Patient controlled therapy management and diagnostic device with human factors interface

• US 20040230247A1
• Filed: 12/17/2003
• Published: 11/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Cardiac Pacemakers Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Cardiac Pacemakers Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Malone, Jason Allen, Kinnamon, Raymond Paul, Tedham, Thomas Arthur, Trifilio, Christian Robert, Axelrod, Jay W., Stein, Richard E., Mass, William R., Gaskill, Robert J.
• Application Number:
  US10/749,093
• Publication Number:
  US 20040230247A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/32
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37247 User interfaces, e.g. input or presentation means
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37258 Alerting the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3956 Implantable devices for applying electric shocks to the heart, e.g. for cardioversion
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation

Abstract

A handheld cardiac rhythm management device for use by a patient to request status information from an implantable pulse generating device and to request that the pulse generating device provide a rhythm altering shock to the patient'"'"'s heart. The device includes a plurality of deadfront status indicator lamps on a front of a case that are visible to the patient when the controller is held in the patient'"'"'s hand. The device also includes buttons on the front of the case and a telemetry circuit for bi-directional communication with the implantable pulse generating device.

Claims

1. A method of displaying status information of a patient'"'"'s heart rhythm comprising:

providing a cardiac rhythm management device with a plurality of deadfront status indicator lamps on the front of a case sized to held within the patient'"'"'s hand and including a self-contained power supply within the case;

querying an implantable pulse generating device with the cardiac rhythm management device via wireless telemetry;

receiving status information from the implantable pulse generating device regarding the rhythm of the patient'"'"'s heart;

displaying the status information visually using the status indicator lamps.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating an audible signal to communicate the status information in conjunction with the visual display.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the audible signal is a voice signal.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the voice signal includes natural language messages.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the status information indicates that the patient'"'"'s heart rhythm has been fast for more than forty-eight hours and a first deadfront status indicator lamp signaling fast rhythm and a second deadfront status indicator lamp signaling that the patient should contact a medical care provider are illuminated simultaneously.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein when the first and second deadfront status indicator lamps are illuminated to signal a persistent fast rhythm condition, no other visual or audible signals are generated by the cardiac rhythm management device.