Optical communication of neurostimulation-system information

• US 20030204220A1
• Filed: 04/25/2002
• Published: 10/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Forsberg, John W.
• Granted Patent: US 7,076,292 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/48
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0551 Spinal or peripheral nerve electrodes

Abstract

A neurostimulation lead includes fiber optic cable. A human-implantable neurostimulator and neurostimulation lead each include an opto-electric transducer. The opto-electric transducers can be an optical transmitter, an optical receiver, or an optical transducer, that converts: electrical energy to optical energy; optical energy to electrical energy; or both electrical energy to optical energy and optical energy to electrical energy. Neurostimulation-lead electrodes can be activated, and/or lead-status information can be transmitted, over the fiber optic cable, between the neurostimulator and the neurostimulation lead. A neurostimulation-lead power converter may be coupled to a pulse generator of the neurostimulator such that he power converter derives and stores power for the lead from stimulation pulses received from the stimulation-pulse generator.

Claims

1. A neurostimulation system comprising:

a neurostimulator including a processor, a stimulation-pulse generator, and a neurostimulator-opto-electric transducer;

a neurostimulation lead including a fiber-optic cable, a lead-opto-electric transducer, an electrode-switching module, and a plurality of electrodes;

wherein the lead-opto-electric transducer is coupled via the fiber-optic cable to the neurostimulator-opto-electric transducer and receives coded control information from the neurostimulator-opto-electric transducer via the fiber optic cable; and

wherein the electrode-switching module is coupled to the stimulation-pulse generator and to the lead-opto-electric transducer such that stimulation pulses from the stimulation-pulse generator are directed to at least one of the electrodes based on the coded control information transmitted over the fiber-optic cable.

2. The neurostimulation system of claim 1, wherein the neurostimulator includes a power source that provides power to a power converter of the neurostimulation lead.

3. The neurostimulation system of claim 2, wherein the power converter is electrically coupled to the power source.

4. The neurostimulation system of claim 2, wherein the power converter derives power from stimulation-pulses received from the stimulation-pulse generator.

5. The neurostimulation system of claim 1, further comprising an optical connector that couples the neurostimulator-opto-electric transducer to the fiber optic cable.

6. The neurostimulation system of claim 1, further comprising an electrical connector that couples the stimulation-pulse generator to the electrode-switching module.

7. The neurostimulation system of claim 1, wherein the neurostimulator-opto-electric transducer is an opto-electric transmitter.

8. The neurostimulation system of claim 1, wherein the neurostimulator-opto-electric transducer is an opto-electric receiver.

9. The neurostimulation system of claim 1, wherein the neurostimulator-opto-electric transducer is an opto-electric transceiver.

10. The neurostimulation system of claim 1, wherein the lead-opto-electric transducer is an opto-electric transmitter.

11. The neurostimulation system of claim 1, wherein the lead-opto-electric transducer is an opto-electric receiver.

12. The neurostimulation system of claim 1, wherein the lead-opto-electric transducer is an opto-electric transceiver.

13. A method of controlling activation of at least one electrode of a neurostimulation lead, the method comprising:

supplying power to the neurostimulation lead;

providing neurostimulation pulses to the neurostimulation lead; and

transmitting optically-coded information that specifies, at least in part, one or more electrodes of the neurostimulation lead to which the neurostimulation pulses are directed.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein supplying power to the neurostimulation lead further comprises providing power to the neurostimulation lead via the neurostimulation pulses.

15. A method of communicating information from a neurostimulation lead to a neurostimulator, the method comprising:

converting power from a power supply associated with the neurostimulator;

obtaining lead-status information at the neurostimulation lead; and

optically transmitting the lead-status information from the neurostimulation lead to the neurostimulator.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein converting power from a power supply of the neurostimulator further comprises deriving power from the neurostimulation pulses.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the lead-status information is selected from the group consisting of:

electrode impedance, temperature, electrode electrical activity, and pH.

18. A method of communicating information between a neurostimulation lead and a pulse generator, the method comprising:

supplying power from the neurostimulator to the neurostimulation lead;

providing neurostimulation pulses from the neurostimulator to the neurostimulation lead;

transmitting optically-coded information that specifies, at least in part, one or more electrodes of the neurostimulation lead to which the neurostimulation pulses are directed;

obtaining lead-status information at the neurostimulation lead;

optically transmitting the lead-status information from the neurostimulation lead to the neurostimulator; and

receiving the optically transmitted lead-status information at the neurostimulator.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein supplying power to the neurostimulation lead further comprises providing power to the neurostimulation lead via the neurostimulation pulses.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the lead-status information includes information from at least one sensor.