SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR COMPOUNDING LOW-FREQUENCY SOURCES FOR HIGH-FREQUENCY NEUROMODULATION

• US 20140005753A1
• Filed: 06/28/2013
• Published: 01/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boston Scientific Neuromodulation Corporation (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Boston Scientific Neuromodulation Corporation (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Carbunaru, Rafael
• Granted Patent: US 9,339,655 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/62
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0551 Spinal or peripheral nerve electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36003 of motor muscles, e.g. for walking assistance
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36007 of urogenital or gastrointestinal organs, e.g. for incontinence control
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3605 Implantable neurostimulators for stimulating central or peripheral nerve system
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36071 Pain
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36171 Frequency
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36178 Burst or pulse train parameters
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36189 using modulation techniques
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37247 User interfaces, e.g. input or presentation means
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3956 Implantable devices for applying electric shocks to the heart, e.g. for cardioversion

Abstract

A neuromodulation system and method of providing therapy to a patient. A plurality of individual electrical pulse trains is generated at a respective plurality of individual pulse rates. The plurality of individual electrical pulse trains are concurrently respectively from a plurality of electrodes to a common electrode via tissue of the patient, thereby creating a combined electrical pulse train having an average pulse rate equal to or greater than 1 KHz.

Claims

1. A neuromodulation system, comprising:

a plurality of electrical terminals configured for being coupled to a respective plurality of electrodes;

modulation output circuitry configured for respectively generating a plurality of individual electrical pulse trains at a plurality of pulse rates;

a switching network coupled between the plurality of electrical terminals and the modulation output circuitry; and

control circuitry configured for operating the switching network to concurrently convey the plurality of electrical pulse trains respectively from a plurality of electrical terminals to a common electrical terminal, thereby creating a combined electrical pulse train having an average pulse rate equal to or greater than 1 KHz.

2. The neuromodulation system of claim 1, wherein the average pulse rate is less than 50 KHz.

3. The neuromodulation system of claim 1, wherein the combined electrical pulse train at the common electrical terminal is anodic.

4. The neuromodulation system of claim 1, wherein the average pulse rate is equal to the sum of the plurality of pulse rates.

5. The neuromodulation system of claim 1, wherein at least two of the plurality of pulse rates are identical to each other.

6. The neuromodulation system of claim 1, wherein at least two of the plurality of pulse rates differ from each other.

7. The neuromodulation system of claim 1, wherein the modulation output circuitry is further configured for generating another plurality of individual electrical pulse trains at another respective plurality of pulse rates, and the control circuitry is further configured for operating the switching network to concurrently convey the other plurality of individual electrical pulse trains respectively from another plurality of electrical terminals to another common electrical terminal, thereby creating another combined electrical pulse train having another average pulse rate greater than 1 KHz.

8. The neuromodulation system of claim 1, wherein the modulation output circuitry comprises a single electrical source for generating the plurality of electrical pulse trains.

9. The neuromodulation system of claim 1, wherein the modulation output circuitry comprises a plurality of electrical sources for respectively generating the plurality of electrical pulse trains.

10. The neuromodulation system of claim 1, further comprising a user interface configured for receiving an input from a user specifying the electrode corresponding to the common electrical terminal, wherein the control circuitry is configured for selecting the common electrical terminal in response to the input from the user specifying the electrode corresponding to the common electrical terminal.

11. The neuromodulation system of claim 10, wherein the control circuitry is configured for automatically selecting the plurality of electrical terminals in response to the input from the user specifying the electrode corresponding to the common electrical terminal.

12. The neuromodulation system of claim 10, wherein the user interface is further configured for receiving an input from the user specifying electrodes corresponding to the plurality of electrical terminals, and wherein the control circuitry is configured for selecting the plurality of electrical terminals in response to the user input specifying the electrodes corresponding to the plurality of electrical terminals.

13. The neuromodulation system of claim 10, wherein the user interface is further configured for receiving an input from the user specifying an electrode corresponding to an electrical terminal, and wherein the control circuitry is configured for selecting the plurality of electrical terminals that does not include the electrical terminal in response to the user input specifying the electrode corresponding to the electrical terminal.

14. The neuromodulation system of claim 1, wherein the modulation output circuitry is configured for generating at least two of the plurality of individual electrical pulse trains in accordance with different values of a modulation parameter that comprises one of a pulse amplitude, pulse duration, and pulse shape.

15. The neuromodulation system of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is configured for operating the switching network without arbitration, such that the pulses of each respective individual electrical pulse train are uniformly spaced from each other.

16. The neuromodulation system of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is configured for operating the switching network with arbitration, such that the pulses of at least one of the plurality of individual electrical pulse trains are variably spaced from each other in a manner that limits the time intervals between the pulses of the combined electrical pulse train to a minimum time interval.

17. The neuromodulation system of claim 1, wherein at least one pulse in each of the plurality of individual electrical pulse trains is multiphasic.

18. The neuromodulation system of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is configured for instructing the modulation output circuitry to generate each of the individual electrical pulse trains in accordance with a cyclically varying set of modulation parameters.

19. The neuromodulation system of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is configured for instructing the modulation output circuitry to repeatedly generate the plurality of individual electrical pulse trains in a bursting pattern.

20-37. -37. (canceled)