Implantable medical devices storing graphics processing data

• US 8,934,986 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2013
• Issued: 01/13/2015
• 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:
  US13/786,610
• Publication Number:
  US 20130184786A1
• Time in Patent Office: 678 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. A device comprising:

a telemetry module configured to retrieve graphics processing data from an implantable medical device that is not configured to perform a rendering process using the graphics processing data and that is configured to at least one of deliver therapy and sense a physiological signal at a therapy target of a patient; and

a control unit, communicatively coupled to the telemetry module, and configured to receive the graphics processing data from the telemetry module, 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 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.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the device from which the graphics processing data is retrieved comprises the implantable medical device.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the device from which the graphics processing data is retrieved comprises a patient programmer device associated with the implantable medical device.

4. 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, and wherein the control unit is configured to render 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.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the graphics processing data comprises one or more transforms, and wherein to apply the graphics processing data, the control unit is configured to obtain 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, apply 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 render the patient-specific model to produce pixel data for the image representative of the patient-specific model.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the telemetry unit is configured to retrieve information representative of a location of a therapy element at the therapy target from the device from which the graphics processing data was retrieved, 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, and wherein the control unit is configured to produce 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.

7. The device of claim 6, 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, an angle value for the therapy element relative to the location of the distal tip;

and an indication of at least one of an axial rotation and an orientation of the therapy element.

8. The device of claim 6, 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.

9. A system comprising:

an implantable medical device comprising a memory that stores graphics processing data, wherein the implantable medical device is configured to at least one of deliver therapy and sense a physiological signal at a therapy target of a patient, and wherein the implantable medical device is not configured to perform a rendering process using the graphics processing data; and

an image manipulation device comprising;

a telemetry module configured to retrieve the graphics processing data from the memory of the implantable medical device; and

a control unit, communicatively coupled to the telemetry module, and configured to receive the graphics processing data from the telemetry module, to perform the rendering process, 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 the implantable medical device, and to cause a user interface of a display unit to display the image, wherein the image of the anatomical feature is specific to the patient.