Sensing with compensation for neural stimulator

• US 20050149133A1
• Filed: 12/24/2003
• Published: 07/07/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Cardiac Pacemakers Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Cardiac Pacemakers Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Girouard, Steven D., Zhu, Qingsheng, Libbus, Imad
• Application Number:
  US10/746,847
• Publication Number:
  US 20050149133A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/9
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36117 for treating hypertension
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3614 based on impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36564 controlled by blood pressure

Abstract

An aspect of the present subject matter relates to an implantable medical system. An embodiment of the system comprises a baroreflex stimulator, a cardiac event detector, and communication circuitry. The stimulator includes a pulse generator to apply baroreflex stimulation therapy. The detector includes a sensor to detect electrical signals indicative of cardiac events, and a controller connected to the sensor to determine an occurrence of a cardiac event from the electrical signals using an event detection routine. The communication circuitry communicates between the baroreflex stimulator and the cardiac event detector to account for applied baroreflex stimulation therapy and enable the cardiac event detector to discriminate the electrical signals indicative of the cardiac event from the applied baroreflex stimulation therapy. Other aspects are provided herein.

Claims

1. An implantable medical system, comprising:

a baroreflex stimulator, including a pulse generator to apply baroreflex stimulation therapy;

a cardiac event detector, including a sensor to detect electrical signals indicative of cardiac events, and a controller connected to the sensor to determine an occurrence of a cardiac event from the electrical signals using an event detection routine; and

communication circuitry to communicate between the baroreflex stimulator and the cardiac event detector to account for applied baroreflex stimulation therapy and enable the cardiac event detector to discriminate the electrical signals indicative of the cardiac event from the applied baroreflex stimulation therapy.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising an implantable medical device including both the baroreflex stimulator and the cardiac event detector.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an implantable neural stimulator (NS) device including the baroreflex stimulator; and

an implantable cardiac stimulator device including the cardiac event detector,

wherein the communication circuitry includes a wireless transceiver in the NS device and a wireless transceiver in the cardiac stimulator device, and the NS device and the cardiac stimulator device are adapted to wirelessly communicate with each other using the wireless transceivers.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the implantable NS device is adapted to provide a signal indicating an occurrence of baroreflex stimulation; and

the implantable cardiac stimulator device is adapted to receive the signal indicating the occurrence of baroreflex stimulation and to modify the event detection routine to account for the occurrence of the baroreflex stimulation.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the implantable cardiac stimulator device is adapted to provide a signal corresponding to a refractory period; and

the implantable NS device is adapted to receive the signal corresponding to the refractory period and to apply baroreflex stimulation during the refractory period.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a lead to be connected to the pulse generator of the baroreflex stimulator, the lead being adapted to be fed through a right ventricle and a pulmonary valve into a pulmonary artery.

7. A medical system, comprising:

a stimulation means for applying neural stimulation therapy;

a sensing means for sensing electrical signals indicative of a cardiac event; and

means for accounting for applied neural stimulation therapy to detect electrical signals indicative of the cardiac event.

8. The system of claim 7, further comprising first and second implantable medical devices (IMDs), the first IMD including the stimulation means and the second IMD including the sensing means.

9. The system of claim 7, further comprising an implantable medical device, wherein the implantable medical device includes both the stimulation means and the sensing means.

10. The system of claim 7, further comprising an implantable medical device and an external medical device, wherein the external medical device includes one of the stimulation means and the sensing means, and the implantable medical device includes the other one of the stimulation means and the sensing means.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein:

the sensing means includes an event detection routine to identify a cardiac event occurrence based on sensed electrical signals; and

the means for accounting for applied neural stimulation therapy includes means to identify when the neural stimulation therapy is being applied and means to adjust the event detection routine to account for the electrical therapy.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the means to adjust the event detection routine to account for the electrical therapy includes means to increase a threshold for the event detection routine.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the means to adjust the event detection routine to account for the electrical therapy includes means to provide a blanking window to prevent identification of the event occurrence while the electrical therapy is being applied.

14. The system of claim 7, wherein:

the sensing means includes means to identify a refractory period; and

the means for accounting for applied neural stimulation therapy includes means to trigger the stimulation means to apply neural stimulation therapy during the refractory period.

28. The system of claim 7, wherein the stimulation means for applying neural stimulation therapy includes means for applying neural stimulation to an afferent nerve using a cuff electrode.

29. The system of claim 7, wherein the stimulation means for applying neural stimulation therapy includes means for transvascularly applying neural stimulation to an afferent nerve using an intravascularly-fed electrode.

30. The system of claim 7, wherein the stimulation means for applying neural stimulation therapy includes means for stimulating a cardiac fat with an electrode in the cardiac fat pad.

31. The system of claim 7, wherein the stimulation means for applying neural stimulation therapy includes means for transvascularly stimulating a cardiac fat with an intravascularly-fed electrode.

15. An implantable baroreflex stimulator, including:

a pulse generator to apply baroreflex stimulation therapy; and

a controller to communicate with an implantable event detector to account for applied baroreflex stimulation therapy allowing the event detector to discriminate electrical signals indicative of an event from the applied baroreflex therapy.

16. The stimulator of claim 15, wherein the controller is adapted to provide a signal to the event detector indicating an occurrence of baroreflex stimulation, enabling the event detector to modify an event detection routine to account for the occurrence of baroreflex stimulation.

17. The stimulator of claim 15, wherein the controller is adapted to receive a signal from the event detector corresponding to a refractory period, and is further adapted to apply baroreflex stimulation therapy during the refractory period.

18. An implantable event detector, including:

a sensor to detect electrical signals indicative of an electrical event; and

a controller connected to the sensor to determine an occurrence of the electrical event using an event detection routine, wherein the controller is adapted to communicate with a neural stimulator to account for applied neural stimulation to detect electrical signals indicative of the electrical event.

19. The stimulator of claim 18, wherein the controller is adapted to receive a signal from the electrical therapy stimulator indicating an occurrence of an electrical therapy, and to modify the event detection routine to account for the occurrence of the electrical therapy.

20. The stimulator of claim 18, wherein the controller is adapted to provide a signal corresponding to a refractory period, enabling the electrical therapy stimulator to apply electrical therapy during the occurrence of the refractory period.

21. A method to account for applied neural stimulation therapy to detect electrical signals indicative of a cardiac event, comprising:

informing a first one of a cardiac event detector and a neural stimulator of an event in a second one of the cardiac event detector and the electrical stimulator; and

adjusting a process in the second one of the cardiac event detector and the neural stimulator to compensate for the event in the first one of the cardiac event detector and the electrical stimulator.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein:

informing a first one includes providing a signal from the neural stimulator to the cardiac event detector, the signal being indicative of an electrical therapy event in the neural stimulator; and

adjusting a process in the second one includes adjusting an event detector routine in the cardiac event detector to compensate for the electrical therapy event.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein adjusting an event detector routine in the cardiac event detector to compensate for the electrical therapy event includes increasing a threshold for detecting a cardiac event.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein adjusting an event detector routine in the cardiac event detector to compensate for the electrical therapy event includes providing a blanking window during which a cardiac event is not detected.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the electrical therapy event includes a baropacing stimulation pulse.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein:

informing a first one includes providing a signal from the cardiac event detector to the neural stimulator, the signal corresponding to a refractory period; and

adjusting a process in the second one includes applying neural stimulation therapy by the electrical stimulator during the refractory period.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein applying neural stimulation therapy by the neural stimulator during the refractory period includes applying a baroreflex stimulation pulse during an atrial refractory period.