Tree-based electrical stimulator programming for pain therapy
First Claim
1. A method for providing electrical stimulation therapy to treat pain, the method comprising:
- defining a tree structure having a plurality of levels and a plurality of nodes in each of the levels, wherein each of the nodes is interconnected with at least one node above and at least two nodes below in the tree structure, each node defines a set of electrical stimulation parameters, the nodes in each level specify an adjustment to at least one of the parameters, and the nodes in different levels specify adjustment of different parameters;
defining a program path through the tree structure along a series of the interconnected nodes for which efficacy of stimulation therapy delivered according to the stimulation parameters defined by the nodes in treating pain exceeds a threshold level;
selecting one of the nodes in the program path; and
delivering the stimulation therapy to a patient based on the parameters defined by the selected node to treat patient pain.
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Abstract
The disclosure describes an implantable stimulation system that guides programming with a therapeutic tree. All possible stimulation parameters are arranged on the therapeutic tree, with each level of the therapeutic tree containing a different stimulation parameter type. Each level includes nodes that are connected to nodes of adjacent levels. A program path is created by moving through nodes of lower levels. The stimulation parameter types are arranged so that coarse adjustments occur at higher levels of the tree and fine adjustments occur at lower levels of the tree. The nodes of the program path define the stimulation parameters of the delivered stimulation therapy. The user may provide information such as efficacy input and/or medication dosage information to the system for identifying the most efficacious program path in treating pain of the patient. Additionally or alternatively, efficacy feedback may be received from physiological parameter sensors.
167 Citations
36 Claims
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1. A method for providing electrical stimulation therapy to treat pain, the method comprising:
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defining a tree structure having a plurality of levels and a plurality of nodes in each of the levels, wherein each of the nodes is interconnected with at least one node above and at least two nodes below in the tree structure, each node defines a set of electrical stimulation parameters, the nodes in each level specify an adjustment to at least one of the parameters, and the nodes in different levels specify adjustment of different parameters;
defining a program path through the tree structure along a series of the interconnected nodes for which efficacy of stimulation therapy delivered according to the stimulation parameters defined by the nodes in treating pain exceeds a threshold level;
selecting one of the nodes in the program path; and
delivering the stimulation therapy to a patient based on the parameters defined by the selected node to treat patient pain. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A system for providing electrical stimulation pain therapy, the system comprising:
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a memory defining a tree structure having a plurality of levels and a plurality of nodes in each of the levels, wherein each of the nodes is interconnected with at least one node above and at least two nodes below in the tree structure, each node defines a set of electrical stimulation parameters, the nodes in each level specify an adjustment to at least one of the parameters, and the nodes in different levels specify the adjustment of different parameters; and
a processor that defines a program path through the tree structure along a series of the interconnected nodes for which efficacy of stimulation pain therapy delivered according to the stimulation parameters defined by the nodes exceeds a threshold level, selects one of the nodes in the program path, and controls delivery of the stimulation pain therapy to a patient based on the parameters defined by the selected node to treat patient pain. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions to cause a processor to:
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define a tree structure having a plurality of levels and a plurality of nodes in each of the levels, wherein each of the nodes is interconnected with at least one node above and at least two nodes below in the tree structure, each node defines a set of electrical stimulation parameters, the nodes in each level specify an adjustment to at least one of the parameters, and the nodes in different levels specify the adjustment of different parameters;
define a program path through the tree structure along a series of the interconnected nodes for which efficacy of stimulation pain therapy delivered according to the stimulation parameters defined by the nodes exceeds a threshold level;
select one of the nodes in the program path; and
control delivery of the stimulation pain therapy to a patient based on the parameters defined by the selected node to treat patient pain. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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Specification