Patient event marking in combination with physiological signals

• US 7,917,199 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2006
• Issued: 03/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Drew, Touby A., Giftakis, Jonathon E., Graves, Nina M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Layno; Carl H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Stice; Paula J
• Application Number:
  US11/412,230
• Publication Number:
  US 20060235489A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,798 Days
• Field of Search: 600/509, 600/513, 600/523, 600/544, 607/30, 607/45, 607/59, 607/60
• US Class Current: 600/544
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0006 ECG or EEG signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0031 Implanted circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/24 Detecting, measuring or recording bioelectric or biomagnetic signals of the body or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/316 Modalities, i.e. specific diagnostic methods
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4094 Diagnosing or monitoring seizure diseases, e.g. epilepsy
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7232 involving compression of the physiological signal, e.g. to extend the signal recording period
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36132 using patient feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36521 the parameter being derived from measurement of an electrical impedance
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36585 controlled by two or more physical parameters
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3702 Physiological parameters A61N1/365 takes precedence; evoked response A61N1/371
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37252 Details of algorithms or data aspects of communication system, e.g. handshaking, transmitting specific data or segmenting data
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37282 characterised by communication with experts in remote locations using a network
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3925 Monitoring; Protecting
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/70 for mining of medical data, e.g. analysing previous cases of other patients

Abstract

Methods for receiving a patient mark in an implanted device. A patient may experience symptoms that indicative of a neurological event or are common precursors to more severe clinical symptoms. The patient may activate a patient activator. Activation of the patient activator can cause the patient activator to transmit the patient mark to an implanted device. The implanted device may adjust physiological data being stored in response to the patient mark, including data before and after the patient mark. The patient mark may be used to fine tune the detection algorithms and otherwise tune the detection capability of the implanted device and may also be used as an aid in statistical analysis of the stored physiological data.

Claims

1. A method of linking clusters of data by an implanted:

(A) recording a first cluster with the implanted device upon determining that a signal exceeds a first threshold and continuing recording the first cluster until determining that the signal drops below a second threshold;

(B) recording a second cluster with the implanted device that is distinct from the first cluster;

(C) receiving a patient mark in the implanted device that is in close temporal proximity to the first and second clusters; and

(D) linking by the implanted device the first and second clusters in response to the patient mark.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the patient mark occurs between an end of the first cluster and a start of the second cluster.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving of the patient mark in (C) comprises:

(i) receiving a signal via telemetry from a patient activator; and

(ii) storing a record, in memory, that includes a timestamp in response to (i).

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(E) storing the linked clusters in a memory of the implanted device as a single cluster.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the mark occurs during one of the first or second clusters.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the linking in (D) comprises:

(i) combining the first and second clusters so as to generate a third cluster that includes the first and second clusters.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the third cluster includes data representative of a period of time between an end of the first cluster and a start of the second cluster.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first threshold and the second threshold are at a same signal level.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the second threshold is at a signal level that is below the signal level of the first threshold.

10. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer-readable memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, are configured to cause the apparatus to perform operations comprising;

recording a first data cluster upon determining that a signal exceeds a first threshold and continuing recording the first data cluster until determining that the signal drops below a second threshold;

recording a second data cluster that is distinct from the first data cluster;

receiving a patient mark that is in close temporal proximity to the first and second data cluster; and

linking by the processor the first and second data cluster in response to the patient mark.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the patient mark occurs between an end of the first data cluster and a start of the second data cluster.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, are configured to cause the apparatus to perform operations comprising:

(i) receiving a signal via telemetry from a patient activator; and

(ii) storing a record, in memory, that includes a timestamp in response to (i).

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, are configured to cause the apparatus to perform operations comprising storing the linked data clusters as a single data cluster.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the linking comprises combining the first and second data cluster so as to generate a third data cluster that includes the first and second data clusters.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the third data cluster includes data representative of a period of time between an end of the first data cluster and a start of the second data cluster.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the first threshold and the second threshold are at a same signal level.

17. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the second threshold is at a signal level that is below the signal level of the first threshold.