AIMD EXTERNAL PROGRAMMER INCORPORATING A MULTIFUNCTION RFID READER HAVING A LIMITED TRANSMIT TIME AND A TIME-OUT PERIOD

• US 20100328049A1
• Filed: 09/01/2010
• Published: 12/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Greatbatch Limited (Greatbatch Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Greatbatch Limited (Greatbatch Incorporated)
• Inventors: Frysz, Christine A., Stevenson, Robert A., Tyers, Geddes Frank
• Granted Patent: US 8,299,899 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.51
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3718 Monitoring of or protection against external electromagnetic fields or currents
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37235 Aspects of the external programmer
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/248 EAS system combined with another detection technology, e.g. dual EAS and video or other presence detection system
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/65 stored on portable record carriers, e.g. on smartcards, RFID tags or CD
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/40 for the management of medical equipment or devices, e.g. scheduling maintenance or upgrades
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass

Abstract

A system is provided for identifying implanted medical devices, leads and systems, as well as objects in close proximity to a patient having an implanted medical device (IMD), using a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag having retrievable information relating to the IMD, lead system and/or patient. An RFID tag communicator includes a circuit for limiting the total continuous transmit time of an interrogation signal, and a time-out circuit for delaying a second and any subsequent interrogation of the RFID tag. An external IMD programmer incorporating a multi-functional RFID reader is capable of identifying and communicating with various types of implanted medical devices, even if such devices are made by different manufacturers.

Claims

1. An RFID-enabled external telemetry programmer for an active implantable medical device (AIMD), comprising:

a radio frequency identification (RFID) communicator including;

a circuit for limiting the total continuous transmit time of an electromagnetic signal; and

a time-out circuit for delaying a subsequent transmission of the electromagnetic signal.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic signal comprises an RFID communication signal.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the electromagnetic signal comprises an RFID interrogation signal, an RFID tag search signal, an RFID test signal, an RFID read signal, or an RFID write signal.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the total continuous transmit time of the electromagnetic signal is no greater than five seconds.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the time-out circuit delays the subsequent transmission of the electromagnetic signal for two seconds or more.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the total continuous transmit time of the electromagnetic signal is 500 milliseconds or less.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the total continuous transmit time and the time out circuit delays are programmable.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic signal comprises a modulated signal.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the communicator comprises a read-only or a reader/writer device.

10. The system of claim 1, 4 or 5, wherein the communicator is in communication with a computer or a computer network.

11. The system of claim 1, 4 or 5, wherein the communicator is actively searching for or communicating with an RFID tag.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the RFID tag comprises a read-only or a readable/writable RFID tag.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the RFID tag comprises an antenna and an electronic micro-chip electrically connected to the antenna.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the RFID tag is associated with an object in close proximity to a patient having an active medical device.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the RFID tag is associated with the active medical device.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the RFID tag includes retrievable information relating to the active medical device and/or the patient and/or the physician.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the retrievable information includes information pertaining to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) compatibility of the active medical device or an associated lead system.

18. The system of claim 15, including means for changing the retrievable information to correspond to changes in characteristics of the active medical device, an associated lead system, or the patient.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the active medical device comprises any of the following:

a cardiac pacemaker, an implantable defibrillator, a congestive heart failure device, a hearing implant, a cochlear implant, a neurostimulator, a carotid sinus stimulator, a drug pump, a ventricular assist device, an insulin pump, a spinal cord stimulator, an implantable sensing system, a deep brain stimulator, an artificial heart, an incontinence device, a vagus nerve stimulator, a bone growth stimulator, a gastric pacemaker, an endovascular catheter, a Bion or a prosthetic device, and component parts thereof, including lead wires, adapters and other implantable accessories, and abandoned leads,

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the object in close proximity to the patient comprises passive medical devices and components thereof, including any of the following:

heart valves, stents, screws, plates, hip implants and other orthopedic implants, knee implants, prosthetics, braces, wristbands, necklaces, identification badges or cards, ankle bracelets, or eyeglasses.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the communicator electromagnetic signal is transmitted in the LF or HF frequency range.

22. The system of claim 1, including a switch for temporarily actuating the total continuous transient time limiting and time-out circuits.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the switch is actuated when the RFID communicator detects the presence of an active medical device.

24. The system of claim 10, wherein the communicator is in communication with a computer or a computer network.

25. The system of claim 10, wherein the communicator comprises a telemetry wand.

26. The system of claim 23, including an electronic database or look-up table enabling the communication between the communicator and the RFID tag.

27. The system of claim 24, wherein the electronic database or look-up table resides in the computer or computer network, or in the communicator.

28. The system of claim 24, wherein the electronic database or look-up table resides in the communicator.