Patient Entry Recording in an Epilepsy Monitoring System

• US 20110172554A1
• Filed: 03/23/2011
• Published: 07/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Cyberonics, Inc
• Original Assignee: Cyberonics, Inc
• Inventors: Leyde, Kent W., Harris, John F.
• Application Number:
  US13/070,357
• Publication Number:
  US 20110172554A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/544
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0271 using a remote monitoring unit
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0006 ECG or EEG signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0031 Implanted circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/369 Electroencephalography [EEG] devices for psychotechnics A61B5/16
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4094 Diagnosing or monitoring seizure diseases, e.g. epilepsy
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/14276 specially adapted for implantation
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36082 Cognitive or psychiatric applications, e.g. dementia or Alzheimer's disease
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37247 User interfaces, e.g. input or presentation means
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37258 Alerting the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37282 characterised by communication with experts in remote locations using a network
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

Systems and methods for monitoring a patient are provided. The system includes: an implantable sensor adapted to collect neurological signals; an implantable assembly configured to sample the neurological signals collected by the sensor; and a rechargeable external assembly configured to wirelessly receive the sampled neurological signals from the implantable assembly, said external assembly being further configured to record a patient entry in response to receiving an input from the patient. The method includes: collecting neurological signals with a sensor implanted in the patient; sampling the neurological signals collected by the sensor with an implantable assembly implanted in the patient; and transmitting the sampled neurological signals from the implantable assembly to a rechargeable external assembly external to the patient; and recording a patient entry in response to receiving an input from the patient.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring a patient, the system comprising:

an implantable sensor adapted to collect neurological signals;

an implantable assembly configured to sample the neurological signals collected by the sensor; and

a rechargeable external assembly configured to wirelessly receive the sampled neurological signals from the implantable assembly, said external assembly being further configured to record a patient entry in response to receiving an input from the patient.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the external assembly is configured to time stamp the patient entry by recording a time that the patient entry was recorded.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the patient entry comprises an occurrence of a seizure.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the patient entry comprises a sleep state.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the sleep state comprises the patient going to sleep.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the sleep state comprises the patient waking up.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the external assembly is configured to record the patient entry by recording audio in response to receiving the input from the patient.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the patient entry comprises intake of a medication.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the implantable assembly is configured to substantially continuously sample the neurological signal and to transmit data representing the continuously sampled neurological signal to the external assembly.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the implantable sensor is adapted to collect neurological signals from inside the patient'"'"'s skull.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the implantable sensor is adapted to collect neurological signals from a location between the patient'"'"'s skull and at least a layer of the patient'"'"'s scalp.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the implantable assembly comprises a memory adapted to store the sampled neurological signals.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the memory is adapted to store at least one day of sampled neurological signals.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the memory is adapted to store at least one week of sampled neurological signals.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the memory is adapted to store at least one month of sampled neurological signals.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the external assembly comprises a memory adapted to store the sampled neurological signals received from the implantable assembly.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the memory is adapted to store at least one day of sampled neurological signals.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the memory is adapted to store at least one week of sampled neurological signals.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the memory is adapted to store at least one month of sampled neurological signals.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the implantable assembly and the external assembly is configured to analyze the sampled neurological signals.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the implantable assembly and the external assembly is configured to analyze the sampled neurological signals to determine when the patient is in an ictal state.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the implantable assembly and the external assembly is configured to analyze the sampled neurological signal to detect an electrographic seizure onset.

23. A method of monitoring a patient, comprising:

collecting neurological signals with a sensor implanted in the patient;

sampling the neurological signals collected by the sensor with an implantable assembly implanted in the patient;

transmitting the sampled neurological signals from the implantable assembly to a rechargeable external assembly external to the patient; and

recording a patient entry in response to receiving an input from the patient.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein said recording audio using the external assembly comprises:

receiving user input on the external assembly; and

in response to said user input, initiating an audio recording using the external assembly.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein said recording the patient entry using the external assembly comprises recording a time that the patient entry was recorded.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein the patient entry comprises a sleep state.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the sleep state comprises the patient going to sleep.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the sleep state comprises the patient waking up.

29. The method of claim 23, said recording the patient entry using the external assembly comprises recording audio in response to receiving the input from the patient.

30. The method of claim 23, wherein the patient entry comprises intake of a medication.

31. The method of claim 23, wherein the patient entry comprises an occurrence of a seizure.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising comparing a number of seizures recorded by the patient to a number of seizures detected in the neurological signals.

33. The method of claim 23, wherein said sampling the neurological signals with the implantable assembly comprises substantially continuously sampling the neurological signals.

34. The method of claim 23, wherein said collecting neurological signals comprises collecting neurological signals from inside the patient'"'"'s skull.

35. The method of claim 23, wherein said collecting neurological signals comprises collecting neurological signals from a location between the patient'"'"'s skull and at least one layer of the patient'"'"'s scalp.

36. The method of claim 23, further comprising storing at least one day of sampled neurological signals in a memory in the implantable assembly.

37. The method of claim 23, further comprising storing at least one week of sampled neurological signals in a memory in the implantable assembly.

38. The method of claim 23, further comprising storing at least one month of sampled neurological signals in a memory in the implantable assembly.

39. The method of claim 23, further comprising storing at least one day of sampled neurological signals in a memory in the external assembly.

40. The method of claim 23, further comprising storing at least one week of sampled neurological signals in a memory in the external assembly.

41. The method of claim 23, further comprising storing at least one month of sampled neurological signals in a memory in the external assembly.

42. The method of claim 23, further comprising analyzing the sampled neurological signals using the implantable assembly or the external assembly.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein said analyzing comprises analyzing the sampled neurological signals to determine when the patient is in an ictal state.

44. The method of claim 42, wherein said analyzing comprises analyzing the sampled neurological signal to detect an electrographic seizure onset.