Generation of proportional posture information over multiple time intervals

• US 8,323,218 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2009
• Issued: 12/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Davis, Jon P., Sahasrabudhe, Rajeev, Gokaldas, Shyam, Skelton, Dennis M.
• Primary Examiner(s): HOEKSTRA, JEFFREY GERBEN
• Application Number:
  US12/433,785
• Publication Number:
  US 20100010389A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,314 Days
• Field of Search: 600/300, 600/587, 600/595, 600 26- 28, 607/2, 607/5, 607/6, 607/17, 607/19, 607/30, 607/32
• US Class Current: 600/595
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0219 of externally powered implanted units
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0031 Implanted circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1116 Determining posture transitions
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1118 Determining activity level
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4815 Sleep quality
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6846 specially adapted to be brought in contact with an internal body part, i.e. invasive
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/686 Permanently implanted devices, e.g. pacemakers, other stimulators, biochips A61B5/6861 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0551 Spinal or peripheral nerve electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36071 Pain
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36078 Inducing or controlling sleep or relaxation non-implantable stimulator A61M21/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36085 Eating disorders or obesity
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36107 Sexual dysfunction stimulating genital organs A61N1/36007
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36132 using patient feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36535 controlled by body position or posture
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37247 User interfaces, e.g. input or presentation means
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37282 characterised by communication with experts in remote locations using a network
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass

Abstract

The disclosure describes techniques for generation of proportional posture information over multiple time intervals. The techniques may include obtaining posture state data sensed by a medical device for a patient during delivery of therapy by the medical device, determining durations for which the patient occupied each of a plurality of posture states based on the posture state data, generating proportional posture information for a plurality of different time intervals based on the durations, wherein the proportional posture information for each of the time intervals indicates proportional amounts of the respective time interval in which the patient occupied the posture states, and presenting the proportional posture information to a user via a user interface.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

obtaining, by at least one processor, posture state data sensed by a medical device for a patient during delivery of therapy by the medical device;

determining, by the at least one processor, durations for which the patient occupied each of a plurality of posture states based on the posture state data;

generating, by the at least one processor, proportional posture information for a plurality of different time intervals based on the durations, wherein the proportional posture information for each of the time intervals indicates proportional amounts of the respective time interval in which the patient occupied the posture states, wherein each of the time intervals has a length corresponding to a therapy session between programming sessions, and wherein the therapy session defines a period of time during which posture responsive therapy was delivered to the patient by the medical device; and

presenting, by a user interface, the proportional posture information to a user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein presenting the proportional posture information further comprises presenting a graph that graphically presents the proportional posture information.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein presenting the graph further comprises presenting a posture bar for at least one of the plurality of time intervals, wherein the posture bar includes bar segments indicating proportional amounts of the respective time interval in which the patient occupied each of the posture states.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising presenting posture state durations of each of the posture states for at least one of the plurality of time intervals.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a posture state frequency value for each of the posture states for at least one of the plurality of time intervals, wherein the posture state frequency value represents a number of times the patient occupied each of the plurality of posture states during the respective time interval.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising displaying the posture state frequency value in correlation with the proportional posture information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of time intervals corresponds to a time between successive programming sessions for the medical device, and wherein at least some of the time intervals have different lengths.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of posture states comprises an upright posture state, a lying front posture state, a lying back posture state, a lying right posture state, and a lying left posture state.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein presenting the proportional posture information further comprises presenting the proportional posture information via a user interface associated with at least one of a patient programmer or a clinician programmer.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the posture state data comprise a first set of posture state data sensed by the medical device in a first therapy session between first and second programming sessions for the medical device, and a second set of posture state data sensed by the medical device in a second therapy session between the second programming and a third programming session for the medical device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the different time intervals comprise equal lengths.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the different time intervals comprise varying lengths.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of different time intervals comprises a number of patient therapy adjustments to the delivered therapy.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising rejecting any portion of the posture state data sensed during a therapy session shorter than a session threshold, and wherein the time intervals correspond to therapy sessions from which posture state data was not rejected.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the session threshold is between approximately one hour and one week.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the session threshold is set to one of a percentage of a longest session duration of the plurality of different time intervals or a percentage of an average session duration of the plurality of different time intervals.

17. A system comprising:

a processor configured to obtain posture state data sensed by a medical device for a patient during delivery of therapy by the medical device, determine durations for which the patient occupied each of a plurality of posture states based on the posture state data, and generate proportional posture information for a plurality of different time intervals based on the durations, wherein the proportional posture information for each of the time intervals indicates proportional amounts of the respective time interval in which the patient occupied the posture states, wherein each of the time intervals has a length corresponding to a therapy session between programming sessions, and wherein the therapy session defines a period of time during which posture responsive therapy was delivered to the patient by the medical device; and

a user interface configured to present the proportional posture information to a user.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the user interface is configured to present a graph that graphically presents the proportional posture information.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the user interface is configured to present a posture bar for at least one of the plurality of time intervals, and the posture bar includes a bar segments indicating proportional amounts of the respective time interval in which the patient occupied each of the posture states.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the user interface is configured to present posture state durations of each of the posture states for at least one of the plurality of time intervals in response to receiving a detail input.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the processor is configured to generate a posture state frequency value for each of the posture states of at least one of the plurality of time intervals, and the posture state frequency value represents the number of times the patient occupied each of the plurality of posture states during the respective time interval.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the user interface is configured to display the posture state frequency value in correlation with the proportional posture information.

23. The system of claim 17, wherein each of the plurality of time intervals corresponds to a time between successive programming sessions for the medical device, and wherein at least some of the time intervals have different lengths.

24. The system of claim 17, wherein the plurality of posture states comprises an upright posture state, a lying front posture state, a lying back posture state, a lying right posture state, and a lying left posture state.

25. The system of claim 17, wherein the medical device is an implantable medical device, the system further comprising an external programmer that includes the user interface, wherein the external programmer is configured to program the implantable medical device.

26. The system of claim 17, wherein the posture state data comprise a first set of posture state data sensed by the medical device in a first therapy session between first and second programming sessions for the medical device, and a second set of posture state data sensed by the medical device in a second therapy session between the second programming and a third programming session for the medical device.

27. The system of claim 17, wherein each of the different time intervals comprise equal lengths.

28. The system of claim 17, wherein each of the different time intervals comprise varying lengths.

29. The system of claim 17, wherein at least one of the plurality of different time intervals comprises a number of patient therapy adjustments to the delivered therapy.

30. The system of claim 17, wherein the processor is configured to reject any portion of the posture state data sensed during a therapy session shorter than a session threshold, and wherein the time intervals correspond to therapy sessions from which posture state data was not rejected.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the session threshold is between approximately one hour and one week.

32. The system of claim 30, wherein the session threshold is set to one of a percentage of a longest session duration of the plurality of different time intervals or a percentage of an average session duration of the plurality of different time intervals.