System and method for rate encoding of pacing intervals for external transmission of data
First Claim
1. An implantable pacemaker having pace pulse means for delivering pace pulses to a patient at a controllable rate, data means for collecting pacemaker data representative of at least one of a group of selected pacemaker operating conditions and events, and receiving means for receiving a request from an external source for at least some of said data, comprising responding means for responding to a said request, said responding means having rate adjusting means for adjusting the pacing rate of delivered pace pulses, said adjusting means having control means for controlling said pulse means to deliver pace pulses with a pattern of pacing intervals, at least a fraction of said pace pulses each being independently adjusted to one of a plurality of predetermined rates so that said fraction carries said requested data.
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Accused Products
Abstract
There is provided a system and method for increased data transmission from an implanted pacemaker when the pacemaker is in magnet mode. Pacemaker data including, e.g., pacemaker operating conditions, pacing events and patient events, is outputted by changing the asynchronous pacing rate to selected ones of available rates, and with a predetermined sequence, enabling read out of the data on an EKG strip chart. In a preferred embodiment, data-encoded pace pulses with intervals corresponding to selected rates are delivered in a predetermined sequence with fixed rate non-data intervals. For example, four pulses are delivered at 85 ppm followed by one or more data-encoded pulses, each data-encoded pulse being at 90, 95 or 100 ppm, whereafter the sequence is repeated with additional data-encoded intervals. The combination of rates for each of the data-encoded intervals represents the pacemaker data, and can be decoded by observing an EKG strip taken during the pattern of pace pulses. The invention provides for enhanced data transmission from an implanted pacemaker without the need of a programmer for receiving the data, and is thus particularly useful in environments where only a simple magnet is available for pacemaker follow-up.
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Citations
16 Claims
- 1. An implantable pacemaker having pace pulse means for delivering pace pulses to a patient at a controllable rate, data means for collecting pacemaker data representative of at least one of a group of selected pacemaker operating conditions and events, and receiving means for receiving a request from an external source for at least some of said data, comprising responding means for responding to a said request, said responding means having rate adjusting means for adjusting the pacing rate of delivered pace pulses, said adjusting means having control means for controlling said pulse means to deliver pace pulses with a pattern of pacing intervals, at least a fraction of said pace pulses each being independently adjusted to one of a plurality of predetermined rates so that said fraction carries said requested data.
- 10. A pacemaker having a pulse generator for generating pacing pulses at a controllable rate, storage means for storing pacemaker data, rate control means for controlling pacing rate to one of a predetermined plurality of discrete rates, said discrete rates corresponding to readable pacing intervals on a standard EKG strip recorder, and said rate control means having data encoding means for encoding said pacemaker data by adjusting each of a plurality of pacing intervals to one of said discrete rates, each of said intervals representing data independently of the other, whereby said plurality of intervals is encoded with said data so that it can be determined from an EKG strip recorder.
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13. A method of transmitting pacemaker data from an implanted pacemaker which is in magnet mode, comprising:
delivering a pattern of pace pulses at different intervals corresponding to predetermined discrete rates, said pattern including a combination of data-encoded pace pulses, each of said data-encoded pace pulses being at a selected one of a predetermined number of rates, and interspersing said data-encoded pace pulses with pace pulses at a predetermined rate. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
Specification