Method and apparatus for monitoring ingestion of medications using an implantable medical device
First Claim
1. In an implantable medical device, a method for monitoring the ingestion of pills by a patient, the method comprising:
- sensing a signal transmitted by an individual pill being ingested;
detecting ingestion of the pill based on the sensed signal;
automatically determining whether the pill is prescribed to the patient; and
generating a warning signal if the pill is not prescribed to the patient.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An implantable medical device, such as a pacemaker or implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), is configured to automatically detect ingestion of medications to verify that prescribed medications are taken in a timely manner and at the correct dosage. Briefly, individual pills are provided with miniature radio frequency identification (RFID) devices capable of transmitting RFID tag signals, which identify the medication contained within the pill and its dosage. The implanted device is equipped with an RFID transceiver for receiving tag signals from a pill as it is being ingested. The implanted system decodes the tag to identify the medication and its dosage, then accesses an onboard database to verify that the medication being ingested was in fact prescribed to the patient and to verify that the correct dosage was taken. Warning signals are generated if the wrong medication or the wrong dosage was taken. Therapy may also be automatically adjusted. Non-RF-based ID devices are also described, which instead transmit ID data via biphasic current pulses.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. In an implantable medical device, a method for monitoring the ingestion of pills by a patient, the method comprising:
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sensing a signal transmitted by an individual pill being ingested; detecting ingestion of the pill based on the sensed signal; automatically determining whether the pill is prescribed to the patient; and generating a warning signal if the pill is not prescribed to the patient. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. In an implantable medical device, a method for monitoring the ingestion of pills by a patient, the method comprising:
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sensing signals transmitted by individual pills being ingested to detect ingestion of the pills; comparing the ingestion of the pills with a schedule; and based on the comparison, determining whether the patient has failed to take any prescribed medications. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18)
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19. An implantable system for use in monitoring the ingestion of pills by a patient, the system comprising:
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a receiver that senses signals transmitted by signal-transmitting pills being ingested by the patient; and a medication monitoring controller that determines whether the patient has failed to take any prescribed medications based on signals sensed by the receiver and based on a comparison with a schedule stored by the medication monitoring controller. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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Specification