AUTOMATIC VOIDING DIARY

• US 20080300649A1
• Filed: 05/30/2007
• Published: 12/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Gerber, Martin T., Rondoni, John C.
• Granted Patent: US 9,185,489 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/41
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0031 Implanted circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14507 specially adapted for measuring characteristics of body fluids other than blood devices for taking samples of body liquids A61B10/0045
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/202 Assessing bladder functions, e.g. incontinence assessment
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/204 Determining bladder volume
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/205 Determining bladder or urethral pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6846 specially adapted to be brought in contact with an internal body part, i.e. invasive
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 7/008 Detecting noise of gastric tract, e.g. caused by voiding
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/42 with wetness indicator or alarm
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36007 of urogenital or gastrointestinal organs, e.g. for incontinence control
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37211 Means for communicating with stimulators
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/023 in a chair, pillow

Abstract

A device that may be used as an automatic voiding diary detects urinary and/or fecal voiding events and records voiding information indicative of the voiding events without the need for significant patient interaction. The device includes a microphone that captures internal and/or external sounds that are associated with voiding events and generates an electrical signal based the sounds. The device processes the electrical signal to determine whether the signal is indicative of the occurrence of a voiding event (i.e., the device detects voiding events) by, for example, comparing the electrical signal to a signal template or comparing an amplitude of the signal to a threshold. The device may be a device implanted within the patient or an external device that can be carried or attached to the body or clothing of the patient.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a microphone that generates an electrical signal based on a sound associated with a voiding event of a patient; and

a processor that determines whether the voiding event occurred based on the electrical signal, wherein the processor generates voiding information upon detecting an occurrence of the voiding event.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a memory to store the voiding information.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising an external computing device, wherein the external programmer comprises the memory.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the external computing device receives the voiding information from the processor via wireless communication and presents the voiding information to a user via a display.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the processor comprises a first processor and the external computing device comprises a second processor configured to receive an indication of whether the voiding event was a controlled event or an involuntary event, and associate the indication with the voiding event within the memory.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein processor determines whether the voiding event occurred based on the electrical signal by at least one of comparing a characteristic of the electrical signal to a threshold value stored in the memory or comparing a sample of the electrical signal to a signal template stored in the memory.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the characteristic of the electrical signal comprises a first power of one or more frequency components of the electrical signal, a second power associated with a portion of the electrical signal or an amplitude of the electrical signal.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the microphone is implantable and comprises a common housing including the microphone and processor.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the microphone is external to the patient.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising an implantable medical lead electrically coupled to the processor, wherein the implantable medical lead includes the microphone.

11. The system of claim 10, the implantable medical lead further comprising a stimulation electrode, and the system further comprising a therapy delivery module configured to deliver therapy to the patient via the stimulation electrode of the implantable medical lead to control at least one of urinary or fecal incontinence.

12. The system of claim 1, further comprising a telemetry module configured to wirelessly transmit the voiding information to at least one of an external programmer or a therapy delivery device that delivers therapy to the patient to control at least one of urinary or fecal incontinence.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the sound comprises an internal sound generated within the patient.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the internal sound includes one or more of a first sound produced by a bladder of the patient, a second sound produced by a urinary tract of the patient, a third sound produced by a rectum of the patient, a fourth sound produced by intestines of the patient, a fifth sound produced by one or more organs of the patient or a sixth sound produced by tissue of the patient.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the sound comprises an external sound generated external to the patient.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the external sound includes one or more of a first sound produced by fluid being voided into a toilet, a second sound produced by the toilet flushing or a third sound produced by fluid being voided into an undergarment.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the voiding information includes at least one of a portion of the electrical signal that includes a voiding signature, an indication of the occurrence of the voiding event or a time at which the voiding event was detected.

18. A method of creating a voiding diary for a patient comprising:

receiving an electrical signal from a microphone, wherein the microphone generates the electrical signal based on a sound associated with a voiding event;

determining whether the voiding event occurred based on the electrical signal; and

generating voiding information upon detecting the occurrence of the voiding event.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising storing the voiding information in a memory.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the microphone is implanted within the patient.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising delivering therapy to the patient to control at least one of urinary or fecal incontinence based on the voiding information.

22. The method of claim 18, further comprising adjusting one or more therapy parameters of a therapy delivered to the patient to control at least one of urinary or fecal incontinence based on the voiding information.

23. The method of claim 18, further comprising wirelessly transmitting the voiding information to a therapy delivery device or an external programmer.

24. The method of claim 18, wherein the sound includes an internal sound generated within the patient or an external sound generated external to the patient.

25. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

generating an example electrical signal in response to an actual voiding event; and

storing the example electrical signal as a signal template in a memory, wherein determining whether the voiding event occurred comprises comparing the electrical signal to the signal template.

26. The method of claim 18, wherein determining whether the voiding event occurred comprises:

processing the electrical signal according to a first technique; and

processing the electrical signal according to a second technique if the processing according to the first technique suggests the voiding event occurred.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein processing the electrical signal according to the first technique comprises comparing a characteristic of the electrical signal to a threshold value stored in the memory, and wherein processing the electrical signal according to the second technique comprises comparing a sample of the electrical signal to the signal template

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the characteristic of the electrical signal comprises a first power of one or more frequency components of the electrical signal, a second power associated with a portion of the electrical signal or an amplitude of the electrical signal.

29. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions that cause a processor to:

receive an electrical signal from a microphone, wherein the microphone generates the electrical signal based on a sound associated with a voiding event;

determine whether the voiding event occurred based on the electrical signal; and

generate voiding information upon detecting the occurrence of the voiding event.