Communications in a medical device system with link quality assessment

• US 10,213,610 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2016
• Issued: 02/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cardiac Pacemakers Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Cardiac Pacemakers Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Maile, Keith R., Koop, Brendan E., Schmidt, Brian L., Kane, Michael J., Ludwig, Jacob M., Stahmann, Jeffrey E., Juffer, Lance E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Johnson, Nicole F
• Application Number:
  US15/070,013
• Publication Number:
  US 20160271406A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,078 Days
• Field of Search: 607 60
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0024 for multiple sensor units attached to the patient, e.g. using a body or personal area network
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0028 Body tissue as transmission medium, i.e. transmission systems where the medium is the human body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse, heart rate, blood pressure or blood flow; Combined pulse/heart-rate/blood pressure determination; Evaluating a cardiovascular condition not otherwise provided for, e.g. using combinations of techniques provided for in this group with electrocardiography or electroauscultation; Heart catheters for measuring blood pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/024 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate A61B5/0205, A61B5/021 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/08 Detecting, measuring or recording devices for evaluating the respiratory organs A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• 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 5/6869 Heart
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7221 Determining signal validity, reliability or quality A61B5/7207 and A61B5/7217 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37205 Microstimulators, e.g. implantable through a cannula
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37217 characterised by the communication link, e.g. acoustic or tactile
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37247 User interfaces, e.g. input or presentation means
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37252 Details of algorithms or data aspects of communication system, e.g. handshaking, transmitting specific data or segmenting data
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3727 characterised by the modulation technique
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37288 Communication to several implantable medical devices within one patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3756 Casings with electrodes thereon, e.g. leadless stimulators
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 13/005 Transmission systems in which the medium consists of the human body

Abstract

Methods and devices for testing and configuring implantable medical device systems. A first medical device and a second medical device communicate with one another using test signals configured to provide data related to the quality of the communication signal to facilitate optimization of the communication approach. Some methods may be performed during surgery to implant one of the medical devices to ensure adequate communication availability.

Claims

1. A method of performing a diagnostic test in an implantable medical device system comprising:

generating a first conducted signal from a first medical device intended for receipt by a second medical device comprising an output pattern for a selected period;

receiving the conducted signal by the second medical device and calculating a first communication metric of the first conducted signal as received;

wherein the selected period exceeds an expected or detected length of a recurring biological cycle.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the recurring biological cycle is a cardiac cycle.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the recurring biological cycle is a respiration cycle.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the first medical device comprises at least three electrodes configured to output a conducted signal and the first conducted signal is generated by a first combination of electrodes, the method further comprising generating a second conducted signal using a second combination of electrodes, receiving the second conducted signal and calculating a second communication metric for the second conducted signal.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising comparing the first communication metric as calculated for the first conducted signal as received to the second communication metric as calculated for the second conducted signal.

6. A method comprising performing the method of claim 1 while a patient assumes a first posture, and repeating the method of claim 1 while the patient assumes a second posture.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the first and second medical devices are each leadless cardiac pacemakers.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the first medical device is a subcutaneous implantable defibrillator and the second medical device is a leadless cardiac pacemaker.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the first medical device is a leadless cardiac pacemaker and the second medical device is a subcutaneous implantable defibrillator.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the communication metric comprises one or more of amplitude, relative signal strength indicator, signal-to-noise ratio, slew, frame error, or bit error rate.