COMMUNICATION BETWEEN IMPLANTABLE MEDICAL DEVICES
First Claim
1. A method comprising:
- generating an electrical stimulation signal with a first implantable medical device (IMD) implanted within a patient;
encoding information in the electrical stimulation signal with the first IMD; and
delivering the electrical stimulation signal to tissue within the patient, wherein delivering the electrical stimulation signal comprises transmitting the information to a second IMD implanted within the patient.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A first implantable medical device (IMD) implanted within a patient may communicate with a second IMD implanted within the patient by encoding information in an electrical stimulation signal. The delivery of the electrical stimulation signal may provide therapeutic benefits to the patient. The second IMD may sense the electrical stimulation signal, which may be presented as an artifact in a sensed cardiac signal, and process the sensed signal to retrieve the encoded information. The second IMD may modify its operation based on the received therapy information. Crosstalk between the first and second IMDs may be reduced using various techniques described herein. For example, the first IMD may generate the electrical stimulation signal to include a spread spectrum energy distribution or a predetermined signal signature. The second IMD may effectively remove a least some of the signal artifact in a sensed cardiac signal based on the predetermined signal signature.
127 Citations
52 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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generating an electrical stimulation signal with a first implantable medical device (IMD) implanted within a patient; encoding information in the electrical stimulation signal with the first IMD; and delivering the electrical stimulation signal to tissue within the patient, wherein delivering the electrical stimulation signal comprises transmitting the information to a second IMD implanted within the patient. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method comprising:
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sensing an electrical stimulation signal with an electrode connected to a first implantable medical device (IMD) implanted within a patient, wherein the electrical stimulation signal is generated by a second IMD implanted within the patient and encoded with information by the second IMD; and processing the electrical stimulation signal with the first IMD to retrieve the information. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A method comprising:
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generating an electrical stimulation signal with a first implantable medical device (IMD); encoding information in the electrical stimulation signal with the first IMD; sensing the electrical stimulation signal with an electrode connected to a second IMD; and processing the sensed electrical stimulation signal with the second IMD to retrieve the information. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27)
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28. A system comprising:
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a stimulation generator that generates an electrical stimulation signal; and a processor that controls the stimulation generator to encode information in the electrical stimulation signal and deliver the electrical stimulation signal to a patient. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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34. A system comprising:
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an electrode connected to a first implantable medical device (IMD) implanted within a patient; a sensing module that senses an electrical stimulation signal with the electrode, wherein the electrical stimulation signal is generated by a second IMD implanted within the patient and encoded with information; and a processor that processes the electrical stimulation signal to retrieve the information. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
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41. A system comprising:
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a first implantable medical device (IMD) that generates an electrical stimulation signal and encodes information in the electrical signal; and a second IMD that senses the electrical stimulation signal and processes the electrical stimulation signal to retrieve the information, wherein the first and second IMD are implanted within a patient. - View Dependent Claims (42, 43, 44, 45, 46)
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47. A system comprising:
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means for generating an electrical stimulation signal with a first implantable medical device (IMD) implanted within a patient; means for encoding information in the electrical stimulation signal with the first IMD; and means for delivering the electrical stimulation signal to tissue within a patient, wherein delivering the electrical stimulation signal comprises transmitting the information to a second IMD implanted within the patient. - View Dependent Claims (48)
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49. A system comprising:
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means for sensing an electrical stimulation signal with an electrode connected to a first implantable medical device (IMD) implanted within a patient, wherein the electrical stimulation signal is generated by a second IMD implanted within the patient and encoded with information by the second IMD; and means for processing the electrical stimulation signal with the first IMD to retrieve the information. - View Dependent Claims (50)
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51. A system comprising:
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means for generating an electrical stimulation signal with a first implantable medical device (IMD); means for encoding information in the electrical stimulation signal; means for sensing the electrical stimulation signal with an electrode connected to a second IMD; and means for processing the sensed electrical stimulation signal to retrieve the information. - View Dependent Claims (52)
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Specification