Medical accessory proximity testing, detection, and alerting system

• US 8,855,782 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2010
• Issued: 10/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Angel Medical Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Angel Medical Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Keenan, David, John, Michael Sasha
• Primary Examiner(s): Kahelin, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): FAIRCHILD, MALLIKA DIPAYAN
• Application Number:
  US12/817,506
• Publication Number:
  US 20110313493A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,573 Days
• Field of Search: 607 55- 57, 607/60, 607/31, 607/32, 702/182, 702/188, 340/539.23, 340/539.12, 340/539.14, 340/539.21, 340/539, 340/573, 340/571, 340/539.2
• US Class Current: 607/60
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0271 using a remote monitoring unit
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0031 Implanted circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/055 involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/333 Recording apparatus specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7221 Determining signal validity, reliability or quality A61B5/7207 and A61B5/7217 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/742 using visual displays A61B5/339 takes precedence
• 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 1/37254 Pacemaker or defibrillator security, e.g. to prevent or inhibit programming alterations by hackers or unauthorised individuals
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

Disclosed is a system having an implanted component and external component which are configured to provide a test of wireless communication in order to assess the success or failure of such communication and to store attributes related to such test in a memory log. To provide the communication test the implantable and external components can attempt wireless communication according to communication test parameters which relate to number of times to retry communication, duration of sending communication test signals, durations of waiting for communication test signals and the schedule of the communication tests. The schedule of tests may be periodic or may change over time in order to become more or less frequent according to a programmable schedule that may also decrease if the communication tests are successful and indicate patient compliance in keeping the external components close by. The communication tests can assist in determining if the patient is maintaining external components within a suggested proximity (e.g. 6 feet) of the patient and may assist to determine if transmission or reception difficulties are the source of communication failure. A physician programmer can provide for programming, conducting, summarizing and assessing the results of communication tests.

Claims

1. A medical device system for monitoring a condition of a patient the system comprising:

an implantable medical device comprising a transceiver, a random access memory, and a processor coupled to the transceiver and the random access memory, wherein the processor is configured to;

wirelessly transmit a plurality of proximity test signals as part of a proximity test protocol;

determine for each of the plurality of proximity tests whether a response has been received from an external device within a certain time after sending the corresponding proximity signal, thereby generating a plurality of proximity test results which include a time stamp of each of said proximity test signals sent, whether said external device has received said proximity test signals and the number of times said proximity test signals were sent during a time interval;

apply a test to the plurality of proximity test results to determine whether a proximity failure condition, or pass condition, exists;

whereby when either a proximity failure condition or a pass condition exists, create a plurality of records in the random access memory for both proximity pass or failure conditions including the test results reflecting whether a patient is maintaining the external device in sufficient proximity to the implantable medical device during said interval; and

store the plurality of records as to both the pass and the proximity failure conditions of the proximity test signals to be displayed for aiding in the determination of non-modification or modification to the patient'"'"'s activities based upon the test results.

2. The medical device system according to claim 1 wherein the test is whether a predetermined number of consecutive proximity failure condition test results indicate test failure.

3. The medical device system according to claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to issue notification if the number of proximity failures in the random access memory meets a selected first proximity test criterion.

4. The medical device system according to claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to perform the proximity test at selected intervals.

5. The medical device system according to claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to perform the proximity test at programmable intervals.

6. The medical device system according to claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to perform the proximity test at programmable intervals which are adjusted according to a schedule which varies over a selected interval.

7. The medical device system according to claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to perform the proximity test at programmable rates which are adjusted in accordance with proximity test results.