Systems and methods for monitoring a patient's neurological disease state

• US 9,375,573 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2005
• Issued: 06/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cyberonics, Inc
• Original Assignee: Cyberonics, Inc
• Inventors: Dilorenzo, Daniel John
• Primary Examiner(s): GETZOW, SCOTT M
• Application Number:
  US11/234,873
• Publication Number:
  US 20060224191A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,931 Days
• Field of Search: 607/45, 600/544, 600/545
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0529 Electrodes for brain stimulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3605 Implantable neurostimulators for stimulating central or peripheral nerve system
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36064 Epilepsy
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36067 Movement disorders, e.g. tremor or Parkinson disease stimulating motor muscle A61N1/36003
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36082 Cognitive or psychiatric applications, e.g. dementia or Alzheimer's disease

Abstract

The present invention provides a system for providing neurological disease state information to a patient. The system comprises one or more sensors that sense at least one signal that comprise feature(s) that are indicative of a neurological disease state. A signal processing assembly is in communication with the one or more sensors and processes the at least one signal to estimate the neurological disease state. A patient interface module is in communication with the signal processing assembly and communicates with a patient an output that is indicative of the patient'"'"'s estimated neurological disease state.

Claims

1. A method of estimating a neurological disease state of a patient, the method comprising:

sensing at least one motion parameter from the patient using an accelerometer communicating with the patient, the accelerometer being coupled to a circuit provided in an enclosure;

processing the at least one motion parameter using a disease state processor, the disease state processor primarily using the at least one motion parameter to estimate the patient'"'"'s neurological disease state;

communicating a first output to the patient using a patient interface module external to the patient, the first output being indicative of a comparison of the estimated neurological disease state and a reference target disease state;

storing the estimated neurological disease state in a memory; and

communicating a second output to a supervisory module device separate from the patient interface module.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said processing comprises using the disease state processor to estimate a future neurological disease state of the patient.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said processing the at least one motion parameter is performed within an implanted device.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said processing is carried out in an implanted signal processing assembly, the method further comprising:

percutaneously transmitting a processed signal from the signal processing assembly to the patient interface module.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the first output is provided to the patient in real-time.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the first output is further indicative of a response to therapy of the patient.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

delivering a therapy to the patient that is based at least in part on the estimated neurological disease state.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the therapy comprises delivery of a neuromodulation signal.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the therapy comprises delivery of a medication.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the therapy comprises delivery of an electrical signal.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein the neuromodulation signal is delivered to a nervous system component.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein the neuromodulation signal is delivered to one or more peripheral nerves.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the one or more peripheral nerves comprises a vagus nerve.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

utilizing of said supervisory module by a health care provider to adjust therapy parameters, wherein use of said patient interface module is restricted to monitoring operations.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said utilizing of said supervisory module comprises utilizing of said supervisory module by a health care provider to adjust stimulation parameters.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein said utilizing of said supervisory module comprises utilizing of said supervisory module by a health care provider to adjust control parameters.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the enclosure is disposed on the skin of the patient'"'"'s torso.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein the accelerometer is configured to sense movement of the patient'"'"'s torso.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the accelerometer is configured to sense patient respiration.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein the accelerometer is one of a plurality of accelerometers.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein the disease state estimator further uses a physiologic parameter to estimate the patient'"'"'s neurological disease state, the physiologic parameter being provided by a physiological sensor communicating with the patient.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the physiological sensor is configured to sense patient respiration.