Associating therapy adjustments with intended patient posture states

• US 8,515,549 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2009
• Issued: 08/20/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Panken, Eric J., Skelton, Dennis M.
• Primary Examiner(s): DOUGHERTY, SEAN PATRICK
• Application Number:
  US12/433,756
• Publication Number:
  US 20100010388A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,573 Days
• Field of Search: 600/300, 600/301, 600/587, 600/595, 607/2, 607/7, 607/9, 607/17, 607/18, 607/19, 607/27, 607/48, 607/62
• US Class Current: 607/62
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0219 of externally powered implanted units
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/103 Detecting, measuring or recording devices for testing the shape, pattern, colour, size or movement of the body or parts thereof, for diagnostic purposes A61B5/08 takes precedence; measuring aids for tailors A41H1/00; measuring instruments specially adapted for dentistry A61C19/04
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1116 Determining posture transitions
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/686 Permanently implanted devices, e.g. pacemakers, other stimulators, biochips A61B5/6861 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36071 Pain
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36139 with automatic adjustment
• 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: G16H 20/40 relating to mechanical, radiation or invasive therapies, e.g. surgery, laser therapy, dialysis or acupuncture
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation

Abstract

The disclosure described techniques for associating therapy adjustments with intended patient posture states. The techniques may include receiving a patient therapy adjustment to a parameter of a therapy program that defines electrical stimulation therapy delivered to the patient, identifying a posture state of the patient, and associating the patient therapy adjustment with the posture state when the patient therapy adjustment is within a range determined based on stored adjustment information for the identified posture state.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a patient therapy adjustment to a parameter of electrical stimulation therapy delivered to the patient;

identifying a posture state of the patient; and

associating, by a processor, the patient therapy adjustment with the posture state when the patient therapy adjustment is within a range determined based on stored adjustment information for the identified posture state.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating the therapy adjustment with the identified posture state when the therapy adjustment is outside of the range based on confirmation that the therapy adjustment is associated with the identified posture state.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising receiving the confirmation from the patient.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising prompting the patient to confirm or reject the association via a user interface.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjustment information includes previous patient therapy adjustments for the program and the posture state, the method further comprising determining the range to be inclusive of at least a subset of the previous patient therapy adjustments for the program and the posture state.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising setting a minimum value of the range to a lowest value of the previous patient therapy adjustments and setting a maximum value of the range to a highest value of the previous patient therapy adjustments.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the range includes an upper threshold determined by an average of highest values of the previous patient therapy adjustments, and a lower threshold determined by an average of lowest values of the previous patient therapy adjustments.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising determining the range based at least in part on a weighted average of previous patient therapy adjustments, wherein more recent therapy adjustments are weighted more highly than less recent therapy adjustments.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the posture state comprises identifying the posture state if the posture state does not change for a predetermined period of time following sensing of the posture state.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising updating the range based on a newly received patient therapy adjustment.

32. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the patient therapy adjustment comprises receiving, by an implantable medical device, the adjustment from an external programmer.

33. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the patient therapy adjustment comprises receiving, by an external programmer, the adjustment from a user interface of the external programmer.

11. A system comprising:

a user interface that receives a patient therapy adjustment to a parameter of electrical stimulation therapy delivered to the patient; and

a processor that;

identifies a posture state of the patient; and

associates the patient therapy adjustment with the posture state when the patient therapy adjustment is within a range determined based on stored adjustment information for the identified posture state.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor associates the therapy adjustment with the identified posture state when the therapy adjustment is outside of the range based on confirmation that the therapy adjustment is associated with the identified posture state.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the user interface receives the confirmation from the patient.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the user interface prompts the patient to confirm or reject the association via a user interface.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the adjustment information includes previous patient therapy adjustments for the program and the posture state, and the processor determines the range to be inclusive of at least a subset of the previous patient therapy adjustments for the program and the posture state.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor sets a minimum value of the range to a lowest value of the previous patient therapy adjustments and sets a maximum value of the range to a highest value of the previous patient therapy adjustments.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the range includes an upper threshold determined by an average of highest values of the previous patient therapy adjustments, and a lower threshold determined by an average of lowest values of the previous patient therapy adjustments.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor determines the range based at least in part on a weighted average of previous patient therapy adjustments, wherein more recent therapy adjustments are weighted more highly than less recent therapy adjustments.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor identifies the posture state if the posture state does not change for a predetermined period of time following sensing of the posture state.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor updates the range based on a newly received patient therapy adjustment.

21. The system of claim 11, further comprising an implantable medical device that delivers the defined stimulation therapy to the patient.

34. The system of claim 11, further comprising an implantable medical device that houses the processor.

35. The system of claim 11, further comprising an external programmer comprising the user interface and the processor.

22. A system comprising:

means for receiving a patient therapy adjustment to a parameter of electrical stimulation therapy delivered to the patient;

means for identifying a posture state of the patient; and

means for associating the patient therapy adjustment with the posture state when the patient therapy adjustment is within a range determined based on stored adjustment information for the identified posture state.

23. The system of claim 22, further comprising means for associating the therapy adjustment with the identified posture state when the therapy adjustment is outside of the range based on confirmation that the therapy adjustment is associated with the identified posture state.

24. The system of claim 23, further comprising means for receiving the confirmation from the patient.

25. The system of claim 24, further comprising means for prompting the patient to confirm or reject the association via a user interface.

26. The system of claim 22, wherein the adjustment information includes previous patient therapy adjustments for the program and the posture state, the system further comprising means for determining the range to be inclusive of at least a subset of the previous patient therapy adjustments for the program and the posture state.

27. The system of claim 26, further comprising means for setting a minimum value of the range to a lowest value of the previous patient therapy adjustments and means for setting a maximum value of the range to a highest value of the previous patient therapy adjustments.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein the range includes an upper threshold determined by an average of highest values of the previous patient therapy adjustments, and a lower threshold determined by an average of lowest values of the previous patient therapy adjustments.

29. The system of claim 26, further comprising means for determining the range based at least in part on a weighted average of previous patient therapy adjustments, wherein more recent therapy adjustments are weighted more highly than less recent therapy adjustments.

30. The system of claim 22, wherein identifying the posture state comprises means for identifying the posture state if the posture state does not change for a predetermined period of time following sensing of the posture state.

31. The system of claim 22, further comprising means for updating the range based on a newly received patient therapy adjustment.