Remote control data management with correlation of patient condition to stimulation settings and/or with clinical mode providing a mismatch between settings and interface data

• US 8,751,008 B2
• Filed: 08/09/2012
• Issued: 06/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Boston Scientific Neuromodulation Corporation (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Boston Scientific Neuromodulation Corporation (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Carlton, Keith, Carcieri, Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): Koharski, Christopher D
• Assistant Examiner(s): CAREY, MICHAEL JAMES
• Application Number:
  US13/571,119
• Publication Number:
  US 20130204327A1
• Time in Patent Office: 670 Days
• Field of Search: 607/59, 607/116
• US Class Current: 607/59
• 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: G16H 20/30 relating to physical therapies or activities, e.g. physiotherapy, acupressure or exercising
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation

Abstract

A remote control device communicatively coupled to an implanted stimulation device displays representations of modifications to stimulation settings of the implanted stimulation device according to setting change instructions input by a user, without the instructed change being implemented at the implanted stimulation device. The remote control includes an input component(s) for input of patient condition information correlated to settings of the implanted stimulation device. The implanted stimulation device cycles through stimulation programs without the remote control device indicating the changes and while the remote control device receives input of patient condition information.

Claims

1. An interface device comprising:

a processor;

a user input device; and

a display device;

wherein;

the processor is configured to perform the following in response to user input that is received via the user input device and that is an instruction to change a setting of an implanted stimulation device;

update a graphical user interface displayed in the display device to indicate that the instructed change has been effected, without the setting of the implanted stimulation device being changed; and

the interface device is;

communicatively coupled to the implanted stimulation device, and is configured such that the interface device does not instruct the implanted stimulation device to effect the instructed change in response to the user input instruction; and

configured to obtain at least one of upper and lower bounds for the setting, the refraining by the interface device from instructing the implanted stimulation device to effect the user input instructed change being according to a condition that the instructed change is to modify the setting to be at a value that does not meet the at least one of the upper and lower bounds.

2. The interface device of claim 1, further comprising:

a charger configured to charge a battery of the implanted stimulation device, wherein, while an actual battery charge level of the implanted stimulation device is fully charged, the processor is configured to;

display in the display device an indication of a battery charge level that is less than the actual battery charge level; and

responsive to use of the charger to charge the battery of the implanted stimulation device, modify the display to show a gradual increase to the battery charge level.

3. The interface device of claim 1, wherein the interface device is configured for placement in a clinical mode and a programming mode, the refraining by the interface device from instructing the implanted stimulation device to effect the user input instructed change being conditional upon that the interface device is in the clinical mode when the user input instruction is received.

4. The interface device of claim 1, wherein the instructed change is a change to at least one of a pulse width, a current amplitude, a polarity, and a power amplitude of at least one electrode.

5. The interface device of claim 1, wherein the update includes modification to at least one of a battery power indication and a battery life indication of the implanted stimulation device.

6. The interface device of claim 5, wherein the instruction is to increase a power output of the implanted stimulation device, and the update includes decreasing a value of the battery life indication.

7. The interface device of claim 5, wherein the instruction is to increase a power output of the implanted stimulation device, and the update includes modification of the battery life indication to indicate a shorter battery life than indicated prior to the modification.

8. The interface device of claim 1, wherein the update includes modification to a position of a current field relative to a representation of an implanted electrode leadwire.

9. The interface device of claim 8, wherein the instruction is to shift the current field.

10. The interface device of claim 9, wherein the user input device includes a plurality of arrows, selection of each of which is interpreted as a respective instruction to shift the current field in a respective direction.

11. The interface device of claim 1, wherein the implanted stimulation device is an implanted pulse generator (IPG) for an implanted leadwire.

12. An interface device comprising:

a processor;

a user input device; and

a display device;

wherein;

the processor is configured to perform the following in response to user input that is received via the user input device and that is an instruction to change a setting of an implanted stimulation device;

update a graphical user interface displayed in the display device to indicate that the instructed change has been effected, without the setting of the implanted stimulation device being changed; and

the interface device is;

communicatively coupled to the implanted stimulation device, and is configured such that the interface device does not instruct the implanted stimulation device to effect the instructed change in response to the user input instruction; and

configured to obtain an indication of at least one non-permitted value for the setting, the refraining by the interface device from instructing the implanted stimulation device to effect the user input instructed change being according to a condition that the instructed change is to modify the setting to be at one of the at least one non-permitted values.

13. The interface device of claim 12, wherein the indication of the at least one non-permitted value for the setting is received from a remote device that includes a user input device via which user input of the indication of the at least one non-permitted value is received.

14. The interface device of claim 12, wherein the indication of the at least one non-permitted value for the setting is received from the implanted stimulation device.

15. An interface device comprising:

a processor;

a user input device; and

a display device;

wherein;

the processor is configured to perform the following in response to user input that is received via the user input device and that is an instruction to change a setting of an implanted stimulation device;

update a graphical user interface displayed in the display device to indicate that the instructed change has been effected, without the setting of the implanted stimulation device being changed;

the interface device is communicatively coupled to the implanted stimulation device;

the processor is further configured to, in response to the user input, transmit the instruction to the implanted stimulation device; and

the implanted stimulation device to which the interface device transmits the instruction is one that is configured to;

obtain an indication of at least one non-permitted value for the setting; and

ignore the instruction from the interface device, so that the instructed change is not effected, the ignoring of the instruction being according to a condition that the instructed change is to modify the setting to be at one of the at least one non-permitted values.

16. An interface device comprising:

a processor; and

a display device;

wherein the processor is configured to display in the display device a graphical user interface indicating a battery life of an implanted stimulation device that is capable of delivering an electrical stimulation therapy, the indicated battery life being modified by the processor over time to reflect battery life changes calculated to occur when the implanted stimulation device is set to a first stimulation program, the display being provided while the implanted stimulation device is set at a second stimulation program at which the changes are not calculated to occur, wherein, when the battery life is calculated to be low, the processor is configured to output a warning indicating that battery life is below a threshold at which a recharge is recommended.

17. The interface device of claim 16, wherein the interface device includes a charger for charging the implanted stimulation device, and is configured to display output indicating a gradual recharge of the implanted stimulation device by the charger while the implanted stimulation device is already fully charged and not being recharged by the charger.

18. An interface device comprising:

a processor;

a user input device; and

a display device;

wherein;

the processor is configured to;

display in the display device on-settings of a first stimulation program of an implanted stimulation device indicating a present application of the first stimulation program throughout a time period during which settings of the implanted stimulation device vary between (a) at least one of the on-settings of the first stimulation program to perform a first stimulation and on-settings of a second stimulation program to perform a second stimulation, and (b) at least one of on-settings of a third stimulation program to perform a third stimulation and an off setting during which the implanted stimulation device does not perform any stimulation; and

receive via the user input device feedback on an effect of stimulation caused by the implanted stimulation device during the time period.

19. The interface device of claim 18, wherein the processor is configured to transmit the feedback to a server.

20. The interface device of claim 18, wherein the settings of the implanted stimulation device is modified based on the feedback.

21. The interface device of claim 18, further comprising:

at least one sensor that detects indicators of at least one of motor skill and cognitive functioning during the time period.

22. The interface device of claim 18, wherein the settings of the implanted stimulation device cycles through at least two stimulation programs and the off setting.

23. A computer-implemented method comprising:

recording, by a computer processor and in a memory device, a time-stamped log of patient-condition information;

recording, by the computer processor, time-stamped information of settings of an implanted stimulation device;

correlating, by the computer processor, different subsets of the time-stamped log of patient-condition information with different ones of the settings based on the time stamps of the log and the time stamps of the information of the settings; and

based on the correlation, automatically modifying, by the processor, the settings.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the time-stamped information of settings is recorded at predetermined intervals.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein respective portions of the time-stamped information of settings are recorded responsive to respective modifications to the settings.

29. The method of claim 23, further comprising, based on the correlation, outputting, by the processor, a report on effects of the settings on patient condition.

26. A computer-implemented method comprising:

recording, by a computer processor and in a memory device, a time-stamped log of patient-condition information;

recording, by the computer processor, time-stamped information of groups of settings of an implanted stimulation device;

outputting a graph representing changes to one or more patient conditions indicated by the patient-condition information, the graph being presented against a timeline based on the time-stamped log; and

outputting identifications of the settings against the timeline based on the time-stamped information, such that different ones of the groups of settings are displayed at different points along the timeline, the different points representing different ones of the time-stamped times.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the time-stamped information of settings is recorded at predetermined intervals.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein respective portions of the time-stamped information of settings are recorded responsive to respective modifications to the settings.