Syncope Logbook and Method of Using Same

• US 20100056929A1
• Filed: 11/11/2009
• Published: 03/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avram Scheiner, Jeffrey E. Stahmann, Jesse W. Hartley, John D. Hatlestad
• Original Assignee: Avram Scheiner, Jeffrey E. Stahmann, Jesse W. Hartley, John D. Hatlestad
• Inventors: Stahmann, Jeffrey E., Hartley, Jesse W., Hatlestad, John D., Scheiner, Avram
• Granted Patent: US 8,660,638 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/484
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0031 Implanted circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02028 Determining haemodynamic parameters not otherwise provided for, e.g. cardiac contractility or left ventricular ejection fraction
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0205 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0215 by means inserted into the body catheters A61M25/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02405 Determining heart rate variability
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/11 Measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof, e.g. head or hand tremor, mobility of a limb for measuring pulse A61B5/02 ;A61B5/1038 takes precedence; motion detection to correct for motion artifacts in physiological signals A61B5/721
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1116 Determining posture transitions
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/145 Measuring characteristics of blood in vivo, e.g. gas concentration, pH value; Measuring characteristics of body fluids or tissues, e.g. interstitial fluid, cerebral tissuemeasuring of blood pressure or blood flow A61B5/02; non-radiation detecting or locating of foreign bodies in blood A61B5/06
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14546 for measuring analytes not otherwise provided for, e.g. ions, cytochromes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/318 Heart-related electrical modalities, e.g. electrocardiography [ECG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/33 specially adapted for cooperation with other devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/369 Electroencephalography [EEG] devices for psychotechnics A61B5/16
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37247 User interfaces, e.g. input or presentation means
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/40 relating to mechanical, radiation or invasive therapies, e.g. surgery, laser therapy, dialysis or acupuncture
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

Methods and systems are directed to acquiring and organizing information associated with at least one syncope event. A syncope event may be a suspected syncope event, a verified syncope event or a syncope event that is suspected and verified. Automated processes are used to collect information associated with at least one syncope event and organize the information as a syncope log entry. At least one of acquiring the information and organizing the information is performed at least in part implantably.

Claims

1. An automated method for collecting and organizing information associated with at least one syncope-related event of a patient, the at least one syncope-related event comprising at least a suspected syncope-related event, a verified syncope-related event, or a suspected and verified syncope-related event, the method comprising:

selecting one or more patient conditions associated with one or more of the syncope-related events for which acquisition of onset data is desired;

sensing for the one or more selected patient conditions;

configuring a buffer memory based on buffer memory requirements appropriate for the selected one or more monitored patient conditions;

temporarily storing information associated with the one or more sensed patient conditions in the configured buffer memory;

in response to a triggering event, acquiring occurrence information associated with the one or more sensed patient conditions during occurrence of the one or more of the syncope-related events, the information temporarily stored in the buffer memory defining onset data associated with occurrence of the one or more of the syncope-related events;

organizing the onset data and the occurrence information as a syncope log entry; and

storing the syncope log entry;

wherein at least sensing for the one or more patient conditions, temporarily storing the information, and organizing the onset data and the occurrence information are respectively performed at least in part implantably.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein configuring the buffer memory is based at least in part on buffer memory size requirements appropriate for the selected one or more monitored patient conditions.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein configuring the buffer memory is based at least in part on sampling rate requirements appropriate for the selected one or more monitored patient conditions.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein configuring the buffer memory is based at least in part on data collection frequency or interval requirements appropriate for the selected one or more monitored patient conditions.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein configuring the buffer memory comprises changing the buffer memory configuration over the course of the one or more of the syncope-related events.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the one more syncope-related events comprise a plurality of syncope-related event types, and wherein each of a plurality of the triggering events is associated with one of the plurality of syncope-related event types.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein selection of at least one of the patient conditions, triggering event, and buffer memory requirements is based on user input.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the onset data and the occurrence information comprises cardiovascular system information.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the onset data and the occurrence information comprises respiratory system information.

10. A medical system for collecting and organizing information associated with at least one syncope-related event of a patient, the at least one syncope-related event comprising a suspected syncope-related event, a verified syncope-related event, or a suspected and verified syncope-related event, the system comprising:

a sensor arrangement configured to sense for one or more patient conditions;

a monitoring unit coupled to the sensor arrangement and configured to monitor for one or more sensed patient conditions associated with one or more syncope-related events for which acquisition of onset data is desired;

a configurable buffer memory and a long-term memory;

a processor coupled to the buffer memory and configurable by the processor to store information associated with the one or more sensed conditions, the buffer memory configurable by the processor based on buffer memory requirements appropriate for the one or more sensed patient conditions, the processor configured to;

temporarily store information associated with the one or more sensed patient conditions in the configured buffer memory;

acquire occurrence information associated with the one or more sensed patient conditions during occurrence of the one or more of the syncope-related events, the information temporarily stored in the buffer memory defining onset data associated with occurrence of the one or more of the syncope-related events;

organize the onset data and the occurrence information as a syncope log entry; and

store the syncope log entry in the long-term memory;

wherein at least the sensor arrangement, the monitoring unit, the processor, and the buffer memory comprises an implantable component.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to acquire the occurrence information in response to a triggering event.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to acquire the occurrence information in response to one of a plurality of triggering events wherein each of the plurality of the triggering events is associated with one of the plurality of syncope-related events, the processor configuring the buffer memory using buffer memory requirements associated with a particular one of the plurality of triggering events.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the buffer memory is configurable by the processor based at least in part on buffer memory size requirements appropriate for the selected one or more monitored patient conditions.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the buffer memory is configurable by the processor based at least in part on sampling rate requirements appropriate for the selected one or more monitored patient conditions.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the buffer memory is configurable by the processor based at least in part on data collection frequency or interval requirements appropriate for the selected one or more monitored patient conditions.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is adapted to change the buffer memory configuration over the course of the one or more of the syncope-related events.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein a component of at least one of the sensor arrangement, the monitoring unit, the buffer memory, and the processor is disposed within an implantable cardiac rhythm management device.

18. The system of claim 10, further comprising communications circuitry coupled to the processor, the communications circuitry configured to transmit at least one of the onset data, the occurrence information, and the syncope log entry to a patient-external computing system.

19. The system of claim 10, wherein the sensor arrangement comprises at least one cardiovascular system sensor and at least one respiratory system sensor.

20. The system of claim 10, comprising a user interface coupled to the processor and configured to facilitate user specification of one or more of a syncope-related event to be monitored, a patient condition to be sensed or monitored, and buffer memory requirements.