FLAGGING OF ELECTRODES OF AN IMPLANTABLE MEDICAL DEVICE, CONTROLLER, SYSTEM AND METHOD THEREFORE

• US 20090276010A1
• Filed: 04/30/2008
• Published: 11/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Goetz, Steven M., Torgerson, Nathan A., Smith, Todd V., Ball, Warren W.
• Granted Patent: US 9,238,135 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/60
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36071 Pain
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36185 Selection of the electrode configuration

Abstract

Method, controller and system for an implantable medical device having a plurality of electrodes, the implantable medical device capable of delivering therapeutic stimulation to a patient, comprising a control module, a user interface operatively coupled to the control module, the user interface providing control of the control module by a medical professional or other user, and an electrode interface operatively coupled between the plurality of electrodes and the control module. The control module uses the electrode interface to obtain a plurality of measurements of impedance values for a plurality of selected pairs of individual ones of the plurality of electrodes. The control module flags electrodes using the plurality of measurements of impedance values of the selected pairs of individual ones of the plurality of electrodes comparative to a range, and the delivery of therapy on flagged electrodes is inhibited.

Claims

1. A controller for an implantable medical device having a plurality of electrodes, said implantable medical device capable of delivering therapeutic stimulation to a patient using at least one of said plurality of electrodes, comprising:

a control module; and

an electrode interface operatively coupled between said plurality of electrodes and said control module;

said control module using said electrode interface to obtain a plurality of measurements of an integrity metric for a plurality of selected sets of individual ones of said plurality of electrodes;

said control module flagging an individual one of said plurality of electrodes based on said plurality of measurements.

2. The controller as in claim 1 wherein said integrity metric comprises at least one of impedance, voltage and current.

3. The controller as in claim 1 wherein said flagging is an indication of functionality of said individual one of said plurality of electrodes.

4. The controller as in claim 1 wherein said flagging is a binary indication of functionality of said individual one of said plurality of electrodes.

5. The controller as in claim 4 wherein said controller captures meta data related to said flagging of said individual one of said plurality of electrodes.

6. The controller as in claim 5 wherein said meta data comprises an indication related to when flagging of said individual one of said plurality of electrodes occurred.

7. The controller as in claim 1 wherein said control module inhibits delivery of said therapeutic stimulation on said individual one of said plurality of electrodes that is flagged.

8. The controller as in claim 1 wherein said control module automatically inhibits delivery of said therapeutic stimulation on said flagged individual one of said plurality of electrodes.

9. The controller as in claim 8 wherein said controller further comprises a user interface operatively coupled to said control module, said user interface providing control of said control module by a user and wherein said delivery of said automatically inhibited therapeutic stimulation may be overridden by said user via said user interface.

10. The controller as in claim 9 wherein delivery of automatically inhibited therapeutic stimulation may be overridden by said user via said user interface after a second measurement of integrity metric for a plurality of selected sets of individual ones of said plurality of electrodes has been obtained.

11. The controller as in claim 1 wherein said flagging is based on an analysis of operational functionality of said plurality of electrodes using said plurality of measurements of impedance values of said selected sets of individual ones of said plurality of electrodes.

12. A controller for an implantable medical device having a plurality of electrodes, said implantable medical device capable of delivering therapeutic stimulation to a patient using at least one of said plurality of electrodes, comprising:

a control module; and

an electrode interface operatively coupled between said plurality of electrodes and said control module;

said control module using said electrode interface to obtain a plurality of measurements of an integrity metric for a plurality of selected sets of individual ones of said plurality of electrodes;

said control module flagging a subset of said plurality of electrodes based on said plurality of measurements.

13. A controller for an implantable medical device having a plurality of electrodes, said implantable medical device capable of delivering therapeutic stimulation to a patient using at least one of said plurality of electrodes, comprising:

a control module; and

an electrode interface operatively coupled between said plurality of electrodes and said control module; and

a user interface operatively coupled to said control module, said user interface providing control of said control module by a user;

said control module flagging an individual one of said plurality of electrodes based said control by said user.

14. The controller as in claim 13 wherein said controller captures meta data related to said flagging of an individual one of said plurality of electrodes.

15. The controller as in claim 14 wherein said meta data comprises an indication related to when flagging of said individual one of said plurality of electrodes occurred.

16. A system for delivering therapeutic stimulation to a patient, comprising:

an implantable medical device having a plurality of electrodes; and

a controller, comprising;

a control module;

an electrode interface operatively coupled between said plurality of electrodes and said control module;

said control module using said electrode interface to obtain a plurality of measurements of an integrity metric for a plurality of selected sets of individual ones of said plurality of electrodes; and

said control module flagging an individual one of said plurality of electrodes based on said plurality of measurements.

17. The system as in claim 16 wherein said integrity metric comprises at least one of impedance, voltage and current.

18. The system as in claim 16 wherein said flagging is an indication of functionality of said individual one of said plurality of electrodes.

19. The system as in claim 16 wherein said flagging is a binary indication of functionality of said individual one of said plurality of electrodes.

20. The system as in claim 19 wherein said controller captures meta data related to said flagging of said individual one of said plurality of electrodes.

21. The system as in claim 20 wherein said meta data comprises an indication related to when flagging of said individual one of said plurality of electrodes occurred.

22. The system as in claim 16 wherein said control module inhibits delivery of said therapeutic stimulation on said individual one of said plurality of electrodes that is flagged.

23. The system as in claim 16 wherein said control module automatically inhibits delivery of said therapeutic stimulation on said flagged individual one of said plurality of electrodes.

24. The system as in claim 23 wherein said controller further comprises a user interface operatively coupled to said control module, said user interface providing control of said control module by a user and wherein said delivery of said automatically inhibited therapeutic stimulation may be overridden by said user via said user interface.

25. The system as in claim 24 wherein automatically inhibited therapeutic stimulation may be overridden by said user via said user interface after a second measurement of integrity metrics for a plurality of selected sets of individual ones of said plurality of electrodes has been obtained.

26. The system as in claim 16 wherein said flagging is based on an analysis of operational functionality of said plurality of electrodes using said plurality of measurements of integrity metrics of said selected sets of individual ones of said plurality of electrodes.

27. A system for delivering therapeutic stimulation to a patient, comprising:

an implantable medical device having a plurality of electrodes; and

a controller, comprising;

a control module;

an electrode interface operatively coupled between said plurality of electrodes and said control module;

said control module using said electrode interface to obtain a plurality of measurements of integrity metrics for a plurality of selected sets of individual ones of said plurality of electrodes; and

said control module flagging a subset of said plurality of electrodes based on said plurality of measurements.

28. The system for delivering therapeutic stimulation to a patient, comprising:

an implantable medical device having a plurality of electrodes; and

a controller, comprising;

a control module;

an electrode interface operatively coupled between said plurality of electrodes and said control module; and

a user interface operatively coupled to said control module, said user interface providing control of said control module by a user;

said control module flagging an individual one of said plurality of electrodes based on said control by said user.

29. The system as in claim 28 wherein said controller captures meta data related to said flagging of an individual one of said plurality of electrodes.

30. The system as in claim 29 wherein said meta data comprises an indication related to when flagging of said individual one of said plurality of electrodes occurred.

31. A method for delivering therapeutic stimulation to a patient using an implantable medical device having a plurality of electrodes, comprising the steps of:

obtaining a plurality of measurements of an integrity metric for a plurality of selected sets of individual ones of said plurality of electrodes;

flagging an individual one of said plurality of electrodes based on said plurality of measurements.

32. The method as in claim 31 wherein said integrity metric comprises at least one of impedance, voltage and current.

33. The method as in claim 31 wherein said flagging step flags said individual one of said plurality of electrodes based on functionality of said individual electrode.

34. The method as in claim 33 wherein said flag is a binary flag.

35. The method as in claim 34 wherein said flagging step captures meta data related to said flagging of an individual one of said plurality of electrodes.

36. The method as in claim 35 wherein said meta data comprises an indication related to when flagging of said flagging of said individual one of said plurality of electrodes occurred.

37. The method as in claim 34 further comprising the step of inhibiting delivery of said therapeutic stimulation on said individual one of said plurality of electrodes that is flagged.

38. The method as in claim 34 further comprising the step of automatically inhibiting delivery of said therapeutic stimulation on said individual one of said plurality of electrodes that is flagged.

39. The method as in claim 38 further comprising the step of a user overriding said automatically inhibited delivery of said therapeutic stimulation.

40. The method as in claim 39 further comprising the step of a user overriding said automatically inhibited delivery of said therapeutic stimulation after a second measurement of integrity metrics for a plurality of selected sets of individual ones of said plurality of electrodes has been obtained.

41. The method as in claim 31 further comprising the step of analyzing said plurality of measurements of integrity metrics of said selected sets of individual ones of said plurality of electrodes, and wherein said flagging is based on said analysis.

42. A method for delivering therapeutic stimulation to a patient using an implantable medical device having a plurality of electrodes, comprising the steps of:

obtaining a plurality of measurements of impedance values for a plurality of selected sets of individual ones of said plurality of electrodes;

flagging a subset of said plurality of electrodes based on said plurality of measurements.

43. A method for delivering therapeutic stimulation to a patient using an implantable medical device having a plurality of electrodes, comprising the steps of:

obtaining a plurality of measurements of impedance values for a plurality of selected sets of individual ones of said plurality of electrodes; and

flagging an individual one of said plurality of electrodes based on control by a user.

44. The method as in claim 43 wherein said flagging step captures meta data related to said flagging of an individual one of said plurality of electrodes.

45. The method as in claim 44 wherein said meta data comprises an indication related to when flagging of said individual one of said plurality of electrodes occurred.