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 a pill by a patient, the method comprising:
- sensing a signal transmitted by a pill being ingested wherein the signal transmitted by the pill comprises biphasic current pulses;
detecting ingestion of the pill based on the sensed signal; and
automatically recording, within the implantable medical device, data indicative of the time the pill was ingested.
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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
19 Claims
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1. In an implantable medical device, a method for monitoring the ingestion of a pill by a patient, the method comprising:
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sensing a signal transmitted by a pill being ingested wherein the signal transmitted by the pill comprises biphasic current pulses; detecting ingestion of the pill based on the sensed signal; and automatically recording, within the implantable medical device, data indicative of the time the pill was ingested. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. In an implantable medical system comprising a housing containing circuitry and one or more leads connected to the housing, a method for monitoring the ingestion of pills by a patient, the method comprising:
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sensing, by the one or more leads, a signal transmitted by a pill being ingested by the patient wherein the signal transmitted by the pill comprises biphasic current pulses; transmitting the signals from the one or more leads to the circuitry within the housing; and processing the signals by the circuitry to detect ingestion of the pill by the patient. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. An implantable system for use in monitoring the ingestion of pills by a patient, the system comprising:
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one or more leads adapted to sense signals transmitted by signal-transmitting pills being ingested by the patient wherein the signals transmitted by the pill comprise biphasic current pulses; and a medication monitoring controller adapted to be connected to the one or more leads to receive the signals from the one or more leads and to process the signals to detect ingestion of a pill by the patient. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19)
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Specification