IMPLANTABLE MEDICAL DEVICE

• US 20100161003A1
• Filed: 05/28/2007
• Published: 06/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: St. Jude Medical AB (Abbott Laboratories)
• Original Assignee: St. Jude Medical AB (Abbott Laboratories)
• Inventors: Kerstna, Jürgen, Malmberg, Patrik
• Application Number:
  US12/600,558
• Publication Number:
  US 20100161003A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/60
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/025 Digital circuitry features of electrotherapy devices, e.g. memory, clocks, processors
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37217 characterised by the communication link, e.g. acoustic or tactile
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07749 the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card

Abstract

An implantable medical device has a programmer for generating a programming command representative of a diagnostic status of a subject or an operation status of the medical device. The device also comprises an interface for communicating the command to a programmable, implantable RFID tag. The tag memory is reprogrammed based on the received command. A portable RFID reader is used for interrogating the RFID tag and data in the tag memory can be displayed on the reader.

Claims

1. An implantable medical device comprising:

a radio frequency identification, RFID, programmer that generates a programming command representative of a diagnostic status of a subject and/or an operation status of said implantable medical device; and

an RFID interface that communicates said programming command to a programmable RFID tag.

2. The implantable medical device according to claim 1, further comprising an event detector that detects an alarm event based on a diagnostic parameter indicative of said diagnostic status and/or a status parameter indicative of said operation status, wherein said RFID programmer is arranged for generating said programming command representative of said alarm event detected by said event detector.

3. The implantable medical device according to claim 2, wherein said RFID programmer generates a programming command comprising event information descriptive of said alarm event detected by said event detector.

4. The implantable medical device according to claim 3, wherein said event information comprises at least one of:

status information of said implantable medical device as determined by said event detector based on said status parameter;

condition information descriptive of a medical condition of said subject as determined by said event detector based on said diagnostic parameter; and

action information descriptive of an action to be taken in response to said alarm event as determined by said event detector based on said status parameter and/or said diagnostic parameter.

5. The implantable medical device according to claim 2, wherein said event detector comprises an action unit arranged for generating, based on said diagnostic parameter and/or said status parameter, action information descriptive of an action to be taken due to said alarm event and said RFID programmer generating said programming command based on said action information.

6. The implantable medical device according to claim 5, wherein said action unit is configured to i) select, based on said diagnostic parameter and/or said status parameter, said action from a set of predefined different actions and ii) generate said action information based on said selected action.

7. The implantable medical device according to claim 2, further comprising a diagnostic unit comprising:

a sensor interface for connection, in operation, to a sensor and for receiving measurement data collected by said sensor;

a data processor that generates said diagnostic parameter by processing said measurement data received by said sensor interface.

8. The implantable medical device according to claim 2, further comprising:

a battery supplying power to said implantable medical device (100); and

a battery monitor that generates said status parameter based on a current power level of said battery.

9. The implantable medical device according to claim 1, further comprising an alarm unit that generates an audio and/or tactile alarm signal in response to said RFID interface communicating said programming command to said programmable RFID tag.

10. A condition system comprising:

an implantable programmable radio frequency identification, RFID, tag comprising a read and writable memory; and

an implantable medical device comprising;

an RFID programmer that generates a programming command representative of a diagnostic status of a subject and/or an operation status of said implantable medical device; and

an RFID interface that communicates said programming command to said RFID tag for reprogramming said readable and writable memory (210).

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein said readable and writable memory comprises:

a first memory portion with predefined information; and

a second memory portion being reprogrammable by said programming command.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein said predefined information comprises at least one of:

information relating to said subject, such as name and social security number;

information relating to a physician of said subject, such as physician name and contact information; and

information relating to said implantable medical device, such as device manufacturer, model number and serial number.

13. The system according to claim 10, further comprising an RFID reader comprising:

a transmitter that transmits an information request to said RFID tag;

a receiver that receives information stored in said read and writable memory of said RFID tag; and

a display interface for connection, in operation, with a display screen and for forwarding said received information for display on said display screen.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein said RFID reader further comprises:

a user input; and

a request generator that generates said information request in response to an activation of said user input.

15. The system according to claim 13, wherein said RFID reader further comprises:

a message generator that generates an alarm message based on said received information; and

a transmitter for transmitting said alarm message to a predefined healthcare facility.

16. The system according to claim 13, wherein said RFID reader further comprises an alarm unit that emits a visual, audio and/or tactile alarm signal based on said receiver receiving said information.

17. The system according to claim 13, further comprising a mobile communications terminal comprising:

a receiver that receives an alarm message from said RFID reader generated based on said received information;

a positioning unit that generates data descriptive of a current position of said mobile communications terminal; and

a transmitter for transmitting information contained in said alarm message and said data to a predefined healthcare facility.

18. The system according to claim 13, further comprising a smart clothing comprising said display screen.

19. The system according to claim 10, wherein said implantable medical device comprises an event detector that detects an alarm event based on a diagnostic parameter indicative of said diagnostic status or a status parameter indicative of said operation status, wherein said RFID programmer is arranged for generating said programming command representative of said alarm event detected by said event detector.

20. A condition method operable in a system comprising an implantable medical device and an implantable programmable radio frequency identification, RFID, tag, said method comprising, in said implantable medical device:

generating a programming command representative of a diagnostic status of a subject and/or an operation status of said implantable medical device; and

communicating said programming command to said programmable RFID tag.

21. The method according to claim 20, further comprising detecting an alarm event based on a diagnostic parameter indicative of said diagnostic status or a status parameter indicative of said operation status.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein said generating step comprises:

determining, based on said diagnostic parameter and/or said status parameter, action information descriptive of an action to be taken due to said alarm event; and

generating said programming command based on said action information.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein said determining step comprises:

selecting, based on said diagnostic parameter and/or said status parameter, said action from a set of predefined different actions; and

determining said action information based on said selected action.

24. The method according to claim 21, further comprising:

measuring diagnostic data in said subject; and

said implantable medical device generating said diagnostic parameter by processing said measured diagnostic data.

25. The method according to claim 21, further comprising generating said status parameter based on a current power level of a battery supplying power to said implantable medical device.

26. The method according to claim 20, further comprising said implantable medical device generating an audio and/or tactile alarm signal in response to communication said programming command to said RFID tag.

27. The method according to claim 20, further comprising reprogramming a read and writable memory of said RFID tag based on said programming command.

28. The method according to claim 20, further comprising the steps of, in an RFID reader:

transmitting an information request to said RFID tag;

receiving information stored in said read and writable memory of said RFID tag; and

forwarding said received information to for display on a display screen.

29. The method according to claim 28, comprising performing said transmitting step in response to activation of a user input of said RFID reader.

30. The method according to claim 28, further comprising:

generating an alarm message based on said received information; and

transmitting said alarm message to a predefined healthcare facility.

31. The method according to claim 28, further comprising said RFID reader generating a visual, audio and/or tactile alarm signal based on said reception of said information stored in said read and writable memory.

32. The method according to claim 28, further comprising, in a mobile communications terminal:

receiving an alarm message from said RFID reader generated based on said information received by said RFID reader from said read and writable memory;

generating data descriptive of a current position of said mobile communications terminal; and

transmitting information contained in said alarm message and said data to a predefined healthcare facility.