USE OF STIMULATION PULSE SHAPE TO CONTROL NEURAL RECRUITMENT ORDER AND CLINICAL EFFECT

• US 20170136243A1
• Filed: 01/31/2017
• Published: 05/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boston Scientific Neuromodulation Corporation (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Boston Scientific Neuromodulation Corporation (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Moffitt, Michael A., Bradley, Kerry, Gillespie, Christopher Ewan, Lee, Dongchul
• Granted Patent: US 10,589,099 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 1/36017 with leads or electrodes penetrating the skin
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36038 Cochlear stimulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36046 of the eye
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3605 Implantable neurostimulators for stimulating central or peripheral nerve system
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36062 Spinal stimulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3614 based on impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36146 specified by the stimulation parameters
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37247 User interfaces, e.g. input or presentation means
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/378 Electrical supply
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3787 from an external energy source
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3906 characterised by the form of the shockwave

Abstract

A method, electrical tissue stimulation system, and programmer for providing therapy to a patient are provided. Electrodes are placed adjacent tissue (e.g., spinal cord tissue) of the patient, electrical stimulation energy is delivered from the electrodes to the tissue in accordance with a defined waveform, and a pulse shape of the defined waveform is modified, thereby changing the characteristics of the electrical stimulation energy delivered from the electrode(s) to the tissue. The pulse shape may be modified by selecting one of a plurality of different pulse shape types or by adjusting a time constant of the pulse shape.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. A system, comprising:

one or more electrical terminals configured to be coupleable to one or more stimulation leads that include a plurality of electrodes;

output stimulation circuitry configured to output electrical stimulation energy as a temporal series of electrical waveforms to the one or more electrical terminals in accordance with a set of stimulation parameters for a defined electrical waveform, wherein the stimulation parameters include;

electrode parameter combinations to define which one or more of the plurality of electrodes are anodic, cathodic or off; and

electrical parameters to define one or more waveform shapes defined by one or more shape types, wherein a single temporal series of electrical waveforms includes a variety of shape types; and

control circuitry including memory with parameters stored therein, the stored parameters defining a plurality of shape types, wherein the control circuitry is configured to use the parameters stored in the memory to provide the variety of shape types in the single temporal series of electrical waveforms.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to receive one of a plurality of shape types selected by a user to program the parameters stored in the memory.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the variety of shape types comprises a square pulse and an exponential pulse.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the variety of shape types comprises at least two pulse types selected from the group of pulse types consisting of a square pulse, an exponential pulse, a logarithmic pulse, a ramped pulse, and a trapezoidal pulse.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the variety of shape types comprises a negatively sloping pulse and a positively sloping pulse.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the negatively sloping pulse is a negatively sloping exponential pulse, and the positively sloping pulse is a positively sloping exponential pulse.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the negatively sloping pulse is a negatively sloping linear ramp pulse, and the positively sloping pulse is a positively sloping linear ramp pulse.

9. The system of claim 2, wherein the variety of shape types comprises a square pulse and a ramped pulse.

10. A system, comprising:

one or more electrical terminals configured to be coupleable to one or more stimulation leads that include a plurality of electrodes;

output stimulation circuitry configured to output electrical stimulation energy as a series of waveforms including a recharge waveform having a user-selectable recharge shape to the one or more electrical terminals in accordance with a set of stimulation parameters for a defined electrical recharge waveform, wherein the stimulation parameters include;

electrode parameter combinations to define which one or more of the plurality of electrodes are anodic, cathodic or off; and

electrical parameters to define one or more waveform shapes defined by one or more shape types; and

control circuitry including memory with parameters stored therein, the stored parameters defining a plurality of shape types, wherein the control circuitry is configured to use the parameters stored in the memory to provide the variety of shape types in the single temporal series of electrical recharge waveforms.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to receive one of a plurality of shape types selected by a user to program the parameters stored in the memory.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the variety of shape types comprise a square pulse and an exponential pulse.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the variety of shape types comprise at least two pulse types selected from the group of pulse types consisting of a square pulse, an exponential pulse, a logarithmic pulse, a ramped pulse, and a trapezoidal pulse.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the variety of shape types comprise a negatively sloping pulse and a positively sloping pulse.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the negatively sloping pulse is a negatively sloping exponential pulse, and the positively sloping pulse is a positively sloping exponential pulse.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the recharge waveform includes a temporal series of recharge waveforms.

17. A system, comprising:

a user interface configured to receive a selection of stimulation parameters from the user, the stimulation parameters including electrode parameter combinations to define which of a plurality of electrodes are anodic, cathodic or off and electrical parameters to define one or more waveform shapes defined by one or more shape types; and

control circuitry configured to program a neurostimulator with stimulation parameters stored in a memory to deliver output electrical stimulation energy as a temporal series of electrical waveforms including a variety of shape types to one or more electrical terminals configured to be coupleable to one or more stimulation leads that include the plurality of electrodes in accordance with the at least one user selected stimulation parameter.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the user interface is configured to receive a selection of at least one adjustment mode from the user and a selection of at least one value of a parameter based on the selected adjustment mode.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the control circuitry includes memory with parameters stored therein defining a plurality of shape types, wherein the control circuitry is configured to use the parameters stored in the memory to instruct the neurostimulator to deliver the output electrical stimulation energy.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the shape types comprise a square pulse and an exponential pulse.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the shape types comprise at least two pulse types selected from the group of pulse types consisting of a square pulse, an exponential pulse, a logarithmic pulse, a ramped pulse, and a trapezoidal pulse.