Cycle and Load Measurement Device

• US 20080208516A1
• Filed: 11/04/2005
• Published: 08/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Smith & Nephew Incorporated (Smith & Nephew PLC)
• Original Assignee: Smith & Nephew Incorporated (Smith & Nephew PLC)
• Inventors: James, Anthony H.
• Granted Patent: US 8,388,553 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/141
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0031 Implanted circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/076 Permanent implantations telemetry using implanted circuitry A61B5/0031; implanted stimulators for therapy A61N1/3605, A61N1/362, A61N1/372
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1118 Determining activity level
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4504 Bones A61B5/4547 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/0891 with indication of predetermined acceleration values G01P15/135 takes precedence

Abstract

The present application relates to a sensing system for an medical device, the sensing system having at least one sensor for measuring movement of the medical device and a recording device for storing movement data from the at least one sensor. The application also relates to a method for evaluating a patient'"'"' s compliance with a healing regimen, the patient provided with a medical device, the method having the steps of a) collecting movement data relating to movement of a sensing system affixed within, to, or near the medical device; b) retrieving the movement data from the sensing system; and c) analyzing the movement data and comparing the movement data to standard movement data to evaluate the patient'"'"'s compliance with the healing regimen.

Claims

1. A sensing system for an medical device, characterized in that the sensing system comprises:

a) at least one sensor for measuring movement of the medical device; and

b) a recording device for storing movement data from the at least one sensor, in which the at least one sensor is an accelerometer.

2. The sensing system of claim 1, in which the accelerometer is a discrete accelerometer and the recording device stores movement data from the discrete accelerometer when the discrete accelerometer detects an acceleration rate that exceeds a predetermined acceleration setpoint.

3. The sensing system of claim 2, in which the setpoint of each at least one discrete accelerometer is from 0.25 to 100 m/s².

4. The sensing system of claim 2, in which the sensing system comprises at least a first discrete accelerometer and a second discrete accelerometer, and the first discrete accelerometer and the second discrete accelerometer have different acceleration setpoints.

5. The sensing system of claim 1, in which additional data relating to the patient is storable in the sensing system, and the additional data is selected from the group consisting of patient height, patient weight, and patient surgical intervention information.

6. The sensing system of claim 1, in which the sensing system further comprises a transmitter for wirelessly transmitting the stored movement data from the recording device to a receiver.

7. The sensing system of claim 1, in which the medical device is an intramedullary nail, a bone plate, a bone screw, an external fixation device, a joint product, a trauma product, a spine product, or an interference screw.

8. The sensing system of claim 1, in which the accelerometer is a continuous accelerometer, the continuous accelerometer detects movement data at a fixed cycle interval, and the recording device stores the movement data from the continuous accelerometer.

9. The sensing system of claim 8, in which the cycle interval is from 0.01 to 1000 Hz.

10. The sensing system of claim 9, in which the cycle interval is 32 Hz.

17. The method of claim 10, in which the medical device is an intramedullary nail, a bone plate, a bone screw, an external fixation device, a joint product, a trauma product, a spine product, or an interference screw.

11. A method for evaluating a patient'"'"'s compliance with a healing regimen, the patient provided with a medical device, characterized in that the method comprises:

a) collecting movement data relating to movement of a sensing system affixed within, to, or near the medical device;

b) retrieving the movement data from the sensing system; and

c) analyzing the movement data and comparing the movement data to standard movement data to evaluate the patient'"'"'s compliance with the healing regimen.

12. The method of claim 11, in which the sensing system comprises at least one sensor for measuring movement of the medical device, and a recording device for storing movement data from the at least one sensor.

13. The method of claim 12, in which the at least one sensor is a discrete accelerometer.

14. The method of claim 13, in which the recording device stores movement data from the discrete accelerometer when the discrete accelerometer detects an acceleration rate that exceeds a predetermined acceleration setpoint.

15. The method of claim 14, in which the setpoint of the discrete accelerometer is from 0.25 to 100 m/s².

16. The method of claim 14, in which the sensing system comprises at least a first discrete accelerometer and a second discrete accelerometer, and the first discrete accelerometer and the second discrete accelerometer have different acceleration setpoints.

18. The method of claim 12, in which the at least one sensor is a continuous accelerometer, the continuous accelerometer detects movement data at a fixed cycle interval, and the recording device stores the movement data from the accelerometer.

19. The method of claim 18, in which the cycle interval is from 0.01 to 1000 Hz.

20. The method of claim 19, in which the cycle interval is 32 Hz.