a) an AMD comprising a device housing containing an electrical power source connected to a printed circuit board supporting at least one electronic component;

b) a feedthrough welded into an opening in the device housing, the feedthrough comprising:

i) a ferrule defining a ferrule opening extending to a ferrule device side end surface and a ferrule body fluid side end surface;

ii) an insulator hermetically sealed to the ferrule in the ferrule opening, the insulator extending to an insulator device side residing at or adjacent to the ferrule device side end surface, and the insulator extending to an insulator body fluid side residing at or adjacent to the ferrule body fluid side end surface;

iii) at least a first feedthrough spring wire comprising a first pair of spaced-apart terminal pin legs extending through the insulator and being connected to an intermediate first spring portion of the first feedthrough spring wire, and a second feedthrough spring wire comprising a second pair of spaced-apart terminal pin legs extending through the insulator and being connected to an intermediate second spring portion of the second feedthrough spring wire, wherein the first and second intermediate spring portions are aligned, spaced from, and parallel to the body fluid side of the insulator; and

iv) a hub having a hub opening, wherein the hub including the hub opening extend distally from and outwardly beyond the body fluid side end surface of the ferrule;

c) a lead connector, comprising:

i) an annular connector sidewall extending from a connector device side end surface to a connector body fluid side end surface, wherein a lateral web residing between the connector device side and body fluid side end surfaces is provided with at least a first connector opening and a second connector opening;

ii) a first connector pin and a second connector pin residing in the respective first and second connector openings, wherein the first and second connector pins each have a connector pin device side portion extending outwardly beyond a device side of the lateral web and a connector pin body fluid side portion extending outwardly beyond a body fluid side of the lateral web;

iii) a strain-relief device fixedly connected to the connector body fluid side end surface, wherein the strain-relief device is connected to a lead having at least a first electrode and a second electrode; and

iv) a lead connector inlet extending from the connector device side end surface into the strain-relief device, the lead connector inlet having an inlet opening; and

d) wherein, with the hub of the ferrule of the feedthrough received in the lead connector inlet, and with a screw in the aligned hub and inlet openings securing the AMD to the lead connector including the strain relief device:

i) the device side portions of the first and second pairs of spaced-apart terminal pin legs of the feedthrough are electrically connected to the at least one electronic component contained in the device housing,

ii) the first and second intermediate spring portions connected to the first and second pairs of spaced-apart terminal pin legs on the body fluid side of the insulator are electrically connected to the device side portions of the first and second connector pins, and

iii) the body fluid side portions of the first and second connector pins are electrically connected to the first and second electrodes of the lead.

6 . The AMD assembly of claim 5 , wherein the screw is threaded into the hub and inlet openings.

7 . The AMD assembly of claim 5 , wherein the strain-relief device has an inlet and a channel that extend inwardly from a proximal annular sidewall, and wherein the channel leads to an off-center spiral cavity terminating at an edge that is spaced closer to the proximal annular sidewall than the rest of the off-center spiral cavity, and wherein with the hub of the ferrule of the feedthrough received in the lead connector inlet, the screw in the aligned hub and the lead connector inlet openings has a depending eccentric pin so that screwing the screw into the hub opening and into the inlet of the strain-relief device and then into the channel leading to the off-center spiral cavity in the strain-relief device to cause the eccentric pin to travel along the perimeter of the off-center spiral cavity until it seats at the terminating edge to thereby secure the AMD to the lead connector and the strain-relief device connected to the lead.

8 . An active medical device (AMD) assembly, comprising:

a) an AMD comprising a device housing containing an electrical power source connected to a printed circuit board supporting at least one electronic component;

b) a feedthrough welded into an opening in the device housing, the feedthrough comprising:

i) a ferrule defining a ferrule opening extending to a ferrule device side end surface and a ferrule body fluid side end surface,

ii) an insulator hermetically sealed to the ferrule in the ferrule opening, the insulator extending to an insulator device side residing at or adjacent to the ferrule device side end surface, and the insulator extending to an insulator body fluid side residing at or adjacent to the ferrule body fluid side end surface;

iii) at least a first feedthrough spring wire comprising a first pair of spaced-apart terminal pin legs extending through the insulator and being connected to an intermediate first spring portion of the first feedthrough spring wire, and a second feedthrough spring wire comprising a second pair of spaced-apart terminal pin legs extending through the insulator and being connected to an intermediate second spring portion of the second feedthrough spring wire, wherein the first and second intermediate spring portions are aligned, spaced from, and parallel to the body fluid side of the insulator; and

a hub having a hub opening, wherein the hub including the hub opening extend distally from and outwardly beyond the body fluid side end surface of the ferrule;

c) a lead connector, comprising:

i) an annular connector sidewall extending from a connector device side end surface to a connector body fluid side end surface, wherein a lateral web residing between the connector device side and body fluid side end surfaces is provided with at least a first connector opening and a second connector opening:

ii) a first connector pin and a second connector pin residing in the respective first and second connector openings, wherein the first and second connector pins each have a connector pin device side portion extending outwardly beyond a device side of the lateral web and a connector pin body fluid side portion extending outwardly beyond a body fluid side of the lateral web;

iii) a strain-relief device fixedly connected to the connector body fluid side end surface and connected to a lead having at least a first electrode and a second electrode, wherein the strain-relief device has an inlet and a channel that extend inwardly from a proximal annular sidewall, the channel leading to an off-center spiral cavity terminating at an edge that is spaced closer to the proximal annular sidewall than the rest of the off-center spiral cavity; and

iv) a lead connector inlet extending from the connector device side end surface into the strain-relief device, the lead connector inlet having an inlet opening; and

d) wherein, with the hub of the ferrule of the feedthrough received in the lead connector inlet, a screw in the aligned hub and the lead connector inlet openings has a depending eccentric pin so that screwing the screw into the hub opening and into the inlet of the strain relief device and then into the channel leading to the off-center spiral cavity in the strain relief device causes the eccentric pin to travel along the perimeter of the off-center spiral cavity until it seats at the terminating edge to thereby secure the AMD to the lead connector and the strain-relief device connected to the lead so that:

i) device side portions of the first and second pairs of spaced-apart terminal pin legs of the feedthrough are electrically connected to the at least one electronic component contained in the device housing,

ii) the first and second intermediate spring portions connected to the first and second pairs of spaced-apart terminal pin legs on the body fluid side of the insulator are electrically connected to the device side portions of the first and second connector pins, and

iii) the body fluid side portions of the first and second connector pins are electrically connected to the first and second electrodes of the lead.