Large-scale processing loop for implantable medical devices

• US 6,920,360 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2000
• Issued: 07/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Pool, Nancy Perry, Lee, Michael Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Sykes, Angela D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BRADFORD, RODERICK D
• Application Number:
  US09/740,080
• Publication Number:
  US 20010039375A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,674 Days
• Field of Search: 607/60, 607/32, 607/59, 607/30, 128/903, 128/904
• US Class Current: 607/60
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0031 Implanted circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7217 of noise originating from a therapeutic or surgical apparatus, e.g. from a pacemaker
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37211 Means for communicating with stimulators
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37264 Changing the program; Upgrading firmware
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37282 characterised by communication with experts in remote locations using a network
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/40 for the management of medical equipment or devices, e.g. scheduling maintenance or upgrades
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/50 for simulation or modelling of medical disorders
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/903 Radio telemetry

Abstract

A communication system is provided which permits of communication between an deployed implantable medical device (IMD) and a large-scale powerful computer capable of manipulating complex nonlinear modeling of physiologic systems, and also capable of accounting for large amounts of historical data from a particular patient or a cohort group for improved modeling and predictive power, which may be expected to lead to improved patient outcomes. A deployed IMD may be polled by a routing instrument external to the host patient, and data may be received by wireless communication. This data may be transmitted to a central large-scale or other relatively powerful computer for processing according to an appropriate model. A treatment or instruction regimen, as well as appropriate firmware or software upgrades, may then be transmitted to the routing instrument for immediate or eventual loading into the IMD via wireless communication.

Claims

1. A method of computerized control of an implantable medical device deployed in a patient, comprising the steps of:

providing a centralized computing resource external to a patient having a physiologic model;

transmitting via a network communication link a set of historical physiologic data previously gathered from the implantable medical device to a centralized computing resource external to a patient;

performing a computerized analysis of the transmitted Bet of historical physiologic data using the physiologic model that produces a set of results; and

making a computerized determination of a set of instructions comprising an implantable medical device therapy regimen based at least in part on the set of results from the analysis of the set of historical physiologic data; and

transmitting via the network communication link or a separate network communication link the set of instructions to the implantable medical device for execution by the implantable medical device in accordance with a firmware- or a software-implemented executable routine.

2. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the network communication link or the separate network communication link comprises a radio frequency link, a hard-wired link, an infrared-band link, or other type of a wireless communication link.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the network communication link or the separate network communication link comprises a hybrid link.

4. A method according to claim 3 wherein the hybrid link comprises a radio frequency link from said implantable medical device to a routing instrument, and a secondary network link from the routing device to the central computing resource.

5. A method according to claim 4 wherein the secondary network link is an area network.

6. A method according to claim 5 wherein the area network is a large area network.

7. A method according to claim 5 wherein the area network comprises a wide area network.

8. A method according to claim 5 wherein the area network comprises at least one of an internet-, an intranet-, an extranet- or a world wide web-based network.

9. A method according to claim 4, wherein the secondary network communication link comprises an asynchronous link.

10. A method according to claim 4, wherein the secondary network communications link comprises a synchronous link.

11. A method according to claim 4, wherein the secondary network link is a direct dial up connection.

12. A method according to claim 1, wherein each of the two or more implantable medical devices comprises one or more of:

a pacemaker, a pacemaker/cardioverter/defibrillator, a defibrillator, an oxygen sensing device, a nerve stimulator, a muscle stimulator, a drug pump, a neurological stimulator, a physiological signal recorder or an implantable monitoring device.

13. A computerized control system linking an implantable medical device deployed in a patient to a centralized external computer via a data communication network, said computerized control system providing computerized control of the implantable medical device deployed in the patient, comprising:

a central computing resource accessible by the data communication network, said central computing resource including a physiologic model and being operable to (a) analyze a set of patient data recorded by the implantable medical device and transmitted via the data communication network using the physiologic model, and (b) make a computerized determination of a set of instructions comprising an implantable medical device therapy regimen based on the set of results from the analysis of the set of historical physiologic data;

at least one routing instrument capable of wireless communication with said implantable medical device deployed in a patient, said at least one routing instrument being capable of performing a data communication sequence with the data communication network.

14. A computerized information network according to claim 13, wherein the data communication network comprises a direct link between the at least one routing instrument and the central computing resource.

15. A computerized information network according to claim 13, wherein the central computing resource comprises a multi-processor workstation.

16. A computerized information network according to claim 13, wherein the central computing resource comprises a networked cluster of computers.

17. A computerized information network according to claim 13, wherein the data communication protocol comprises an asynchronous protocol.