Therapy system including multiple posture sensors

• US 10,071,197 B2
• Filed: 07/11/2017
• Issued: 09/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Skelton, Dennis M., Davis, Jon P., Miesel, Keith A., Denison, Timothy J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dougherty, Sean
• Application Number:
  US15/646,755
• Publication Number:
  US 20170304534A1
• Time in Patent Office: 427 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/11 Measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof, e.g. head or hand tremor, mobility of a limb for measuring pulse A61B5/02 ;A61B5/1038 takes precedence; motion detection to correct for motion artifacts in physiological signals A61B5/721
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1116 Determining posture transitions
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4836 Diagnosis combined with treatment in closed-loop systems or methods A61B5/0036 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/14208 with a programmable infusion control system, characterised by the infusion program
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/17 with redundant control systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2210/0693 Brain, cerebrum
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2210/1053 Stomach
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2210/1078 Urinary tract
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2210/1089 Urethra
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/62 Posture
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/14276 specially adapted for implantation
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3605 Implantable neurostimulators for stimulating central or peripheral nerve system
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37247 User interfaces, e.g. input or presentation means

Abstract

Posture-responsive therapy is delivered by the medical system based on posture state input from only one of multiple posture sensors at any given time. An example implantable medical system includes a first posture sensor and a second sensor. A processor controls therapy delivery to the patient based on at least one of a patient posture state or a patient activity level determined based on input from only one of the first or second posture sensors. In some examples, one of multiple posture sensors of an implantable posture-responsive medical system is used to automatically reorient another posture sensor (of the system), which has become disoriented. The disoriented posture sensor may be automatically reoriented for one or more posture states at a time.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining, by processing circuitry of a therapy system and based on posture data from a first posture sensor of the therapy system, at least one of a posture state or an activity level of a patient;

controlling, by the processing circuitry, the therapy system to deliver therapy from an implantable medical device to the patient based on the determined at least one of the posture state or the activity level of the patient;

detecting, by the processing circuitry, a change in status of the first posture sensor; and

automatically reorienting, by the processing circuitry, the first posture sensor based on posture data from a second posture sensor of the therapy system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the change in status comprises a first change in status, the method further comprising:

detecting, by the processing circuitry, a second change in status of the first posture sensor; and

switching, by the processing circuitry and in response to detecting the second change in status of the first posture sensor, from determining the at least one of the posture state or the activity level of the patient based on the posture data from the first posture sensor to determining the at least one of the posture state or the activity level of the patient based on posture data from the second posture sensor of the therapy system.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein detecting the second change in status of the first posture sensor comprises:

comparing, by the processing circuitry, the posture data from the first posture sensor with the posture data from the second posture sensor; and

detecting, by the processing circuitry, the second change in status based on the comparison of the posture data from the first posture sensor with the posture data from the second posture sensor.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein comparing the posture data from the first posture sensor to the posture data from the second posture sensor comprises determining that the posture data from the first posture sensor is inconsistent with the posture data from the second posture sensor.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein switching, in response to detecting the second change in status of the first posture sensor, from determining the at least one of the posture state or the activity level of the patient based on the posture data from the first posture sensor to determining the at least one of the posture state or the activity level of the patient based on posture data from the second posture sensor comprises switching, in response to the detected second change of status of the first posture sensor and a detected posture of the patient, from determining the at least one of the posture state or the activity level of the patient based on the posture data from the first posture sensor to determining the at least one of the posture state or the activity level of the patient based on posture data from the second posture sensor.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the change in status comprises at least one of:

a change in a position of the first posture sensor;

a disorientation of the first posture sensor;

a failure of the first posture sensor;

or

a malfunction of the first posture sensor.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the second change in status comprises at least one of:

a change in a position of the first posture sensor;

a disorientation of the first posture sensor;

a failure of the first posture sensor;

or

a malfunction of the first posture sensor.

8. The method of claim 2, further comprising deactivating, by the processing circuitry, the first posture sensor after switching from determining the at least one of the posture state or the activity level of the patient based on the posture data from the first posture sensor to determining the at least one of the posture state or the activity level of the patient based on posture data from the second posture sensor.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein detecting the second change in status of the first posture sensor comprises:

comparing, by the processing circuitry, the posture data from the first posture sensor to historical posture data for the patient; and

detecting, by the processing circuitry, the second change in second status based on the comparison of the posture data from the first posture sensor and the historical posture data for the patient.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein controlling the therapy system to deliver therapy to the patient based on the determined at least one of the posture state or the activity level of the patient comprises controlling an implantable medical device to deliver electrical stimulation therapy to the patient based on the determined at least one of the posture state or the activity level of the patient.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the posture data comprises one or more reference coordinate vectors indicative of a first posture state of a plurality of posture states of the patient.

12. The method of claim 1,

wherein the first posture sensor comprises a first accelerometer,

wherein the second posture sensor comprises a second accelerometer, and

wherein the posture data from the second posture sensor comprises accelerometer data from the second accelerometer.

13. A medical therapy system comprising:

an implantable medical device configured to deliver therapy to a patient;

a first posture sensor;

a second posture sensor; and

processing circuitry configured to;

determine, based on posture data from the first posture sensor, at least one of a posture state or an activity level of the patient;

control the medical device to deliver therapy to the patient based on the determined at least one of the posture state or the activity level of the patient;

detect a change in status of the first posture sensor, and

automatically reorient the first posture sensor based on posture data from a second posture sensor of the therapy system.

14. The medical therapy system of claim 13, wherein the change in status comprises a first change in status, and

wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:

detect a second change in status of the first posture sensor; and

switch, in response to the detected second change in status of the first posture sensor, from determining the at least one of the posture state or the activity level of the patient based on the posture data from the first posture sensor to determining the at least one of the posture state or the activity level of the patient based on posture data from the second posture sensor of the therapy system.

15. The medical therapy system of claim 14, wherein, to detect the second change in status of the first posture sensor, the processing circuitry is further configured to:

compare the data from the first posture sensor with the data from the second posture sensor; and

detect the second change in status based on the comparison of the data from the first posture sensor with the data from the second posture sensor.

16. The medical therapy system of claim 15, wherein, to compare the data from the first posture sensor to the data from the second posture sensor, the processing circuitry is further configured to determine that the data from the first posture sensor is inconsistent with the data from the second posture sensor.

17. The medical therapy system of claim 14, wherein to switch, in response to the detected second change in status of the first posture sensor, from determining the at least one of the posture state or the activity level of the patient based on the data from the first posture sensor to determining the at least one of the posture state or the activity level of the patient based on data from the second posture sensor, the processing circuitry is further configured to switch, in response to the detected second change of status of the first posture sensor and a detected posture of the patient, from determining the at least one of the posture state or the activity level of the patient based on the data from the first posture sensor to determining the at least one of the posture state or the activity level of the patient based on data from the second posture sensor.

18. The medical therapy system of claim 13, wherein the change in status comprises at least one of:

a change in a position of the first posture sensor;

a disorientation of the first posture sensor;

a failure of the first posture sensor;

or

a malfunction of the first posture sensor.

19. The medical therapy system of claim 14, wherein the second change in status comprises at least one of:

a change in a position of the first posture sensor;

a disorientation of the first posture sensor;

a failure of the first posture sensor;

or

a malfunction of the first posture sensor.

20. The medical therapy system of claim 14, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to deactivate the first posture sensor after switching from determining the at least one of the posture state or the activity level of the patient based on the data from the first posture sensor to determining the at least one of the posture state or the activity level of the patient based on data from the second posture sensor.

21. The medical therapy system of claim 14, wherein, to detect the second change in status of the first posture sensor, the processing circuitry is further configured to:

compare the data from the first posture sensor to historical posture data for the patient; and

detect the second change in status based on the comparison of the data from the first posture sensor and the historical posture data for the patient.

22. A method comprising:

determining, by processing circuitry of a therapy system and based on posture data from a first posture sensor of the therapy system, at least one of a posture state or an activity level of a patient;

controlling, by the processing circuitry, the therapy system to deliver therapy from an implantable medical device to the patient based on the determined at least one of the posture state or the activity level of the patient;

detecting, by the processing circuitry, a change in status of the first posture sensor; and

in response to detecting the change in status of the first posture sensor, performing, by the processing circuitry, at least one of;

automatically reorienting the first posture sensor based on posture data from a second posture sensor of the therapy system;

or

switching from determining the at least one of the posture state or the activity level of the patient based on the data from the first posture sensor to determining the at least one of the posture state or the activity level of the patient based on data from the second posture sensor of the therapy system.