A physician's testing system for testing a multichannel cochlear stimulating system, comprising a physician's tester, an external headpiece/transmitter, and an implanted cochlear stimulator (ICS), the external headpiece/transmitter having tting means for transmitting data-containing signals to the ICS; the ICS comprising: (a) receiving means for receiving the data-containing signals, (b) processor means for processing the data-containing signals to generate stimulation signals, (c) a plurality of tissue-stimulating electrodes for receiving the stimulation signals, (d) monitor means in the processor means and responsive to the data-containing signals for (1) selectively monitoring at least one pair of the tissue-stimulating electrodes as one of the stimulation signals is applied thereto to measure a voltage associated with said pair of electrodes, and (2) generating stimulator status-indicating signals, and (e) telemetry means for transmitting the stimulator status-indicating signals to the external headpiece/transmitter means; and the physician's tester comprising: external processor means coupled to the transmitting means of the external headpiece/transmitter for receiving and processing the status-indicating signals to derive information therefrom regarding the operation of the implanted stimulator and its plurality of tissue stimulating electrodes; user-controllable means connected to the external processor means for selectively generating and controlling the data-containing signals transmitted by the transmitting means of the external headpiece/transmitter means, said user-controllable means including manual means for specifying a peak output current for the stimulation signals to be applied to the at least one pair of tissue-stimulating electrodes; and display means for displaying the information derived from the status-indicating signals. view more

A method of testing an implantable tissue stimulating system comprising: transmitting data-containing signals to an implanted stimulator from an external transmitter; selectively controlling the data-containing signals as they are thus transmitted; receiving the data-containing signals within the implanted stimulator, the implanted stimulator having a multiplicity of tissue-stimulating electrodes; processing the data-containing signals within the implanted stimulator to generate stimulation signals; applying the stimulation signals to at least one pair of the multiplicity of tissue stimulating electrodes; selectively monitoring the at least one pair of the multiplicity of electrodes to measure a voltage associated therewith at the same time the stimulation signals are applied thereto; generating stimulator status-indicating signals representative of the measurements made within the implanted stimulator; transmitting the stimulator status-indicating signals to an external receiver coupled to the external transmitter; receiving and processing the status-indicating signals to produce processed status-indicating signals which convey information regarding the status of the implanted stimulator, including the measurements made within the implanted stimulator; and displaying the processed status-indicating signals, whereby the status of the implanted stimulator, including the results of the measurements made within the implanted stimulator, may be made known. view more

A system for testing an implantable cochlear stimulator (ICS) comprising a portable physician's tester and the ICS, the ICS comprising (a) receiver means for receiving data-containing signals, (b) processor means for processing the received a-containing signals to generate stimulation signals, the stimulation signals having a peak output current associated therewith prescribed by the data-containing signals, (c) a multiplicity of tissue-stimulating electrodes; (d) means for applying the stimulation signals to selected pairs of the multiplicity of tissue stimulating electrodes, (e) monitor means in the processor and responsive to the data-containing signals received by the receiver means for (1) monitoring a selected pair of the multiplicity of electrodes as one of the stimulation signals is applied thereto to measure a voltage associated therewith, and (2) generating stimulator status-indicating signals, said stimulator status-indicating signals including the voltage measured at the selected pair of electrodes by the monitor means as one of the stimulation signals is applied thereto, and (f) telemetry means for transmitting the stimulator-status indicating signals to an external receiver; the portable physician's tester comprising: user-controllable means for selectively generating the data-containing signals, said user-controllable means including manual means for manually specifying a peak output current to be included in the data-containing signals; external transmitter means for transmitting the data-containing signals to the receiver means of the ICS; external receiver means for receiving the status-indicating signals transmitted by the telemetry means of the ICS; external processor means for processing the received status-indicating signals to derive information therefrom regarding the operation of the ICS and its plurality of tissue stimulating electrodes; and display means for displaying the information derived from the status-indicating signals. view more