System and method for ambulatory monitoring and programming of an implantable medical device

• US 5,759,199 A
• Filed: 08/02/1995
• Issued: 06/02/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Pacesetter Incorporated (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Pacesetter Incorporated (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Inventors: Snell, Jeffery D., Konopka, Jeffrey D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kamm, William E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LAYNO, CARL HERNANDZ
• Application Number:
  US08/510,449
• Time in Patent Office: 1,035 Days
• Field of Search: 607/32, 607/60, 607/59, 128/903
• US Class Current: 607/60
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37235 Aspects of the external programmer
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37247 User interfaces, e.g. input or presentation means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/903 Radio telemetry

Abstract

A system and method for ambulatory monitoring and programming of an implantable medical device are provided. The system enables ambulatory communication between a modified programmer/analyzer and an implantable medical device having telemetric communication capability. This is accomplished through the use of an ambulatory interface unit which may be conveniently attached to the patient'"'"'s body using a belt or harness. The ambulatory interface unit wirelessly communicates with both the programmer/analyzer and the implantable medical device thereby providing for improved patient mobility. The ambulatory interface unit may include an integral telemetry head or may be connected to the telemetry head by a communication cable.

Claims

1. An ambulatory medical data communication apparatus comprising:

an implantable medical device including telemetry means for receiving data transmitted in accordance with a first communication protocol;

programmer/analyzer means for communicating with the implantable medical device, the programmer/analyzer means including wireless communication means for transmitting data in accordance with a second communication protocol;

ambulatory interface means for receiving the data transmitted in accordance with the second communication protocol by the wireless communication means of the programmer/analyzer and for transmitting the data in accordance with the first communication protocol to the telemetry means of the implantable medical device; and

means for securing the ambulatory interface means to a patient.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the telemetry means transmits data from the implantable medical device in accordance with the first communication protocol;

the wireless communication means of the programmer/analyzer means receives data transmitted in accordance with the second communication protocol; and

the ambulatory interface means receives the data transmitted in accordance with the first communication protocol by the telemetry means and transmits the data received from the telemetry means to the wireless communication means of the programmer/analyzer means in accordance with the second communication protocol.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the data transmitted by the programmer/analyzer means comprises an instruction to the implantable medical device to transmit data.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the wireless communication means of the programmer/analyzer means comprises radio frequency transmitting means for transmitting radio frequency modulated carrier signals representing the data transmitted by the programmer/analyzer means; and

the ambulatory interface means comprises;

radio frequency receiving means for receiving the modulated carrier signals;

radio frequency protocol logic means for demodulating the modulated carrier signals to extract the data transmitted by the programmer/analyzer means;

telemetry protocol logic means for formatting the data transmitted by the programmer/analyzer means for telemetric transmission; and

a telemetry head for telemetrically transmitting the formatted data to the telemetry means of the implantable medical device.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the radio frequency protocol logic means detects errors in the data transmitted by the programmer/analyzer means.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the radio frequency transmitting means uses amplitude modulation.

7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the radio frequency transmitting means uses frequency modulation.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the programmer/analyzer means comprises a tablet computer-based programmer/analyzer.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the implantable medical device comprises an implantable cardiac stimulating device.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data transmitted by the programmer/analyzer means comprises operating instructions for the implantable medical device.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the programmer/analyzer means comprises adapter means, the wireless communication means being disposed within the adapter means.

12. An ambulatory medical data communication apparatus comprising:

a medical device implantable in a patient, the implantable medical device including telemetry means for transmitting telemetry signals representing data in accordance with a first communication protocol;

programmer/analyzer means for communicating with the implantable medical device, the programmer/analyzer including wireless communication means for receiving data in accordance with a second communication protocol, the programmer/analyzer being adapted to monitor the performance of the implantable medical device in response to the received data;

ambulatory interface means for receiving the telemetry signals transmitted in accordance with the first communication protocol and for transmitting data represented by the telemetry signals to the wireless communication means of the programmer/analyzer means in accordance with the second communication protocol; and

means for securing the ambulatory interface means to a patient, the performance of the implantable medical device being monitorable by the programmer/analyzer while the patient is ambulatory.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein:

the wireless communication means of the programmer/analyzer means comprises radio frequency receiving means for receiving radio frequency modulated carrier signals; and

the ambulatory interface means comprises;

a telemetry head for receiving the telemetry signals from the telemetry means of the implantable medical device;

telemetry protocol logic means for extracting the data from the telemetry signals;

radio frequency protocol logic means for generating radio frequency modulated signals representing the data; and

radio frequency transmitting means for transmitting the modulated carrier signals to the radio frequency receiving means of the programmer/analyzer means.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the telemetry protocol logic means detects errors in the data transmitted by the telemetry means of the implantable medical device.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the radio frequency transmitting means uses amplitude modulation.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the radio frequency transmitting means uses frequency modulation.

17. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the programmer/analyzer means comprises a tablet computer-based programmer/analyzer.

18. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the implantable medical device comprises an implantable cardiac stimulating device.

19. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the programmer/analyzer means comprises adapter means, the wireless communication means being disposed within the adapter means.

20. A method of wirelessly communicating data between a programmer/analyzer and an implantable medical device, comprising the steps of:

transmitting data in accordance with a first communication protocol from the programmer/analyzer using wireless communication circuitry of the programmer/analyzer;

receiving the data transmitted in accordance with the first communication protocol by the wireless communication circuitry of the programmer/analyzer using an ambulatory interface unit;

securing the ambulatory interface unit to a patient; and

transmitting the data in accordance with a second communication protocol from the ambulatory interface unit to telemetry circuitry of the implantable medical device.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising the steps of:

transmitting data in accordance with the second communication protocol from the implantable medical device using the telemetry circuitry;

receiving the data transmitted in accordance with the second communication protocol by the telemetry circuitry using an ambulatory interface unit; and

transmitting the data in accordance with the first communication protocol from the ambulatory interface unit to the wireless communication circuitry of the programmer/analyzer.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the step of transmitting data from the programmer/analyzer comprises transmitting an instruction to the implantable medical device to transmit data.

23. The method of claim 20, further comprising the step of detecting errors in the data transmitted by the programmer/analyzer.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the data is transmitted from the programmer/analyzer using amplitude modulated radio frequency signals.

25. The method of claim 20, wherein the data is transmitted from the programmer/analyzer using frequency modulated radio frequency signals.

26. The method of claim 20, wherein the step of transmitting data from the programmer/analyzer comprises transmitting the data from a tablet computer-based programmer/analyzer.

27. The method of claim 20, wherein the step of transmitting data to the implantable medical device comprises transmitting data to an implantable cardiac stimulating device.

28. A method of wirelessly communicating data between a programmer/analyzer and a medical device implantable in a patient, the programmer/analyzer being adapted to monitor the performance of the implantable medical device, the method comprising the steps of:

transmitting data in accordance with a first communication protocol using telemetry circuitry of the implantable medical device;

receiving the data transmitted in accordance with the first communication protocol by telemetry circuitry of the implantable medical device using an ambulatory interface unit;

securing the ambulatory interface unit to a patient; and

transmitting the data in accordance with a second communication protocol from the ambulatory interface unit to wireless communication circuitry of the programmer/analyzer, the performance of the implantable medical device being monitorable by the programmer/analyzer in response to the data while the patient is ambulatory.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising the step of detecting errors in the data transmitted by the implantable medical device.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the data is transmitted from the ambulatory interface unit using amplitude modulated radio frequency signals.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein the data is transmitted from the ambulatory interface unit using frequency modulated radio frequency signals.

32. The method of claim 28, wherein the step of transmitting data from the ambulatory interface unit comprises transmitting the data from the ambulatory interface unit to a tablet computer-based programmer/analyzer.

33. The method of claim 28, wherein the step of transmitting data from the implantable medical device comprises transmitting data from an implantable cardiac stimulating device.

34. An ambulatory medical data communication apparatus comprising:

an implantable medical device including telemetry means for receiving data transmitted in accordance with a first communication protocol;

programmer/analyzer means for communicating with the implantable medical device, the programmer/analyzer means including wireless communication means for transmitting data in accordance with a second communication protocol, wherein the programmer/analyzer means comprises a tablet computer-based programmer/analyzer; and

ambulatory interface means for receiving the data transmitted in accordance with the second communication protocol by the wireless communication means of the programmer/analyzer and for transmitting the data in accordance with the first communication protocol to the telemetry means of the implantable medical device.

35. An ambulatory medical data communication apparatus comprising:

an implantable medical device including telemetry means for transmitting telemetry signals representing data in accordance with a first communication protocol;

programmer/analyzer means for communicating with the implantable medical device, the programmer/analyzer including wireless communication means for receiving data in accordance with a second communication protocol, wherein the programmer/analyzer means comprises a tablet computer-based programmer/analyzer; and

ambulatory interface means for receiving the telemetry signals transmitted in accordance with the first communication protocol and for transmitting data represented by the telemetry signals to the wireless communication means of the programmer/analyzer means in accordance with the second communication protocol.

36. A method of wirelessly communicating data between a tablet programmer/analyzer and an implantable medical device, comprising the steps of:

transmitting data in accordance with a first communication protocol from the tablet programmer/analyzer using wireless communication circuitry of the tablet programmer/analyzer;

receiving the data transmitted in accordance with the first communication protocol by the wireless communication circuitry of the tablet programmer/analyzer using an ambulatory interface unit; and

transmitting the data in accordance with a second communication protocol from the ambulatory interface unit to telemetry circuitry of the implantable medical device.

37. A method of wirelessly communicating data between a tablet programmer/analyzer and an implantable medical device, comprising the steps of:

transmitting data in accordance with a first communication protocol using telemetry circuitry of the implantable medical device;

receiving the data transmitted in accordance with the first communication protocol by telemetry circuitry of the implantable medical device using an ambulatory interface unit; and

transmitting the data in accordance with a second communication protocol from the ambulatory interface unit to wireless communication circuitry of the tablet programmer/analyzer.