Programming and virtual reality representation of stimulation parameter groups

• US 10,141,076 B2
• Filed: 10/17/2016
• Issued: 11/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cirtec Medical Corp.
• Original Assignee: Nuvectra Corporation
• Inventors: Kaula, Norbert, Iyassu, Yohannes
• Primary Examiner(s): Hulbert, Amanda
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dinga, Roland
• Application Number:
  US15/295,218
• Publication Number:
  US 20170100602A1
• Time in Patent Office: 771 Days
• Field of Search: 607 46, 607117, 345173, 715750, 715810
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0551 Spinal or peripheral nerve electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3605 Implantable neurostimulators for stimulating central or peripheral nerve system
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36071 Pain
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37247 User interfaces, e.g. input or presentation means
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/50 for simulation or modelling of medical disorders
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass

Abstract

The present disclosure involves a medical system that includes one or more implantable medical devices configured to deliver a medical therapy to a patient. The medical system also includes a portable electronic device on which a touch-sensitive user interface is implemented. The user interface is configured to provide a visual representation of the medical therapy through a hierarchy. The hierarchy includes a lower level representation of the medical therapy that corresponds to a stimulation program that includes a plurality of configurable stimulation parameters. The hierarchy includes a middle level representation of the medical therapy that corresponds to a stimulation program-set that includes a plurality of different stimulation programs. The hierarchy includes an upper level representation of the medical therapy that corresponds to a scrollable collection of stimulation program-sets that are represented by a plurality of digital cards, respectively.

Claims

1. A medical system, comprising:

one or more implantable medical devices configured to deliver a medical therapy to a patient; and

a portable electronic device on which a touch-sensitive user interface is implemented, wherein the user interface is configured to provide a visual representation of the medical therapy through a hierarchy that includes;

a lower level representation of the medical therapy that corresponds to a stimulation program, wherein the stimulation program can run on the one or more implantable medical devices to cause the one or more implantable medical devices to stimulate a body tissue of the patient as part of the medical therapy, and wherein the stimulation program includes a plurality of configurable stimulation parameters;

a middle level representation of the medical therapy that is at least one hierarchical level above the lower level representation of the medical therapy, wherein the middle level representation of the medical therapy corresponds to a stimulation program-set that includes a plurality of different stimulation programs; and

an upper level representation of the medical therapy that is at least one hierarchical level above the middle level representation of the medical therapy, wherein the upper level representation of the medical therapy corresponds to a scrollable collection of stimulation program-sets, wherein the stimulation program-sets are represented by a plurality of digital cards, respectively;

wherein the portable electronic device provide visual representation and tracking of the medical therapy at least in part via the hierarchy.

2. The medical system of claim 1, wherein the user interface is configured to display one of the lower, middle, and upper levels of representation of the medical therapy at a time.

3. The medical system of claim 1, wherein the user interface in the lower level representation of the medical therapy includes a stimulation program window, the stimulation program window containing a plurality of programming boxes through which the stimulation parameters of the stimulation program are configured, wherein the user interface in the lower level representation of the medical therapy includes a visual representation of at least a portion of the implantable medical device and its anatomical surroundings.

4. The medical system of claim 1, wherein:

the user interface in the middle level representation of the medical therapy includes a stimulation program-set window;

the stimulation program-set window containing a plurality of programming boxes that each represent a different stimulation program;

each programming box displays one or more stimulation parameters local to the each respective stimulation program; and

the stimulation program-set window displays one or more stimulation parameters global to all the stimulation programs within the stimulation program-set.

5. The medical system of claim 1, wherein the user interface in the upper level representation of the medical therapy displays the digital cards in a spinnable digital carousel.

6. The medical system of claim 5, wherein each digital card displays one or more of the stimulation parameters.

7. The medical system of claim 5, wherein each digital card displays a user-defined stimulation map associated with the respective stimulation program-set.

8. The medical system of claim 1, wherein the lower level representation of the medical therapy is accessible by a healthcare professional but is not accessible by the patient.

9. The medical system of claim 1, wherein:

the implantable medical device includes pulse generators and leads; and

the electronic device is one of;

a clinician programmer, a patient programmer, and a computer tablet, and wherein the electronic device is portable and is configured to communicate with external devices according to a wireless communications protocol.

10. A medical system, comprising:

one or more implantable medical devices configured to deliver a medical therapy to a patient; and

a portable electronic device having a graphical user interface, wherein the graphical user interface is configured to provide a stimulation programming hierarchy that includes;

a first level in the hierarchy that visually represents a stimulation program as a first visual item, wherein the stimulation program contains instructions for setting or adjusting one or more stimulation programming parameters of the one or more implantable medical devices;

a second level in the hierarchy that visually represents a grouping of a plurality of the first items a second item; and

a third level in the hierarchy that visually represents a grouping of a plurality of the second items as a third item;

wherein the portable electronic device provide visual representation and tracking of the medical therapy at least in part via the stimulation programming hierarchy.

11. The medical system of claim 10, wherein:

the first item is visually represented as programming screen with a plurality of entry fields for entering stimulation programming parameters;

the second item is visually represented as a plurality of boxes, wherein each box is an abstraction of a respective stimulation program; and

the third item is visually represented as a plurality of cards, wherein each card is an abstraction of a respective plurality of the boxes.

12. A medical system, comprising:

one or more implantable medical devices configured to deliver a medical therapy to a patient; and

a portable electronic device having a graphical user interface and one or more electronic processors configured to execute instructions, wherein an execution of the instructions cause the medical system to perform operations that include;

providing a first level user interface for a stimulation program that can be executed on the implantable medical device to provide electrical stimulation for a patient as a part of the medical therapy, wherein the first level user interface is configured to display, and allow an adjustment of, a plurality of stimulation parameters of the stimulation program;

providing a second level user interface for a stimulation program-set that is a collection of different stimulation programs, wherein the second level user interface is configured to display a plurality of visual abstractions that each correspond to a respective one of the stimulation programs, and wherein each visual abstraction of the stimulation program displays at least one of the stimulation parameters associated with the respective stimulation program; and

providing a third level user interface for a stimulation program-set list that is a collection of different stimulation program-sets, wherein the third level user interface is configured to display a scrollable virtual carousel made up of a plurality of visual abstractions that each correspond to a respective one of the stimulation program-sets, and wherein each visual abstraction of the stimulation program-set displays at least one of;

a patient-defined stimulation map and a patient-defined pain map;

,

wherein the portable electronic device provide visual representation and tracking of the medical therapy at least in part via the first, second, and third level user interfaces.

13. The medical system of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise:

displaying the first level user interface, second level user interface, and third level user interface one at a time on a touchscreen device.

14. The medical system of claim 12, wherein the first level user interface is further configured to display a virtual representation of the implantable medical device and its target anatomical environment.

15. The medical system of claim 12, wherein the second level user interface is further configured to display a stimulation parameter that is common to all of the stimulation programs within the stimulation program-set.

16. The medical system of claim 12, wherein the third level user interface is further configured to display, on each visual abstraction of the stimulation program-set, a stimulation parameter that is common to all of the stimulation programs within the stimulation program-set.

17. The medical system of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise:

generating the patient-defined stimulation map or the patient-defined pain map in response to patient input, wherein boundaries of the stimulation map and the pain map are customizable.

18. The medical system of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise:

selecting a target stimulation program-set for execution;

executing each of the stimulation programs in the stimulation program-set; and

repeating the executing.

19. The medical system of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise:

denying an access of the first level user interface by the patient.

20. The medical system of claim 12, wherein the first level user interface, the second level user interface, and the third level user interface are each implemented on a portable electronic device that is one of:

a clinician programmer, a patient programmer, and a computer tablet.