Apparatus and methods for wireless communication via electrical pulses conducted by the interstitial tissues of the body for an active implantable medical device

• US 8,447,412 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2011
• Issued: 05/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sorin CRM USA (MicroPort Scientific Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sorin CRM USA (MicroPort Scientific Corp.)
• Inventors: Dal Molin, Renzo, Ghildiyal, Ashutosh
• Primary Examiner(s): Layno, Carl H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Morales, Jon Eric C
• Application Number:
  US13/245,155
• Publication Number:
  US 20120078322A1
• Time in Patent Office: 603 Days
• Field of Search: 607 42- 46, 607 32- 37, 607 59- 60, 607 5- 9
• US Class Current: 607/60
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/162 Capsule shaped sensor housings, e.g. for swallowing or implantation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0028 Body tissue as transmission medium, i.e. transmission systems where the medium is the human body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0031 Implanted circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0215 by means inserted into the body catheters A61M25/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1118 Determining activity level
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14542 for measuring blood gases A61B5/14551 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/283 Invasive
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/29 for permanent or long-term implantation
• 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 1/3727 characterised by the modulation technique
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37288 Communication to several implantable medical devices within one patient
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 13/005 Transmission systems in which the medium consists of the human body

Abstract

An active implantable medical device having wireless communication of data via electrical pulses conducted by the interstitial tissues of the body. This device (12, 14) includes a pair of electrodes (22, 24) and generates pulse trains consisting of a series of electrical pulses applied to the electrodes. The pulse train is modulated by digital information (data) that is produced by the device. A regulated current or voltage source (42) is used to generate (44, 48) current or voltage pulses to form the pulse train. Each current or voltage pulse is a biphasic pulse comprising a positive and negative alternation. The biphasic current or voltage modulated by the digital information, is injected between the electrodes (22, 24) and wirelessly communicated.

Claims

1. An active implantable medical device, comprising means for wireless intracorporeal communication with at least one other active implantable medical device via electrical signals conducted by the interstitial tissues of a patient'"'"'s body comprising:

Means for providing digital information to be communicated;

at least one pair of electrodes

Means for generating a pulse train containing a succession of electrical pulses, said generator means comprising a regulated current source, wherein said pulse train comprises a train of biphasic current pulse produced by said regulated current source, each biphasic pulse comprising a positive and a negative alteration;

Means for modulating the pulse train by said digital information; and

Means for injecting the modulated pulse train between said at least one pair of electrodes;

wherein the modulation means further comprises means for modulating a temporal interval between the pairs of consecutive biphasic current pulses of the biphasic pulse train.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein each positive and negative alternation of a biphasic current pulse comprises a square wave shape.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the negative alternation of the biphasic current pulse follows the positive alternation of that pulse, or vice versa.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the negative and positive alternations of said biphasic current pulse are symmetrical.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein said pulse train comprises an alternation of the sequence of polarities of the alternations from one biphasic pulse to the next, so that a biphasic pulse whose positive alternation precedes the negative alternation is followed by a biphasic pulse whose negative alternation precedes the positive alternation, and vice versa.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the modulation means further comprises means for modulating the pulse width of successive biphasic current pulses of the pulse train.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the modulation means further comprises means for modulating an amplitude of the successive biphasic current pulses of the pulse train.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the biphasic current pulse has a duration between 0.1 and 30 μ

s.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the biphasic current pulse has a duration of 0.5 μ

s.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the biphasic current pulse has a recurrence period of between 2 μ

s and 2 ms.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the recurrence period is 2 μ

s.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the positive and negative alternation of the current pulse each has an amplitude of between 30 μ

A and 20 mA.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the amplitude is 10 mA.