Patient Programmer with Input and Sensing Capabilities

• US 20090105787A1
• Filed: 10/17/2007
• Published: 04/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IntElect Medical, Inc. (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: IntElect Medical, Inc. (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Carlton, Keith, Kokones, Scott
• Granted Patent: US 8,812,123 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/59
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36082 Cognitive or psychiatric applications, e.g. dementia or Alzheimer's disease
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37235 Aspects of the external programmer
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37247 User interfaces, e.g. input or presentation means

Abstract

A patient programmer can have a progress module, wherein the progress module may obtain progress input from a patient in which the generator is implanted. The progress module may include sensors that are able to obtain progress input based on patient interactions with sensors coupled to the patient programmer. The progress module may also include an interface that poses progress-related questions to the patient and obtains responses to the questions from the patient. The patient programmer is also able to store the progress input for reporting purposes.

Claims

1. A deep brain stimulation patient programmer comprising:

a control module to generate a switching signal, the switching signal to instruct a generator of a brain stimulation signal to transition between an on state and an off state;

an authentication interface to verify that an individual using the patient programmer is a patient in which the generator is implanted;

a short range wireless interface to transmit the switching signal to the generator;

a wireless interface; and

a progress module having a sensor mounted to the patient programmer to obtain a first set of progress inputs from the patient, a display to present a plurality of questions to the patient, an input device to receive answers to the plurality of questions from the patient, the answers to define a second set of progress inputs, the progress module further including a memory location to store the first and second sets of progress inputs, the wired interface to transmit report data representing the first and second sets of progress inputs to a clinician programmer.

2. The patient programmer of claim 1, wherein the sensor is at least one of a pressure sensor, a temperature sensor, a motion sensor, a heart rate sensor, a chemical sensor and an electroencephalogram (EEG) sensor.

3. The patient programmer of claim 1, wherein the input device includes at least one of a touch-screen component of the display and a plurality of buttons.

4. The patient programmer of claim 1, wherein the plurality questions include at least one of quality of life questions, object recognition questions, diary questions and cognitive questions.

5. The patient programmer of claim 1, wherein the short range wireless interface includes at least one of a Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN), a Bluetooth module, a Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) module and a radio frequency (RF) module.

6. A patient programmer comprising:

a control module to generate a control signal;

a communication interface to transmit the control signal to a generator of a stimulation signal; and

a progress module to obtain progress input from a patient in which the generator is implanted.

7. The patient programmer of claim 6, wherein the progress module includes a sensor.

8. The patient programmer of claim 7, wherein the sensor is at least one of a pressure sensor, a temperature sensor, a motion sensor, a heart rate sensor and an electroencephalogram (EEG) sensor.

9. The patient programmer of claim 6, wherein the progress module includes:

a display to present a plurality of questions to the patient; and

an input device to receive answers to the plurality of questions.

10. The patient programmer of claim 9, wherein the input device includes at least one of a touch-screen component of the display and a plurality of buttons.

11. The patient programmer of claim 9, wherein the plurality questions include questions from at least one of a Barthel Index, a Short Form 36 (SF-36) Health Survey, an Action Research Arm Test and a Stroke Specific Quality of Life Scale (SS-QOL).

12. The patient programmer of claim 6, further including a memory location to store the progress input.

13. The patient programmer of claim 12, wherein the communication interface includes a short range wireless interface, the communication interface to transmit report data representing the progress input to the generator.

14. The patient programmer of claim 12, wherein the communication interface includes at least one of a short range wireless interface, a long range wireless interface and a wired interface, the communication interface to transmit report data representing the progress input to a clinician programmer.

15. The patient programmer of claim 6, further including an authentication interface to verify that an individual using the patient programmer is the patient.

16. A method of operating a patient programmer comprising:

generating a switching signal;

transmitting the switching signal from the patient programmer to a generator of a stimulation signal, the switching signal to instruct the generator to transition between an on state and an off state; and

using a progress module of the patient programmer to obtain progress input from a patient in which the generator is implanted.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the progress input is obtained from a sensor of the patient programmer.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the progress input is obtained by displaying a plurality of questions to the patient and receiving answers to the plurality of questions.

19. The method of claim 16, further including storing the progress input to a memory location on the patient programmer.

20. The method of claim 16, further including transmitting report data representing the progress input to the generator.

21. The method of claim 16, further including transmitting report data representing the progress input to a clinician programmer.