World wide patient location and data telemetry system for implantable medical devices

• US 6,292,698 B1
• Filed: 03/20/1998
• Issued: 09/18/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Remote Biomedical Tech, LLC
• Original Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Duffin, Edwin G., Haubrich, Gregory J., Goedeke, Steven D., Thompson, David L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Getzow, Scott M.
• Application Number:
  US09/045,275
• Time in Patent Office: 1,278 Days
• Field of Search: 607/32, 607/60, 128/904, 128/903
• US Class Current: 607/32
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1112 Global tracking of patients, e.g. by using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37282 characterised by communication with experts in remote locations using a network
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A system for communicating with a medical device implanted in an ambulatory patient and for locating the patient in order to selectively monitor device function, alter device operating parameters and modes and provide emergency assistance to and communications with a patient. The implanted device includes a telemetry transceiver for communicating data and operating instructions between the implanted device and an external patient communications control device that is either worn by or located in proximity to the patient within the implanted device transceiving range. The control device preferably includes a communication link with a remote medical support network, a global positioning satellite receiver for receiving positioning data identifying the global position of the control device, and a patient activated link for permitting patient initiated personal communication with the medical support network. A system controller in the control device controls data and voice communications for selectively transmitting patient initiated personal communications and global positioning data to the medical support network, for initiating telemetry out of data and operating commands from the implanted device and transmission of the same to the medical support network, and for receiving and initiating re-programming of the implanted device operating modes and parameters in response to instructions received from the medical support network. The communications link between the medical support network and the patient communications control device may comprise a world wide satellite network, hard-wired telephone network, a cellular telephone network or other personal communications system.

Claims

1. A system for facilitating remote communication with an Implantable Medical Device (IMD) implanted in a patient, comprising:

a first communication device included within the IMD; and

a second communication device located outside the patient'"'"'s body including a first circuit to communicate with the first communication device and a second circuit to establish communication with an E-911 monitoring station in response to the occurrence of one or more predetermined events indicative of the condition of the patient, wherein the E-911 monitoring station is a facility that is capable of establishing the location of, and dispatching emergency services to, the patient.

2. The syste of claim 1, wherein the first communication device is a telemetry transceiver.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the second communication device includes a patient communication device to receive patient voice and data communications from the patient, and to provide the patient voice and data communications to the E-911 monitoring station.

4. The system of claim 1, and further including a patient communication device located in proximity to the second communication device to receive patient voice and data communications from the patient, and to provide the patient voice and data communications to the second communication device to be forwarded by the second communication device to the E-911 monitoring station.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the patient communication device is adapted to be worn on the patient'"'"'s body.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the second circuit is adapted to perform the communication with the E-911 monitoring station via a cellular telephone network.

7. The system of claim 1 or claim 4, wherein the second communication device includes a circuit to receive voice and/or data from the E-911 monitoring station.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the second communication device includes a circuit to transfer data received from the E-911 monitoring station to the first communication device to facilitate patient treatment.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the second communication device includes a circuit to provide voice data received from the E-911 monitoring station to the patient, and to facilitate two-way communication between the patient and the E-911 monitoring station.

10. The system of claim 1, and further including a storage device located in the IMD to store patient data, the first communication device being adapted to transfer the patient data to the second communication device to be forwarded by the second communication device to the E-911 monitoring station.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the first circuit is a two-way telemetry transceiver.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the second communication device includes a GPS receiver to receive patient positioning data from an earth satellite to be forwarded by the second communication device to the E-911 monitoring station to confirm the location of the patient.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the GPS receiver includes a circuit to allow the GPS receiver to be selectively activated by a command received by the second communication device from the E-911 monitoring station.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the IMD includes a motion detection device to provide motion detection information to the second communication device to enhance the patient positioning data provided by the second communication device to the E-911 monitoring station.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the first communication device is coupled to a control circuit to selectively initiate communication between the first communication device and the second communication device.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the implantable medical device includes at least one sensor for sensing conditions within the patient'"'"'s body, and wherein the control circuit includes means to selectively initiate communication between the first communication device and the second communication device based on the state of one or more predetermined ones of the sensed conditions.

17. A communication service that may be subscribed to by a patient or a multi-care provider in which an implantable medical device (IMD) implanted in a patient is enabled to communicate with remote emergency services to dispense needed medical assistance to the location of the patient, the service comprising:

providing communication with the IMD;

providing an E-911 system in remote communication with a device on the patient; and

establishing a communication scheme between the IMD and the device on the patient to thereby provide a continuous access to the E-911 system upon detection of a predetermined event indicative of the need for medical assistance.

18. The service of claim 17, wherein the device on the patient is capable of receiving patient voice and data communications that may be transferred to the E-911 system.

19. The service of claim 17, wherein the communication between the E-911 system and the device on the patient is performed via a cellular telephone network.

20. The service of claim 17, wherein the device on the patient is capable of receiving voice data from the E-911 system.

21. The service of claim 17, wherein the device on the patient is capable of providing two-way communication between the patient and the E-911 system.

22. The service of claim 17, and further including providing patient positioning data from a satellite to the E-911 system.

23. The service of claim 22, and further including providing a motion detector located within the IMD to enhance the patient positioning data from the satellite.

24. The service of claim 17, wherein the predetermined event indicative of the need for medical assistance is a patient-initiated call to the E-911 system.

25. The service of claim 17, wherein the predetermined event indicative of the need for medical assistance is a physiological event detected by the IMD.