System and method of rapid, comfortable parameter switching in spinal cord stimulation
First Claim
1. A method for switching between stimulation parameter sets applied to a patient, comprising:
- selecting a new stimulation parameter set with a new combination of electrodes or electrode polarity;
selecting an initial stimulation level for the new stimulation parameter set, wherein the initial stimulation level is selected to be a non-zero value not to exceed an estimated perception threshold of the patient for the new stimulation parameter set;
activating stimulation with the new stimulation parameter set at the selected initial stimulation level; and
increasing the stimulation level.
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Abstract
A system and method for rapidly switching stimulation parameters of a Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS) system increases the number of stimulation parameter sets that may be tested during a fitting procedure, or alternatively, reduces the time required for the fitting procedure. The switching method comprises selecting a new stimulation parameter set, and setting the initial stimulation levels to levels at or just below an estimated perception threshold of the patient. The estimated perception level is based on previous stimulation results. The stimulation level is then increased to determine a minimum stimulation level for effective stimulation, and/or an optimal stimulation level, and/or a maximum stimulation level, based on patient perception.
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Citations
29 Claims
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1. A method for switching between stimulation parameter sets applied to a patient, comprising:
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selecting a new stimulation parameter set with a new combination of electrodes or electrode polarity; selecting an initial stimulation level for the new stimulation parameter set, wherein the initial stimulation level is selected to be a non-zero value not to exceed an estimated perception threshold of the patient for the new stimulation parameter set; activating stimulation with the new stimulation parameter set at the selected initial stimulation level; and increasing the stimulation level. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method for selecting a preferred stimulation parameter set from a group of candidate stimulation parameter sets, for stimulating a patient, comprising:
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performing the following steps for each candidate stimulation parameter set; selecting a trial stimulation parameter set with a new combination of electrodes or electrode polarity; selecting an initial stimulation level for the trial stimulation parameter set, wherein the initial stimulation level is selected to be a non-zero value not to exceed an estimated perception threshold of the patient for the trial stimulation parameter set; activating stimulation with the trial stimulation parameter set at the initial stimulation level increasing the stimulation level; and measuring the effectiveness of the stimulation parameter set; selecting the preferred stimulation parameter set based on measured effectiveness. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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Specification