Implantable medical devices storing graphics processing data

• US 8,406,890 B2
• Filed: 04/14/2011
• Issued: 03/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Goetz, Steven M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Layno, Carl H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Stice, Paula J
• Application Number:
  US13/086,991
• Publication Number:
  US 20120265271A1
• Time in Patent Office: 712 Days
• Field of Search: 607 59- 60
• US Class Current: 607/59
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2065 Tracking using image or pattern recognition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/374 NMR or MRI
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3762 using computed tomography systems [CT]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/20 Surgical navigation systems; Devices for tracking or guiding surgical instruments, e.g. for frameless stereotaxis
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/0166 Sensors, electrodes or the like for guiding the catheter to a target zone, e.g. image guided or magnetically guided
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0105 Steering means as part of the catheter or advancing means; Markers for positioning systems for detection of markers A61B
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36128 Control systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37235 Aspects of the external programmer
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37247 User interfaces, e.g. input or presentation means
• 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 1/37264 Changing the program; Upgrading firmware
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/00 Three dimensional [3D] modelling, e.g. data description of 3D objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/20 Finite element generation, e.g. wire-frame surface description, tesselation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/00 Manipulating 3D models or images for computer graphics
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2210/41 Medical

Abstract

In one example, a device includes a telemetry module configured to retrieve graphics processing data from a device that is not configured to perform a rendering process using the graphics processing data and that is associated with delivering therapy to a therapy target of a patient, and a control unit configured to apply the graphics processing data while performing the rendering process to generate an image of an anatomical feature of the patient, wherein the anatomical feature comprises the therapy target for an implantable medical device, and to cause a display unit of a user interface to display the image, wherein the image of the anatomical feature is specific to the patient. The graphics processing data may include a list of vertices or a transform to be applied to a non-patient-specific anatomical atlas. The data may also include a location of a therapy element of the implantable medical device.

Claims

1. An implantable medical device comprising:

a memory configured to store data for a program of the implantable medical device;

a therapy unit configured to perform at least one of delivery of therapy and sensing of a physiological signal at a therapy target of an anatomical feature of a patient; and

an interface configured to receive the data for the program and to store the data for the program to the memory, wherein the interface is further configured to receive graphics processing data comprising data that, when applied during a rendering process, produces an image of the anatomical feature of the patient, and to store the graphics processing data to the memory,

wherein the implantable medical device is not configured to perform the rendering process using the graphics processing data.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the graphics processing data comprises a list of vertices for graphics primitives corresponding to a three-dimensional graphical mesh representative of the anatomical feature of the patient.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the graphics processing data comprises one or more transforms that, when applied to an anatomical atlas model, yield a patient-specific model representative of the anatomical feature of the patient.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the interface is configured to receive information representative of a location of a therapy element at the therapy target, wherein the implantable medical device is coupled to the therapy element and is configured to deliver therapy to the therapy target via the therapy element.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the therapy element comprises one of a lead and a catheter, and wherein the information representative of the location of the therapy element comprises vertex data representative of a location of a distal tip of the therapy element from the device and an angle value for the therapy element relative to the location of the distal tip.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the information further comprises an indication of at least one of an axial rotation and an orientation of the therapy element.

7. The device of claim 4, wherein the therapy element comprises a lead, and wherein the information representative of the location of the therapy element comprises vertex data representative of centers of electrodes along the lead.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the interface comprises a telemetry module.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the interface is further configured to send the graphics processing data to a programmer device, wherein the programmer device is configured to perform the rendering process.

10. A method comprising:

retrieving graphics processing data from an implantable medical device that is not configured to perform a rendering process using the graphics processing data, wherein the implantable medical device is associated with at least one of delivering therapy and sensing a physiological signal at a therapy target of a patient;

applying the graphics processing data while performing the rendering process to generate an image of an anatomical feature of the patient, wherein the anatomical feature comprises the therapy target for the implantable medical device; and

displaying the image, wherein the image of the anatomical feature is specific to the patient.

11. The method of claim 10,

wherein retrieving the graphics processing data comprises retrieving information defining a list of vertices for graphics primitives corresponding to a three-dimensional graphical mesh representative of the anatomical feature of the patient, and

wherein applying the graphics processing data comprises rendering the graphics primitives using the list of vertices to produce pixel data for the image representative of the graphics primitives of the three-dimensional graphical mesh.

12. The method of claim 10,

wherein retrieving the graphics processing data comprises retrieving one or more transforms from the implantable medical device, and

wherein applying the graphics processing data comprises:

obtaining an anatomical atlas for the anatomical feature of the patient, wherein the anatomical atlas comprises a general model of the anatomical feature of the patient;

applying the one or more transforms to the anatomical atlas to produce a patient-specific model of the anatomical feature of the patient, wherein the patient-specific model comprises three-dimensional graphics data; and

rendering the patient-specific model to produce pixel data for the image representative of the patient-specific model.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

retrieving information representative of a location of a therapy element at the therapy target from the implantable medical device, wherein the implantable medical device is coupled to the therapy element and is configured to deliver therapy to the therapy target via the therapy element,

wherein performing the rendering process to generate the image of the anatomical feature comprises producing a representation of the therapy element in the image such that the image includes the representation of the therapy element at the location of the therapy target.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the therapy element comprises one of a lead and a catheter, and wherein retrieving the information representative of the location of the therapy element comprises:

retrieving vertex data representative of a location of a distal tip of the therapy element from the implantable medical device;

retrieving an angle value for the therapy element relative to the location of the distal tip from the implantable medical device; and

retrieving an indication of at least one of an axial rotation and an orientation of the therapy element from the implantable medical device.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the therapy element comprises a lead, and wherein storing the information representative of the location of the therapy element comprises:

storing vertex data representative of centers of electrodes along the lead to the implantable medical device.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a processor to:

retrieve graphics processing data from an implantable medical device that is not configured to perform a rendering process using the graphics processing data, wherein the implantable medical device is associated with at least one of delivering therapy and sensing a physiological signal at a therapy target of a patient;

apply the graphics processing data while performing the rendering process to generate an image of an anatomical feature of the patient, wherein the anatomical feature comprises the therapy target for the implantable medical device; and

cause a display unit comprising a user interface to display the image, wherein the image of the anatomical feature is specific to the patient.

17. A device comprising:

means for retrieving graphics processing data from an implantable medical device that is not configured to perform a rendering process using the graphics processing data, wherein the implantable medical device is associated with at least one of delivering therapy and sensing a physiological signal at a therapy target of a patient;

means for applying the graphics processing data while performing the rendering process to generate an image of an anatomical feature of the patient, wherein the anatomical feature comprises a therapy target for the implantable medical device; and

means for displaying the image, wherein the image of the anatomical feature is specific to the patient.

18. An implantable medical device comprising:

a therapy unit configured to perform at least one of delivery of therapy and sensing of a physiological signal at a therapy target of an anatomical feature of a patient; and

a memory comprising stored data for a program of the implantable medical device and graphics processing data, wherein the graphics processing data comprises data that, when applied during a rendering process, produces an image of the anatomical feature of the patient,

wherein the implantable medical device is not configured to perform the rendering process using the graphics processing data.