USING PHYSIOLOGICAL SENSOR DATA WITH AN IMPLANTABLE MEDICAL DEVICE

• US 20110172732A1
• Filed: 03/25/2011
• Published: 07/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LivaNova USA, Inc. (LivaNova Plc)
• Original Assignee: Cyberonics, Inc
• Inventors: Maschino, Steven E.
• Granted Patent: US 8,972,013 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/40
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/32 alternating or intermittent currents applying electric fields by inductive or capacitive coupling A61N1/40; microwave apparatus A61N5/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36053 adapted for vagal stimulation A61N1/36114 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36064 Epilepsy
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36082 Cognitive or psychiatric applications, e.g. dementia or Alzheimer's disease
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36135 using physiological parameters
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3627 for treating a mechanical deficiency of the heart, e.g. congestive heart failure or cardiomyopathy

Abstract

An implantable medical system includes an implantable medical device (IMD) and an electrode coupleable to the IMD. The electrode is operative to deliver a first electrical signal from the IMD to a neural structure. The system includes a sensor coupleable to the IMD. The sensor is operative to sense a physiological parameter. The physiological parameter may include at least one of a neurotransmitter parameter, a neurotransmitter breakdown product parameter, a neuropeptide parameter, a norepinephrine parameter, a glucocorticoid (GC) parameter, a neuromodulator parameter, a neuromodulator breakdown product parameter, an amino acid parameter, and a hormone parameter. The IMD includes a controller operative to change a parameter of the first electrical signal based upon at least one sensed physiological parameter to generate a second electrical signal and to apply the second electrical signal to the neural structure.

Claims

1. An implantable medical system comprising:

an implantable medical device (IMD) operative to provide a first electrical signal;

an electrode coupleable to the IMD, the electrode operative to deliver the first electrical signal from the IMD to a neural structure; and

a sensor coupleable to the IMD, the sensor operative to sense a physiological parameter, wherein the physiological parameter includes at least one of a neurotransmitter parameter, a neurotransmitter breakdown product parameter, a neuropeptide parameter, a norepinephrine parameter, a glucocorticoid (GC) parameter, a neuromodulator parameter, a neuromodulator breakdown product parameter, an amino acid parameter, and a hormone parameter;

wherein the IMD comprises a controller operative to change a parameter of the first electrical signal based upon at least one sensed physiological parameter to generate a second electrical signal and to apply the second electrical signal to the neural structure, wherein the parameter includes at least one of a pulse width, a frequency, a polarity, and an amplitude.

2. The implantable medical system of claim 1, wherein the sensor is configured to be implanted in at least one of a spinal column, a brain stem, a brain, a cranial nerve, a neural tissue, and a gastro-intestinal tract of a patient'"'"'s body.

3. The implantable medical system of claim 1, wherein the IMD further comprises:

a stimulation unit coupled to the controller, the stimulation unit operative to provide the first and second electrical signals;

a sensor interface operative to provide communications with the sensor;

a sensor data processing unit operative to process sensor data from the sensor, the sensor data processing unit comprising a comparator operative to compare the sensor data with corresponding stored data to provide compared data, the sensor data processing unit also operative to correlate at least one of the sensor data and the compared data to the first electrical signal; and

a communication unit operative to communicate with an external unit.

4. The implantable medical system of claim 1, wherein the neurotransmitter parameter comprises at least one of a norepinephrine parameter, a dopamine parameter, a serotonin parameter, an acetylcholine parameter, an adenosine parameter, a catecholamine parameter, and a nicotinic parameter.

5. The implantable medical system of claim 1, wherein the hormone parameter comprises at least one of a glucocorticoid (GC) parameter, a serum cortisol parameter, a cortisol parameter, prostaglandin parameter, a cholecystokinin (CCK) parameter, a orexins parameter, a galinin parameter, a corticotrophin releasing hormone (CRH) parameter, and an adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) parameter.

6. The implantable medical system of claim 1, wherein the amino acid parameter comprises at least one of a glutamate parameter, a gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) parameter, and a glycine parameter.

7. The implantable medical system of claim 1, wherein the physiological parameter further comprises at least one of a metabolite, a nucleotide parameter, a peptide parameter, a ligand parameter, an enzyme parameter, a parameter of a bloodborne substance, a medication parameter, and a drug level in a portion of a patient'"'"'s body.

8. The implantable medical system of claim 7, wherein the peptide parameter comprises at least one of a substance P parameter, a neuropeptide Y parameter, a neurokines parameter, a cytokines parameter, a interleukins parameter, and a lymphokines parameter.

9. The implantable medical system of claim 7, wherein the enzyme parameter comprises at least one of an adrenoceptor protein kinase parameter, a choline acetyltransferase parameter, and an acetylcholinesterase parameter.

10. The implantable medical system of claim 7, wherein the nucleotide parameter comprises at least one of an adenosine triphosphate (ATP) parameter and a guanosine triphosphate (GTP) parameter.

11. The implantable medical system of claim 1, wherein the neural structure includes at least one of a vagus nerve, a spinal column, a brain stem, a trigeminal nerve, a hypoglossal nerve, and an accessory nerve.

12. The implantable medical system of claim 1, wherein the first and second electrical signals are applied to the neural structure to treat at least one of depression, epilepsy, an eating disorder, diabetes, and a heart rhythm disorder.

13. A sensor comprising:

a sensor controller operative to control an operation performed by the sensor;

a sensing unit operative to acquire physiological data indicative of a neurotransmitter parameter in a patient'"'"'s body, the neurotransmitter parameter including at least one of a neurotransmitter level, a neurotransmitter breakdown product level, a neuropeptide level, a ligand level, an amino acid level, and a change in a glucocorticoid (GC) level in said patient'"'"'s body; and

a sensor interface operative to provide communication to an implantable medical device (IMD) to perform an adaptive stimulation process.

14. The sensor of claim 13, wherein the sensing unit comprises a neurotransmitter sensor circuit operative to receive data relating to an indication of the neurotransmitter level in a target portion of said patient'"'"'s body.

15. The sensor of claim 13, wherein the neurotransmitter level includes at least one of a norepinephrine concentration, a serotonin concentration and a dopamine concentration.

16. The sensor of claim 13, wherein the sensing unit comprises at least one of a neurotransmitter sensor circuit operative to receive data relating to the neurotransmitter level at a target portion of the patient'"'"'s body and a sense controller operative to apply a neurochemical at the target portion of the patient'"'"'s body.

17. The sensor of claim 13, wherein the physiological data comprises information relating to at least one of a serum cortisol level, a cortisol level, a neuropeptide Y level, an acetylcholine level, a prostaglandins level, a catecholamine level, an adrenoceptorcprotein kinas level, a glutamate level, a nicotinic level, a GABA A level, a GABA B level, a neurokine-a level, a neurokine-3 level, a choline acteytransferanse level, a acetylcholinesterase level, a cytokines level, a cholecystokinin (CCK) level, an orexins level, a galinin level, a medication level, and a drug level.

18. The sensor of claim 13, further comprising a sensing element including at least one of a carbon nanotube array and a micro dialysis probe.

19. The sensor of claim 13, wherein said sensor is configured to be implanted in at least one of a spinal column, a brain stem, a brain, a cranial nerve, a volume of neural tissue, and a gastrointestinal tract of said patient'"'"'s body.

20. The sensor of claim 13, wherein the sensor interface communicates information indicative of the physiological data indicative of a neurotransmitter parameter in a patient'"'"'s body to the IMD.

21. An implantable medical device (IMD) comprising:

a stimulation unit operative to provide a first electrical signal to a neural structure;

a sensor interface operative to receive from the sensor data corresponding to a sensed physiological parameter, the sensed physiological parameter including at least one of a neurotransmitter parameter, a neurotransmitter breakdown product parameter, a neuropeptide parameter, a norepinephrine parameter, a glucocorticoid (GC) parameter, a neuromodulator parameter, a neuromodulator breakdown product parameter, an amino acid parameter, and a hormone parameter; and

a controller operative to change a parameter of the first electrical signal based on the data corresponding to the sensed physiological parameter to generate a second electrical signal and to apply the second electrical signal to the neural structure, wherein the parameter includes at least one of a pulse width, a frequency, a polarity, and an amplitude.

22. The implantable medical device of claim 21, further comprising:

a communication unit operative to communicate with an external unit.

23. The implantable medical device of claim 21, further comprising:

a sensor data processing unit comprising a comparator operative to compare the data with corresponding stored data to provide compared data, the sensor data processing unit also operative to correlate at least one of the sensor data and the compared data to the first electrical signal.

24. The implantable medical device of claim 21, wherein the neurotransmitter parameter comprises at least one of a norepinephrine parameter, a dopamine parameter, a serotonin parameter, an acetylcholine parameter, a catecholamine parameter, and a nicotinic parameter.

25. The implantable medical device of claim 21, wherein the first and second electrical signals are applied to the neural structure to treat at least one of depression, epilepsy, an eating disorder, diabetes, and a heart rhythm disorder.