Self-describing real-time device data communication system

• US 20060020301A1
• Filed: 09/21/2004
• Published: 01/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Petersen, Christopher M., Klepfer, Ruth N., Rochat, Marilyn C., Stomberg, Charles R., Ericksen, James H., Hanson, Roland J., Koenigsfeld, Anthony J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,389,146 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/60
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0031 Implanted circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37258 Alerting the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37276 characterised by means for reducing power consumption during telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/903 Radio telemetry

Abstract

An implantable medical device (IMD) communicates with an external processing unit by transmitting device data and configuration information that describes the device data. The external processing unit processes the device data for display based on the configuration information. The IMD notifies the external processing unit of a change to characteristics of the device data by transmitting the changed device data and updated configuration information.

Claims

1. A method for communicating between an implantable medical device (IMD) and an external processing unit, the method comprising:

transmitting device data and configuration information from the IMD;

processing the device data for display at the external processing unit based on the configuration information; and

notifying the external processing unit of a change to characteristics of the device data by transmitting the changed device data and updated configuration information from the IMD.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the external processing unit executes a desktop application for processing at least some of the device data and loads an active program for execution in response to the configuration information received from the IMD.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting device data and configuration information from the IMD and notifying the external processing unit of a change to the characteristics of the device data comprises:

transmitting device data in a first data packet; and

transmitting configuration information in a second data packet.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first data packet and the second data packet are transmitted in a common communication frame.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the first and second data packets include a configuration identifier correlating the device data with the configuration information.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein transmitting device data and configuration information from the IMD and notifying the external processing unit of a change to the characteristics of the device data further comprises:

transmitting markers that provide information to label the device data for display.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the configuration information is structured as at least one tag having a tag identifier and at least one value representing a data parameter.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the at least one tag is selected from a plurality of predefined tags, each of the predefined tags including a plurality of values representing data parameters that are grouped together in the predefined tag.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the device data for display at the external processing unit based on the configuration information includes processing the device data for display on a chart recorder.

10. A method for communicating between an implantable medical device (IMD) and an external processing unit, the method comprising:

transmitting configuration information from the IMD;

transmitting device data from the implanted medical device, the device data including an indicator of the configuration information that is to be associated with the device data;

comparing, at the external processing unit, the configuration information most recently received from the IMD to the indicator in the device data of the configuration information that is to be associated with the device data; and

processing the device data based on the configuration information, upon determining that the configuration information most recently received from the IMD corresponds to the indicator in the device data of the configuration information that is to be associated with the device data.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein transmitting configuration information and device data from the IMD comprises:

transmitting device data, including the indicator of the configuration information that is to be associated with the device data, in a first data packet; and

transmitting configuration information in a second data packet.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first data packet and the second data packet are transmitted in a common communication frame.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein transmitting configuration information and device data from the IMD further comprises:

transmitting markers that provide information to label the device data for display.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the configuration information is structured as at least one tag having a tag identifier and at least one value representing a data parameter.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the at least one tag is selected from a plurality of predefined tags, each of the predefined tags including a plurality of values representing data parameters that are grouped together in the predefined tag.

16. A method for communicating between an implantable medical device (IMD) and an external processing unit, the method comprising:

initiating communication by the IMD;

transmitting device data and configuration information from the IMD in a beaconing procedure, the configuration information being transmitted at a first rate;

determining whether the configuration information is to be changed; and

upon determination that the configuration information is to be changed, transmitting device data and configuration information from the IMD in a manner where the configuration information is transmitted at the first rate.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

during transmission of device data and configuration information from the IMD in the beaconing procedure, determining whether a telemetry session has been established between the IMD and the external processing unit; and

upon determination that a telemetry session has been established between the IMD and the external processing unit, transmitting device data and configuration information from the IMD in a manner where the configuration information is transmitted at a second rate lower than the first rate.

18. A system comprising:

an implantable medical device (IMD) operable to transmit device data and dynamically updated configuration information that describes the device data being transmitted; and

an external processing unit operable to receive the device data and configuration information from the IMD and to process the device data for display based on the dynamically updated configuration information.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising:

a monitor operable to receive the device data and configuration information transmitted by the IMD, store the device data and configuration information received from the IMD, and transmit the device data and configuration information to the external processing unit, so that the external processing unit receives the device data and configuration information from the IMD via the monitor.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the external processing unit executes a first application program for processing at least some of the device data and loads a second application program for execution in response to the dynamically updated configuration information received from the IMD.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the IMD is operable to transmit device data and configuration information in at least one communication frame comprising:

a first data packet including the device data; and

a second data packet including the configuration information.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the first and second data packets include a configuration identifier correlating the device data with the configuration information.

23. The system of claim 18, wherein the second data packet further includes markers that provide information to label the device data for display.

24. The system of claim 18, wherein the configuration information is structured as at least one tag having a tag identifier and at least one value representing a data parameter.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the at least one tag is selected from a plurality of predefined tags, each of the predefined tags including a plurality of values representing data parameters that are grouped together in the predefined tag.

26. The system of claim 18, further comprising a chart recorder for displaying the device data.

27. An implantable medical device (IMD) comprising:

sensor circuitry for measuring medical data;

processing, memory and communication circuitry operable to transmit to an external processing unit the measured medical data and dynamically updated configuration information that describes the medical data being transmitted.

28. The IMD of claim 27 wherein the processing, memory and communication circuitry is operable to transmit the medical data and configuration information in at least one communication frame comprising:

a first data packet including the medical data; and

a second data packet including the configuration information.

29. The IMD of claim 28 wherein the first and second data packets include a configuration identifier correlating the device data with the configuration information.

30. The IMD of claim 28, wherein the second data packet further includes markers that provide information to label the medical data for display.

31. The IMD of claim 28, wherein the configuration information is structured as at least one tag having a tag identifier and at least one value representing a data parameter.

32. The IMD of claim 31, wherein the at least one tag is selected from a plurality of predefined tags, each of the predefined tags including a plurality of values representing data parameters that are grouped together in the predefined tag.

33. An external processing unit for receiving and displaying transmitted medical data, comprising:

communication circuitry operable to receive the medical data and dynamically updated configuration information that describes the medical data;

a first application program for processing and displaying at least some of the received medical data based on the dynamically updated configuration information; and

a second application program loaded in response to the dynamically updated configuration information to process and display the received medical data.

34. The external processing unit of claim 33, wherein the second application program is loaded by selecting the second application program from a plurality of stored non-active programs based on the dynamically updated configuration information.

35. An external processing unit for receiving and displaying transmitted medical data, comprising:

communication circuitry operable to receive the medical data and dynamically updated configuration information that describes the medical data; and

an application for processing and displaying the received medical data based on the dynamically updated configuration information, the application being operable to adjust its processing and display in response to the dynamically updated configuration information.