Programmer for biostimulator system

• US 8,295,939 B2
• Filed: 05/17/2011
• Issued: 10/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pacesetter Incorporated (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Nanostim, Inc (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Inventors: Jacobson, Peter M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Niketa
• Assistant Examiner(s): EL-KAISSI, HIBA CARINE
• Application Number:
  US13/109,728
• Publication Number:
  US 20110218587A1
• Time in Patent Office: 525 Days
• Field of Search: 607 30- 32, 607/59, 607/60
• US Class Current: 607/59
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0662 Guide tubes
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/056 Transvascular endocardial electrode systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0573 chacterised by means penetrating the heart tissue, e.g. helix needle or hook
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0587 Epicardial electrode systems; Endocardial electrodes piercing the pericardium
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/059 Anchoring means
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3621 for treating or preventing abnormally high heart rate
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3627 for treating a mechanical deficiency of the heart, e.g. congestive heart failure or cardiomyopathy
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36514 controlled by a physiological quantity other than heart potential, e.g. blood pressure controlled by two or more physical parameters A61N1/36585
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36542 controlled by body motion, e.g. acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/368 comprising more than one electrode co-operating with different heart regions A61N1/3622, A61N1/3627 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3684 for stimulating the heart at multiple sites of the ventricle or the atrium
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36842 Multi-site stimulation in the same chamber
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3704 Circuits specially adapted therefor, e.g. for sensitivity control
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3706 Pacemaker parameters stimulation threshold A61N1/371
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3708 for power depletion
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/372 Arrangements in connection with the implantation of stimulators
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37205 Microstimulators, e.g. implantable through a cannula
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37217 characterised by the communication link, e.g. acoustic or tactile
• 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 1/3727 characterised by the modulation technique
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37288 : Communication to several implantable medical devices within one patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37512 : Pacemakers
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37518 : Anchoring of the implants, e.g. fixation
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3756 : Casings with electrodes thereon, e.g. leadless stimulators
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3925 : Monitoring; Protecting
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3956 : Implantable devices for applying electric shocks to the heart, e.g. for cardioversion
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/39622 : Pacing therapy
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2001/058 : Fixing tools
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 13/005 : Transmission systems in which the medium consists of the human body

Abstract

A biostimulator system comprises one or more implantable devices and an external programmer configured for communicating with the implantable device or devices via bidirectional communication pathways comprising a receiving pathway that decodes information encoded on stimulation pulses generated by ones of the implantable device or devices and conducted through body tissue to the external programmer.

Claims

1. A biostimulator system for a patient comprising:

at least one implantable device configured to generate modulated signals and to encode information on the modulated signals; and

an external programmer comprising at least two electrodes and bidirectional communication pathways configured to couple with the electrodes, the external programmer being configured to be located outside the patient and communicate with the at least one implantable device through the at least two electrodes of the external programmer via the bidirectional communication pathways, the bidirectional communication pathways comprising a receiving pathway configured to decode information encoded on modulated signals generated by the at least one implantable device and conducted through body tissue to the at least two electrodes of the external programmer.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the bidirectional communication pathways further comprise a transmitting pathway configured to pass information from the at least two electrodes of the external programmer to the at least one implantable device by direct conduction through the body tissue.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the modulated signals are transmitted at a frequency configured to avoid skeletal muscle stimulation.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the bidirectional communication pathways further comprise a transmitting pathway configured to pass information from the at least two electrodes of the external programmer to the at least one implantable device in a common communication event, whereby information is sent to at least one target device of the at least one implantable device.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the transmitting pathway is further configured to pass information specific to a single implantable device or a subset of implantable devices having a unique address assigned to the single implantable device or the subset of implantable devices.

6. The system of claim 4 wherein the transmitting pathway is further configured to pass information designating a specific function that is to be executed by a particular implantable device or a particular subset of implantable devices without passing individual address information for activating execution by the particular implantable device or the particular subset of implantable devices alone.

7. The system of claim 4 wherein the transmitting pathway is configured to pass information designating a specific function that is to be executed by the at least one implantable device, the at least one implantable device comprising programming specific to the function and being further adapted to recognize that the received information is relevant to the function.

8. The system of claim 1 further wherein the receiving pathway further comprises a low-pass filter adapted to separate an electrocardiogram from the information signals encoded on the modulated signals.

9. The system of claim 8 further comprising a controller configured to blank noise and unwanted signals from the electrocardiogram.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one implantable device comprises at least one leadless cardiac pacemaker.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the at least one leadless cardiac pacemaker is configured to be implanted adjacent to an inside or an outside wall of a cardiac chamber.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein the at least one leadless cardiac pacemaker is configured to deliver an information-encoded pulse during a refractory period following a natural cardiac depolarization.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein the at least one leadless cardiac pacemaker is configured to charge a tank capacitor in preparation for stimulation pulse generation, time one or more windows between pulse generation, disable charging of the tank capacitor during the one or more timed windows, and enable a receive amplifier while the tank capacitor is disabled.

14. The system according to claim 13 wherein the external programmer is further configured to detect a stimulation pulse from the at least one leadless cardiac pacemaker and transmit data after a selected delay to coincide with a window within which the receive amplifier of the at least one leadless cardiac pacemaker is enabled.