Communication Error Alerting in an Epilepsy Monitoring System

• US 20110213222A1
• Filed: 03/23/2011
• Published: 09/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cyberonics, Inc
• Original Assignee: Cyberonics, Inc
• Inventors: Leyde, Kent W., Harris, John F.
• Granted Patent: US 9,622,675 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/301
• 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 neurological signals in 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 communication device external to the patient'"'"'s body, said communication device configured to wirelessly communicate with the implantable assembly and to transmit a communication error alert to a caregiver advisory device in the event of a communication error between the implantable assembly and the communication device.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring neurological signals in 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 communication device external to the patient'"'"'s body, said communication device configured to wirelessly communicate with the implantable assembly and to transmit a communication error alert to a caregiver advisory device in the event of a communication error between the implantable assembly and the communication device.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a caregiver advisory device, wherein the communication device is configured to wirelessly communicate with the caregiver advisory device.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the caregiver advisory device configured to deliver a warning upon detection of an electrographic seizure onset in the patient.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the caregiver advisory device is configured to deliver a brain state alert received from the communication device.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the caregiver advisory device configured to indicate if there is a communication error between the communication device and the implantable assembly.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the caregiver advisory device configured to provide a visible alert if there is a communication error between the communication device and the implantable assembly.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein the caregiver advisory device configured to provide an audible alert if there is a communication error between the communication device and the implantable assembly.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication device is configured to transmit the communication error alert to the caregiver advisory device in the event of the communication error between the implantable assembly and the communication device, said communication error comprising a failure of the external device to receive an expected data signal from the implantable assembly.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication device is configured to transmit the communication error alert to the caregiver advisory device in the event of the communication error between the implantable assembly and the communication device, said communication error comprising a failure of the external device to receive a data signal from the implantable assembly for a predetermined amount of time.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication device is configured to transmit the communication error alert to the caregiver advisory device in the event of the communication error between the implantable assembly and the communication device, said communication error comprising a failure of the external device to receive a data signal from the implantable assembly at an expected time or within an expected period of time.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication device is configured to transmit the communication error alert to the caregiver advisory device in the event of the communication error between the implantable assembly and the communication device, said communication error comprising a missing packets of data in a numbered sequence of packets transmitted from the implantable assembly to the external device.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication device is configured to transmit the communication error alert to the caregiver advisory device in the event that the communication device is out of wireless communication range from the implantable assembly.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication device comprises an input interface configured to receive an input from a user to deactivate the communication error alert.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication device is configured to automatically deactivate the communication error alert after predetermined period of time.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication device is configured to transmit a seizure alert.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the implantable assembly is configured to transmit data representing the sampled neurological signal to the communication device.

17. 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 communication device.

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

19. 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.

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

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the memory is adapted to store at least one day of sampled neurological signals.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the memory is adapted to store at least one week of sampled neurological signals.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein the memory is adapted to store at least one month of sampled neurological signals.

24. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication device is configured to receive the sampled neurological signals from the implantable assembly.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the communication device comprises a memory adapted to store the sampled neurological signals received from the implantable assembly.

29. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the implantable assembly and the communication device is configured to analyze the sampled neurological signal.

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

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

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the communication device is configured to deliver a warning upon detection of the electrographic seizure onset.

33. The system of claim 31, wherein the communication device is configured to deliver a warning to the caregiver advisory device upon detection of the electrographic seizure onset.

34. The system of claim 1, wherein the implantable assembly is further configured to measure one or more of a blood pressure, blood oxygenation, blood flow, ECG/EKG, heart rate, respiratory signals, chemical concentrations of neurotransmitters, chemical concentrations of medications, and blood pH levels.

35. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication device is configured to transmit a brain state alert to the caregiver advisory device.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the brain state alert comprises a notification that a seizure has been detected in the patient.

37. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication device is configured to communicate with the caregiver advisory device via a wireless cellular network.

38. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication device is configured to communicate with the caregiver advisory device via a phone call.

39. The system of claim 1, wherein the implantable assembly is configured to transmit the sampled neurological signals to the communication device substantially immediately after sampling.

26. The system of claim 26, wherein the memory is adapted to store at least one day of sampled neurological signals.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the memory is adapted to store at least one week of sampled neurological signals.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein the memory is adapted to store at least one month of sampled neurological signals.

40. A method of monitoring neurological signals in a patient, comprising:

collecting neurological signals using a sensor implanted in the patient;

sampling the neurological signals using an implanted assembly;

transmitting a communication error alert from a rechargeable communication device external to the patient'"'"'s body to a caregiver advisory device in the event of a communication error between the implanted assembly and the communication device.