Apparatus for data retention in an implantable medical device

• US 20060095091A1
• Filed: 11/02/2005
• Published: 05/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Drew, Touby A.
• Granted Patent: US 10,201,305 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/59
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0006 ECG or EEG signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0031 Implanted circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02055 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular condition and temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/021 Measuring pressure in heart or blood vessels A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• 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 5/031 Intracranial pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0816 Measuring devices for examining respiratory frequency measuring frequency of electric signals G01R23/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1118 Determining activity level
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/165 Evaluating the state of mind, e.g. depression, anxiety
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/24 Detecting, measuring or recording bioelectric or biomagnetic signals of the body or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/316 Modalities, i.e. specific diagnostic methods
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/318 Heart-related electrical modalities, e.g. electrocardiography [ECG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/369 Electroencephalography [EEG] devices for psychotechnics A61B5/16
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4082 Diagnosing or monitoring movement diseases, e.g. Parkinson, Huntington or Tourette
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4094 Diagnosing or monitoring seizure diseases, e.g. epilepsy
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/686 Permanently implanted devices, e.g. pacemakers, other stimulators, biochips A61B5/6861 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7232 involving compression of the physiological signal, e.g. to extend the signal recording period
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7282 Event detection, e.g. detecting unique waveforms indicative of a medical condition A61B5/4094, A61B5/4818, A61B5/349, A61B5/0823 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36132 using patient feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3614 based on impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36521 : the parameter being derived from measurement of an electrical impedance
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36585 : controlled by two or more physical parameters
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3702 : Physiological parameters A61N1/365 takes precedence; evoked response A61N1/371
• 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 1/37282 : characterised by communication with experts in remote locations using a network
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2272 : Management thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 : for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/65 : stored on portable record carriers, e.g. on smartcards, RFID tags or CD
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/30 : relating to physical therapies or activities, e.g. physiotherapy, acupressure or exercising
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 : for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 : for remote operation

Abstract

An apparatus for storing data records associated with a medical monitoring event in a data structure. An implanted device obtains data and stores the data in the data record in a first data structure that is age-based. Before an oldest data record is lost, the oldest data record may be stored in a second data structure that is priority index-based. The priority index may be determined by a severity level and may be further determined by associated factors. The implanted device may organize, off-load, report, and/or display a plurality of data records based on an associated priority index. Additionally, the implanted device may select a subset or composite of physiologic channels from the available physiologic channels based on a selection criterion.

Claims

1. A medical device for monitoring physiologic activity, comprising:

(A) a monitoring element that obtains at least one signal associated with an event;

(B) a memory component to store data regarding the event, the memory component comprising;

(i) a first data structure that stores a plurality of data records, each data record representing information about an associated event; and

(ii) a second data structure; and

(C) a processing component interfacing with the monitoring element and the memory component and configured to;

(i) replace at least a portion of an existing data record in the first data structure with a new data record; and

(ii) store in the second data structure at least the portion of the existing data record that was replaced from the first data structure if an associated priority index of the existing data record exceeds a threshold criterion.

2. The medical device of claim 1, wherein the processing component stores the existing data record in the second data structure only if the priority index of the existing data record is greater than an other priority index of an other data record in the second data structure.

3. The medical device of claim 1, wherein the processor determines the associated priority index from an associated severity level of the associated event.

4. The medical device of claim 1, further comprising:

(D) a reporting module that selects selected data records from the first data structure and from the second data structure and that reports data associated with the selected data records.

5. The medical device of claim 4, wherein the reporting module selects the selected data records based on the associated priority index of the selected data records.

6. The medical device of claim 1, wherein the monitoring element supports a set of physiologic channels, further comprising a channel selection component that selects a subset of physiologic channels from the set of physiologic channels based on a selection criterion and inserts channel data into the new data record, wherein the channel data corresponds to the subset of physiologic channels.

7. The medical device of claim 1, wherein the event is selected from the group consisting of a cardiac event, a neurological event, a pulmonary event, and a telemetry event.

8. The medical device of claim 1, wherein the second data structure comprises a priority queue.

9. The medical device of claim 1, wherein the priority data structure stores at least another data record from the first data record.

10. The medical device of claim 1, further comprising:

(D) a receiving module that receives an indication from a patient to initiate loop recording.

11. An apparatus for retaining physiologic data in an implantable medical device, wherein the physiologic data comprises the older data record and the newer data record comprising:

(A) means for determining an old priority index of an older data record and a newer priority index of a newer data record;

(B) means for replacing at least a portion of the older data record with at least a portion of the newer data record in a first data structure; and

(C) means for retaining at least a portion of the older data record in a second data structure if the old priority index exceeds a threshold criterion.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein (C) further comprises means for performing the retaining operation only if the older priority index is greater than another priority index of another data record, and for releasing memory space allocated to the other data record.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein (A) is part of an implantable medical device and (C) is part of an external device, and further comprising (D) a telemetry system providing telemetric communication between (A) and (D).

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the external device is a patch.

15. A medical device system for monitoring physiologic activity, comprising:

(A) a monitoring element that obtains physiologic data, wherein at least one monitoring element comprises a neurological sensor;

(B) a logic component; and

(C) a memory component that is connected to the logic component and that is instructed by the logic component to store the physiologic data, the memory component comprising;

(i) a first data structure that stores a plurality of data records, each data record representing information about an associated event, and that replaces a first data record with a second data record; and

(ii) a second data structure that retains the first data record from the first data structure based on an associated priority index of the first data record.

16. The medical device system of claim 15, wherein the first data structure comprises a circular buffer and wherein the second data structure comprises a priority queue.

17. The medical device system of claim 15, wherein the associated priority index is greater than any data record stored in the second data structure.

18. The medical device system of claim 15, wherein the second data structure stores the first data record only if the associated priority index of the first data record is greater than an other priority index of an other data record in the second data structure.

19. The medical device system of claim 18, further comprising:

(D) a reporting module that selects data records from the first data structure and the second data structure and reports data associated with the selected data records.

20. The medical device system of claim 19, wherein the reporting module selects the selected data records based on an associated priority index of the selected data record.

21. The medical device system of claim 15, wherein the monitoring element supports a set of physiologic channels, further comprising a channel selection component that selects a subset of physiologic channels from the set of physiologic channels based on a selection criterion and inserts channel data into a new data record, wherein the channel data corresponds to the subset of physiologic channels.

22. The medical device system of claim 15, wherein the event is selected from the group consisting of a cardiac event, a neurological event, a pulmonary event, and a telemetry event.