Implanted sensor system with optimized operational and sensing parameters

• US 7,813,808 B1
• Filed: 11/23/2005
• Issued: 10/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Remon Medical Technologies Ltd. (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Remon Medical Technologies Ltd. (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Doron, Eyal, Rippin, Boaz
• Primary Examiner(s): Layno; Carl H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Patton; Amanda
• Application Number:
  US11/287,516
• Time in Patent Office: 1,784 Days
• Field of Search: 600/510, 607/30, 607/59, 607/23
• US Class Current: 607/59
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0257 using atmospheric pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0215 by means inserted into the body catheters A61M25/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/076 Permanent implantations telemetry using implanted circuitry A61B5/0031; implanted stimulators for therapy A61N1/3605, A61N1/362, A61N1/372
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/318 Heart-related electrical modalities, e.g. electrocardiography [ECG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/686 Permanently implanted devices, e.g. pacemakers, other stimulators, biochips A61B5/6861 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7285 for synchronising or triggering a physiological measurement or image acquisition with a physiological event or waveform, e.g. an ECG signal A61B6/5205, A61B6/541, A61B8/5207, A61B8/543 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/30 Blood pressure A61M2230/04 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/14276 specially adapted for implantation
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/1723 using feedback of body parameters, e.g. blood-sugar, pressure measurement of body parameters A61B5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3629 in combination with non-electric therapy
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3956 Implantable devices for applying electric shocks to the heart, e.g. for cardioversion

Abstract

A medical system includes an implantable sensor; and a medical device having a communication link with the sensor. The medical device further including a controller, wherein operating parameters for controlling sampling of a physiological characteristic or other parameter by the implantable sensor are calculated by the controller and communicated to the sensor dynamically.

Claims

1. A medical system for sensing pressure within a blood lumen of a body having a heart, the system comprising:

an implantable pressure sensor capable of generating an analog blood pressure signal indicative of blood pressure within the lumen; and

an implantable medical device in communication with the pressure sensor, the medical device including an electrocardiogram sensor configured to sense an electrocardiogram signal within the body and determine a rate of the heart, and a control unit configured to determine a sampling rate parameter of the pressure sensor based on the rate of the heart and transmit the sampling rate parameter to the pressure sensor;

wherein the implantable pressure sensor is configured to adjust the rate at which the analog blood pressure signal is digitized based at least in part on the sampling rate parameter received from the medical device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the medical device is selected from the group comprising a pacemaker, a cardioverter defibrillator (“

ICD”

) device, a cardiac resynchronization therapy (“

CRT”

) device, a CRT-pacemaker combination device, a CRT-ICD combination device, a nerve stimulator, a drug pump, and an insulin pump.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the pressure sensor is attached to an anchoring device configured for implantation in one or more of an artery, a heart ventricle, a heart atrium, a vein, a heart valve, and a bypass graft.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the medical device is an extracorporeal device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the medical device is configured for communicating with the implantable sensor via a wired communication link.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the medical device is configured for communicating with the implantable sensor via a wireless communication link.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the wireless communication link is selected from the group comprising acoustic communication, radio-frequency communication, and electro-magnetic communication.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the medical device is configured to determine a sampling time span.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the medical device is configured to determine a sampled signal magnitude range.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the medical device is configured to determine a trigger for initiating sampling of the pressure sensor.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the medical device is configured to determine one or both of a sampling trigger level and a sampling trigger direction.

12. A medical system for sensing pressure within a blood lumen of a body having a heart, the system comprising:

an implantable pressure sensor capable of generating an analog blood pressure signal indicative of blood pressure within the lumen; and

an implantable medical device in acoustic communication with the pressure sensor, the medical device including an electrocardiogram sensor configured to sense an electrocardiogram signal within the body and determine a rate of the heart, and a control unit configured to determine a sampling rate parameter of the pressure sensor based on the rate of the heart and acoustically transmit the sampling rate parameter to the pressure sensor;

wherein the implantable pressure sensor is configured to adjust the rate at which the analog blood pressure signal is digitized based at least in part on the sampling rate parameter received from the medical device.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the medical device is selected from the group comprising a pacemaker, a cardioverter defibrillator (“

ICD”

) device, a cardiac resynchronization therapy (“

CRT”

) device, a CRT-pacemaker combination device, a CRT-ICD combination device, a nerve stimulator, a drug pump, and an insulin pump.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the pressure sensor is attached to an anchoring device configured for implantation in one or more of an artery, a heart ventricle, a heart atrium, a vein, a heart valve, and a bypass graft.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the medical device is an extracorporeal device.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the medical device is configured to determine a sampling time span.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the medical device is configured to determine a sampled signal magnitude range.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the medical device is configured to determine a trigger for initiating sampling of the pressure sensor.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein the medical device is configured to determine one or both of a sampling trigger level and a sampling trigger direction.