System and method for providing a waveform for stimulating biological tissue

• US 20070000372A1
• Filed: 04/13/2006
• Published: 01/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cleveland Clinic Foundation
• Original Assignee: Cleveland Clinic Foundation
• Inventors: Rezai, Ali, Hatoum, Nagi
• Granted Patent: US 8,082,033 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 84/609
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/025 Digital circuitry features of electrotherapy devices, e.g. memory, clocks, processors
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37229 Shape or location of the implanted or external antenna

Abstract

An implantable programmable stimulator system includes memory that stores waveform data for at least one waveform. A playback system provides at least one output waveform based on the waveform data.

Claims

1. An implantable programmable stimulator system comprising:

memory that stores waveform data for at least one waveform; and

a playback system that provides at least one output waveform based on the waveform data.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the waveform data comprises non-parametric waveform data corresponding to at least a fraction of a period of the at least one waveform.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the waveform data further comprises waveform data for a plurality of different waveforms, the playback system providing the output waveform based on the waveform data selected for at least one of the plurality of different waveforms.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the playback system is configured to construct the output waveform by combining at least two of the plurality of different waveforms stored in the memory.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the waveform data is encoded according to a CODEC, the playback system being operative to decode the waveform data according to the CODEC to provide the output waveform.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising an amplifier that provides an amplified output signal corresponding to the output waveform.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the amplifier comprises a switching amplifier that provides the amplified output signal as a pulse-width-modulated signal.

8. The system of claim 6, further comprising at least one electrode that emits an electrical stimulation signal having desired waveform characteristics according to the amplified output signal.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising feedback from an output of the amplifier to the playback system, the feedback providing the playback system with information about at least one of the electrical stimulation signal emitted by the at least one electrode or a characteristic of the electrode.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the playback system is at least one of programmed and configured to manipulate the output waveform to vary at least one parameter of the output waveform.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising a receiver that receives an input signal that comprises the at least one waveform, the waveform data being stored in the memory according to the input signal to enable the playback system to provide the output waveform with at least a portion of the at least one waveform.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising an external transmitter that provides the input signal according to at least one communication mode.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising a waveform generator that provides the external transmitter with the at least one waveform, the external transmitter providing the input signal to program the memory with the waveform data for the at least one waveform.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the waveform generator is programmed with at least one biological recorded waveform, the waveform generator providing the at least one biological recorded waveform to the external transmitter, the input signal provided by the external transmitter comprising the at least one biological recorded waveform.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the memory and the playback system form part of a single integrated circuit that is separate from the external transmitter.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the playback system is configured to provide at least one selected waveform from the memory according to a defined schedule.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the playback system is configured to provide at least one of selected waveform from the memory in response to a stimulus.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory stores waveform data for a plurality of waveforms, at least one of the plurality waveforms comprising a biological waveform recorded from a biological subject.

28. The implantable pulse generator of claim 18, further comprising a receiver that receives an input signal that is provided according to at least one communication mode, at least one waveform representation being stored in the memory according to the input signal.

29. The implantable pulse generator of claim 28, further comprising an external transmitter that provides the input signal according to the at least one communication mode.

30. The implantable pulse generator of claim 29, further comprising a waveform generator that provides the external transmitter with at least one of the plurality of waveforms, the external transmitter providing the input signal to program the memory with the waveform representation for the at least one of the plurality of waveforms provided by the waveform generator.

31. The implantable pulse generator of claim 30, wherein the waveform generator is programmed with waveforms recorded from a biological subject, the at least one of the plurality of waveforms provided by the waveform generator comprising at least one of the biological recorded waveforms.

19. An implantable pulse generator, comprising:

memory that stores a waveform representation for each of a plurality of waveforms; and

a playback system configured to retrieve at least one of the stored waveform representations from the memory and to provide at least one corresponding output waveform signal; and

at least one amplifier that amplifies the at least one corresponding output waveform signal to provide at least one corresponding amplified output waveform signal.

20. The implantable pulse generator of claim 19, further comprising a receiver that receives a signal corresponding to at least one waveform according to a predetermined communication mode, the memory storing at least some of the stored waveform representations based on the signal received by the receiver.

21. The implantable pulse generator of claim 19, wherein the playback system is configured to retrieve and play back at least one selected waveform from the memory in response to a stimulus, such that the output waveform signal provided by the playback system comprises the at least one selected waveform.

22. The implantable pulse generator of claim 19, wherein the playback system is configured to retrieve and play back at least one selected waveform from the memory according to a schedule, such that the output waveform signal provided by the playback system comprises the at least one selected waveform.

23. The implantable pulse generator of claim 19, wherein the memory and the playback system form part of a single integrated circuit.

24. The implantable pulse generator of claim 19, further comprising at least one electrode that is electrically connected with the at least one amplifier, the at least one electrode emitting an electrical stimulation signal having waveform characteristics according to the corresponding amplified output waveform signal.

25. The implantable pulse generator of claim 24, further comprising feedback connected to provide the playback system with information about at least one of the electrical stimulation signal emitted by the at least one electrode or a characteristic of the electrode.

26. The implantable pulse generator of claim 19, wherein the playback system is configured to construct the at least one corresponding output waveform signal by combining at least two of the plurality of waveform representations stored in the memory.

27. The implantable pulse generator of claim 19, wherein the playback system is at least one of programmed and configured to manipulate at least one of the plurality of waveforms is retrieved from the memory so as to vary at least one parameter of the corresponding output waveform signal.

32. The implantable pulse generator of claim 19, wherein the memory stores a plurality of waveforms, at least one of the plurality waveforms stored in the memory comprising a biological waveform recorded from a biological subject.

33. The implantable pulse generator of claim 19, wherein the plurality waveforms are stored in the memory as digital data and the playback system provides the at corresponding output waveform signal as a digital output waveform signal, the implantable pulse generator further comprising a digital-to-analog converter that converts the digital output waveform signal to a corresponding analog output waveform signal, the amplifier comprising analog amplifier that amplifies the analog output waveform signal to provide the at least one corresponding amplified output waveform signal.

34. A method for providing a waveform for stimulation of biological tissue, the method comprising:

storing non-parametric waveform data corresponding to a plurality of recorded waveforms in memory located in an implantable pulse generator;

retrieving at least one of the plurality of waveforms from the memory; and

providing an output waveform from playback circuitry located in the implantable pulse generator, the output waveform corresponding to the at least one of the plurality of waveforms retrieved from the memory.

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising:

implanting the implantable pulse generator in a patient'"'"'s body, at least one electrode connected to receive the output waveform, the at least one electrode delivering at least one electrical stimulus to targeted biological tissue with waveform characteristics according to the output waveform provided from the playback circuitry.

36. The method of claim 34, wherein the at least one waveform that is retrieved from memory includes at least one waveform recorded from a biological subject.