Optical communication of neurostimulation-system information

• US 7,865,246 B2
• Filed: 06/02/2006
• Issued: 01/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Forsberg, John W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Layno; Carl H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gedeon; Brian T
• Application Number:
  US11/445,655
• Publication Number:
  US 20070010858A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,677 Days
• Field of Search: 607/60, 607/115
• US Class Current: 607/115
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0551 Spinal or peripheral nerve electrodes

Abstract

A neurostimulation lead includes fiber optic cable. A human-implantable neurostimulator and neurostimulation lead each include an opto-electric transducer. The opto-electric transducers can be an optical transmitter, an optical receiver, or an optical transducer, that converts: electrical energy to optical energy; optical energy to electrical energy; or both electrical energy to optical energy and optical energy to electrical energy. Neurostimulation-lead electrodes can be activated, and/or lead-status information can be transmitted, over the fiber optic cable, between the neurostimulator and the neurostimulation lead. A neurostimulation-lead power converter may be coupled to a pulse generator of the neurostimulator such that the power converter derives and stores power for the lead from stimulation pulses received from the stimulation-pulse generator.

Claims

1. A method of controlling activation of at least one electrode of an implantable neurostimulation lead in a neurostimulation system, wherein the neurostimulation system includes an implantable neurostimulator and the implantable neurostimulation lead, the method comprising:

supplying electrical power from a power source associated with the implantable neurostimulator to the implantable neurostimulation lead;

providing neurostimulation pulses from an electrical pulse generator associated with the implantable neurostimulator to the implantable neurostimulation lead over at least two electrical conductors, wherein the at least two electrical conductors connect the electrical pulse generator to the implantable neuro stimulation lead;

transmitting optically-coded information via a fiber optic cable from an opto-electric transducer associated with the implantable neurostimulation lead that specifies, at least in part, one or more electrodes of the implantable neurostimulation lead to which the neurostimulation pulses are directed; and

coupling in the implantable neurostimulation lead, by an electrode-switching module, the neurostimulation pulses to the one or more electrodes based on the optically-coded information received via the fiber optic cable.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein supplying electrical power to the neurostimulation lead further comprises providing power to the neurostimulation lead via the neurostimulation pulses provided over the at least two electrical conductors.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the neurostimulator is adapted to be implanted below the skin of a patient.

4. A method of communicating information between an implantable neurostimulation lead and an implantable pulse generator, wherein a neurostimulation system comprises an implantable neurostimulator and the implantable neurostimulation lead, the method comprising:

supplying electrical power from a power source associated with the implantable neurostimulator to the implantable neurostimulation lead;

providing neurostimulation pulses from an electrical pulse generator associated with the implantable neurostimulator to the implantable neurostimulation lead over at least two electrical conductors, wherein the at least two electrical conductors connect the implantable neurostimulator to the implantable neurostimulation lead;

transmitting optically-coded information via a fiber optic cable from an opto-electric transducer associated with the implantable neurostimulation lead that specifies, at least in part, one or more electrodes of the implantable neurostimulation lead to which the neurostimulation pulses are directed;

coupling in the implantable neurostimulation lead, by an electrode-switching module, the neurostimulation pulses to the one or more electrodes based on the optically-coded information received via the fiber optic cable;

obtaining lead-status information at the implantable neurostimulation lead;

optically transmitting the lead-status information via the fiber optic cable from the implantable neurostimulation lead to the implantable neurostimulator, wherein the lead-status information is optically transmitted from a first optical transceiver associated with the implantable neurostimulation lead; and

receiving the optically transmitted lead-status information via the fiber optic cable at the implantable neurostimulator, where in the lead-status information is optically received from a second optical transceiver associated with the implantable neurostimulator.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein supplying electrical power to the neurostimulation lead further comprises providing power to the neurostimulation lead via the neurostimulation pulses provided over the at least two electrical conductors.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the lead-status information includes information from at least one sensor.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the neurostimulator is adapted to be implanted below the skin of a patient.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the lead-status information is selected from the group consisting of:

electrode impedance, temperature, electrode electrical activity, and pH.