US Patent 7787959 - Cylindrical nerve sensor with nanotude/polymer electrode

http://ip.com/patent/US7787959

In order to attach electrodes to nerve tissue the electrode need to be formed or coated with material that will reduce the potential for nerve trauma while providing sufficient electrical conductivity to stimulate or sense the nerve. This patent from Pacesetters Inc. teaches using carbon nanotubes in a cylindrical electrode attached to a nerve in order to achieve the desired conductivity. Claim 1 reads:

1. An attachment mechanism for creating an electrical connection between a lead and a nerve bundle, the attachment mechanism comprising:

an electrically insulative polymer material configured to attach to the nerve bundle, the polymer material including an electrode region of the polymer material sufficiently impregnated with nanotubes to be electrically conductive; and

an electrically conductive layer extending over an outer surface of the polymer material;

wherein the conductive layer and polymer layer are curved, the polymer layer forming an inner circumferential surface.