Adjustment of posture-responsive therapy

• US 8,886,302 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2009
• Issued: 11/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Skelton, Dennis M., Davis, Jon P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Schaetzle, Kennedy
• Application Number:
  US12/433,684
• Publication Number:
  US 20100010572A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,021 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 607/2
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0219 of externally powered implanted units
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1116 Determining posture transitions
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1118 Determining activity level
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/686 Permanently implanted devices, e.g. pacemakers, other stimulators, biochips A61B5/6861 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/743 Displaying an image simultaneously with additional graphical information, e.g. symbols, charts, function plots
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/054 with electrotherapy
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/62 Posture
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 37/00 Other apparatus for introducing media into the body for reproduction or fertilisation A61B17/425; apparatus for iontophoresis or cataphoresis A61N1/30; Percutany, i.e. introducing medicines into the body by diffusion through the skin salt baths A61H33/04
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/14276 specially adapted for implantation
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/1723 using feedback of body parameters, e.g. blood-sugar, pressure measurement of body parameters A61B5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36071 Pain
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36132 using patient feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36135 using physiological parameters
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36535 controlled by body position or posture
• 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 40/63 for local operation

Abstract

In general, the disclosure relates to the delivery of therapy according to a detected posture state of a patient. The disclosure contemplates a variety of techniques for managing therapy delivered to a patent. In one example, the disclosure relates to a technique including delivering therapy to a patient from a medical device, wherein the therapy is delivered to the patient according to a detected posture state of the patient; and automatically adjusting at least one aspect of the therapy delivered from a medical device based at least in part on one or more of time or patient posture state behavior, wherein automatically adjusting at least one aspect of therapy comprises suspending at least one aspect of the therapy or decreasing a posture state detection frequency.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

controlling delivery of therapy to a patient from a medical device, wherein the therapy is delivered to the patient according to a detected posture state of the patient; and

automatically adjusting at least one aspect of the therapy delivered from a medical device based at least in part on one or more of time or patient posture state behavior,

wherein automatically adjusting at least one aspect of therapy comprises suspending posture state detection or decreasing a posture state detection frequency.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically adjusting at least one aspect of therapy comprises suspending posture state detection.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically adjusting at least one aspect of therapy comprises suspending delivery of therapy to the patient but not suspending posture state detection.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically adjusting at least one aspect of therapy comprises suspending all delivery of therapy to the patient.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the time; and

comparing the determined time to automatic adjustment time information,

wherein automatically adjusting at least one aspect of the therapy delivered from a medical device based at least in part on time comprises automatically adjusting at least one aspect of the therapy delivered from a medical device based at least in part on the comparison of the determined time to the automatic adjustment time information.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the automatic adjustment time information comprises one or more automatic adjustment time periods.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining an amount of time the patient has occupied a current posture state; and

comparing the amount of time the patient has occupied a current posture state to automatic adjustment time information,

wherein automatically adjusting at least one aspect of the therapy delivered from a medical device based at least in part on patient posture state behavior comprises automatically adjusting at least one aspect of the therapy delivered from a medical device based at least in part on the comparison of the amount of time the patient has occupied a current posture state to the automatic adjustment time information.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the current posture state comprises a plurality of individual posture states.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically adjusting at least one aspect of therapy further comprises resuming the posture state detection or increasing the posture state detection frequency.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring one or more posture sensor signal outputs; and

automatically increasing the detection frequency based on the one or more posture sensor signal outputs.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically adjusting at least one aspect of therapy comprises decreasing the posture state detection frequency, and wherein decreasing the posture state detection frequency comprises decreasing one or more of a posture sensor sampling frequency or posture state calculation frequency.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically adjusting at least one aspect of therapy comprises suspending the posture state detection.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically adjusting at least one aspect of therapy comprises decreasing a posture state detection frequency.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein controlling delivery of therapy to the patient from the medical device comprises controlling delivery of therapy to the patient from the medical device via a processor of an external programmer.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein controlling delivery of therapy to the patient from the medical device comprises controlling delivery of therapy to the patient from the medical device via a processor of the medical device.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically adjusting at least one aspect of the therapy delivered from the medical device based at least in part on one or more of time or patient posture state behavior comprises automatically adjusting at least one aspect of the therapy delivered from the medical device based at least in part on time and patient posture state behavior.

17. A system comprising:

a timing unit configured to determine time; and

a processor configured to control a therapy module to deliver therapy to a patient according to a detected posture state of the patient, and automatically adjust at least one aspect of the therapy delivered from a medical device based at least in part on one or more of time or patient posture state behavior,

wherein the processor at least one of suspends posture state detection or decreases a posture state detection frequency to automatically adjust the at least one aspect of the therapy.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the processor is configured to suspend posture state detection to automatically adjust the at least one aspect of the therapy.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the processor suspends delivery of therapy to the patient but does not suspend posture state detection to automatically adjust the at least one aspect of the therapy.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the processor suspends all delivery of therapy to the patient to automatically adjust the at least one aspect of the therapy.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the processor is configured to compare the time determined via the timing unit to automatic adjustment time information, and automatically adjust at least one aspect of the therapy delivered from a medical device based at least in part on the comparison of the determined time to the automatic adjustment time information.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the automatic adjustment time information comprises one or more automatic adjustment time periods.

23. The system of claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to determine an amount of time the patient has occupied a current posture state, compare the amount of time the patient has occupied a current posture state to automatic adjustment time information, and automatically adjust at least one aspect of the therapy delivered from a medical device based at least in part on the comparison.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the current posture state comprises a plurality of individual posture states.

25. The system of claim 17, wherein the processor resumes the posture state detection or increases the posture state detection frequency to automatically adjust at least one aspect of the therapy.

26. The system of claim 17, wherein the processor is configured to monitor one or more posture sensor signal outputs, and automatically increase the detection frequency based on the one or more posture state signal outputs.

27. The system of claim 17, wherein the processor is configured to decrease the posture state detection frequency to automatically adjust the at least one aspect of the therapy, and wherein the processor is configured to decrease one or more of a posture sensor sampling frequency or posture state calculation frequency to decrease the posture state detection frequency.

28. The system of claim 17, wherein the processor, to automatically adjust the at least one aspect of the therapy, decreases a posture state detection frequency.

29. The system of claim 17, wherein the processor, to automatically adjust the at least one aspect of the therapy, suspends the posture state detection.

30. The system of claim 17, further comprising an external programming device, wherein the external programming device comprises the processor.

31. The system of claim 17, further comprising an implantable medical device, wherein the implantable medical device comprises the processor and therapy delivery module.

32. The system of claim 17, further comprising the therapy delivery module.

33. The system of claim 17, wherein, to automatically adjust at least one aspect of the therapy delivered from the medical device based at least in part on one or more of time or patient posture state behavior, the processor is configured to automatically adjust at least one aspect of the therapy delivered from the medical device based at least in part on time and patient posture state behavior.

34. A system comprising:

means for delivering therapy to a patient from a medical device, wherein the therapy is delivered to the patient according to a detected posture state of the patient; and

means for automatically adjusting at least one aspect of the therapy delivered from a medical device based at least in part on one or more of time or patient posture state behavior,

wherein automatically adjusting at least one aspect of therapy comprises suspending posture state detection or decreasing a posture state detection frequency.

35. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions for causing one or more processors to:

control delivery of therapy to a patient from a medical device, wherein the therapy is delivered to the patient according to a detected posture state of the patient; and

automatically adjust at least one aspect of the therapy delivered from a medical device based at least in part on one or more of time or patient posture state behavior,

wherein the instructions may cause the one or more processor to suspend posture state detection or decrease a posture state detection frequency to automatically adjust at least one aspect of the therapy.