FUNCTIONAL MRI CARDIAC OPTIMIZATION

• US 20110160567A1
• Filed: 12/21/2010
• Published: 06/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Cardiac Pacemakers Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Cardiac Pacemakers Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Stubbs, Scott R., Stahmann, Jeffrey E.
• Application Number:
  US12/974,791
• Publication Number:
  US 20110160567A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/411
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36557 controlled by chemical substances in blood
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3718 Monitoring of or protection against external electromagnetic fields or currents
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37252 Details of algorithms or data aspects of communication system, e.g. handshaking, transmitting specific data or segmenting data

Abstract

An implantable or other ambulatory device, such as a pacer, defibrillator, or other cardiac function management device, can use imaging information, such as one or more of cardiac functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) information or cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) information, such as for helping optimize one or more parameters of the implantable or other ambulatory device.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a processor circuit, configured to provide at least one cardiac function management device parameter, of an ambulatory medical device, having a value established at least in part using cardiac functional imaging information obtained from a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising:

a port, configured to be communicatively coupled to the fMRI device and to the processor circuit;

wherein the processor circuit is configured to establish the value of the at least one cardiac function management device parameter at least in part using the cardiac functional imaging information obtained from the fMRI device; and

wherein the cardiac functional imaging information obtained from the fMRI device is obtained using the port.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising:

a therapy circuit, configured to be communicatively coupled to the processor circuit and to provide a therapy to a subject;

wherein the cardiac function management device parameter comprises a cardiac function management therapy control parameter configured to control at least one of a therapy timing, a therapy energy level, or a therapy location; and

wherein the processor circuit is configured to control operation of the therapy circuit using the at least one cardiac function management therapy control parameter.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one cardiac function management device parameter has a value established using information obtained from an imaging apparatus including at least one of an echocardiogram, a computed tomography (CT) scan, a positron emission tomography (PET) scan, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, or an X-ray image.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor circuit comprises a mode configured to:

establish operative functionality of the ambulatory medical device that is compatible for use during an MRI procedure; and

allow cardiac signal sensing during the MRI procedure.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor circuit comprises a mode configured to vary a value of the at least one cardiac function management device parameter when a subject associated with the ambulatory medical device is undergoing an imaging procedure.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one cardiac function management device parameter has a value established using cardiac functional imaging information obtained from the fMRI device including information about at least one of a deoxyhemoglobin level or an amount of blood flow.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the establishing the value of the at least one cardiac function management device parameter comprises establishing the at least one cardiac function management device parameter associated with at least one of a decreased deoxyhemoglobin level indicated by the cardiac functional imaging information obtained from the fMRI device or an increased amount of blood flow indicated by the cardiac functional imaging information obtained from the fMRI device.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the establishing the value of the at least one cardiac function management device parameter comprises:

establishing an efficiency indicator value of the heart using at least one of the information about the deoxyhemoglobin level or amount of blood flow obtained from the fMRI device; and

establishing the at least one cardiac function management device parameter associated with an increased efficiency indicator value.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one cardiac function management device parameter of the ambulatory medical device is configured to provide a correlation between a measurement of the ambulatory medical device to a functional physiological measurement obtained using an imaging device.

11. A device-readable medium including instructions that, when performed by the device, comprise:

establishing a value of at least one cardiac function management device parameter, of an ambulatory medical device, at least in part using cardiac functional imaging information obtained from a fMRI device.

12. The device-readable medium of claim 11, comprising instructions to provide a therapy to a subject using the at least one cardiac function management device parameter, and wherein the at least one cardiac function management device parameter comprises a cardiac function management therapy control parameter configured to control at least one of a therapy timing, a therapy energy level, or a therapy location.

13. The device-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the establishing the value of the at least one cardiac function management device parameter comprises using information obtained from an imaging apparatus including at least one of an echocardiogram, a computed tomography (CT) scan, a positron emission tomography (PET) scan, an MRI scan, or an X-ray image.

14. The device-readable medium of claim 11, comprising instructions to establish operative functionality of the ambulatory medical device that is compatible for use during an MRI procedure and that allows cardiac signal sensing during the MRI procedure.

15. The device-readable medium of claim 11, comprising instructions to vary the value of the at least one cardiac function management device parameter when a subject associated with the ambulatory medical device is undergoing an imaging procedure.

16. The device-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the establishing the value of the at least one cardiac function management device parameter using the cardiac functional imaging information obtained from the fMRI device comprises using information about at least one of a deoxyhemoglobin level or an amount of blood flow.

17. The device-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the establishing the value of the at least one cardiac function management device parameter comprises establishing the value of the at least one cardiac function management device parameter associated with at least one of a decreased deoxyhemoglobin level indicated by the cardiac functional imaging information obtained from the fMRI device or an increased amount of blood flood flow indicated by the cardiac functional imaging information obtained from the fMRI device.

18. The device-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the establishing the value of the at least one cardiac function management device parameter comprises:

establishing an efficiency indicator value of the heart using at least one of the information about the deoxyhemoglobin level or amount of blood flow obtained from the fMRI device; and

establishing the at least one cardiac function management device parameter associated with an increased efficiency indicator value.

19. The device readable medium of claim 11, wherein the at least one cardiac function management device parameter of the ambulatory medical device is configured to provide a correlation between a measurement of the ambulatory medical device to a functional physiological measurement obtained using an imaging device.

20. A method comprising:

establishing, using a processor circuit, a value of at least one of a cardiac function management device parameter, of an ambulatory medical device, at least in part using cardiac functional imaging information obtained from a fMRI device.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the establishing the value of the at least one cardiac function management device parameter using cardiac functional imaging information obtained from the fMRI device comprises using information about at least one of a deoxyhemoglobin level or an amount of blood flow.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the establishing the value of the at least one cardiac function management device parameter comprises establishing the value of the at least one cardiac function management device parameter associated with at least one of a decreased deoxyhemoglobin level indicated by the cardiac functional imaging information obtained from the fMRI device or an increased amount of blood flood flow indicated by the cardiac functional imaging information obtained from the fMRI device.

23. The method of claim 20, comprising establishing the at least one cardiac function management device parameter of the ambulatory medical device to provide a correlation between a measurement of the ambulatory medical device to a functional physiological measurement obtained using an imaging device.