Surgery: light – thermal – and electrical application – Light – thermal – and electrical application – Electrical therapeutic systems
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-14
2001-07-17
Schaetzle, Kennedy (Department: 3762)
Surgery: light, thermal, and electrical application
Light, thermal, and electrical application
Electrical therapeutic systems
C607S030000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06263246
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to diagnostic and therapeutic devices for implant in a patient's body, and more particularly to devices that monitor physiologic parameters and/or provide corrective therapies in conjunction with external monitoring and/or programming devices.
A wide variety of implantable devices have been developed for use in the human body to monitor the patient's condition and/or to treat a patients underlying disease state. Of these, implantable pacemakers are probably the most widely known, but also available are implantable defibrillators, implantable drug delivery devices, implantable nerve and muscle stimulators and a variety of implantable monitors. Most of these devices are used in conjunction with external monitoring and/or programming devices that control the operation of the implanted devices and receive information from the implantable devices. Examples of programmable implantable pacemakers include U.S. Pat. No. 5,456,692, issued to Smith et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,843,138, issued to Evers, U.S. Pat. No. 5,372,607, issued to Stone et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,843,139, issued to Goedeke et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,601,291, issued to Boute et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,693,076, issued to Kaemmerer, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,752,977, issued to Grevious et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,354,319 issued to Wyborny et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,107,833, issued to Barsness et al., all incorporated herein in their entireties. Examples of the various other types of programmable implantable devices listed above include U.S. Pat. No. 5,342,408, issued to DeCoriolis et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,383,909, issued to Keimel, U.S. Pat. No. 4,146,029, issued to Ellinwood, U.S. Pat. No. 4,692,147, issued to Dugan, U.S. Pat. No. 5,662,689, issued to Ellsberry et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,342,409, issued to Mullett and U.S. Pat. No. 5,331,966, issued to Bennett et al., all incorporated herein in their entireties.
In many of the devices described above, activation of telemetry from the implanted device to the associated external device requires placement of a magnet in physical proximity to the device. The same type of magnet may also activate a temporary change in device operation. The best-known example of such an operational mode change is the initiation of asynchronous pacing operation in an implantable pacemaker, enabling the patient or the patient's physician to conveniently determine the present pacing rate. This type of magnetically triggered mode change is also useful in the context of trans-telephonic pacemaker monitoring, allowing the remote monitoring device to record a paced electrogram, if desired.
The requirement of magnetic activation of the device's telemetry function or mode change, while serving as a useful safety feature, does have some drawbacks. First, the magnets employed are typically relatively heavy, high power magnets of a type not typically available other than from the device manufacturer, making them inconvenient and expensive to replace in the event they are lost or broken. This does not pose a problem in the context of programming or monitoring the implanted device using a programmer which employs a programming head placed in proximity to the patient's body, as such programming heads typically include a built-in magnet, typically a permanent magnet. However, as programming systems which employ programming antennas which may be remote from the body are developed, for example as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,113,869, issued to Nappholz et al., U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/302,932, filed on Apr. 30, 1999 by Villaseca et al., for a “Telemetry System for Implantable Medical Devices”, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/302,637, filed on Apr. 30, 1999 by Goedeke, for a “Telemetry System for Implantable Medical Devices”, all incorporated herein in their entireties, a magnet within the programmer is not workable. Second, placement of the magnet in proper orientation and location with regard to the implanted device is sometimes difficult, making the process more cumbersome than might be desirable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed toward providing a mechanism that, in the context of an implantable device, provides the functions typically provided by a magnet and an associated magnetic switch and circuitry within an implantable medical device that overcomes problems as described above. An implantable device according to the present invention is provided with an audio receiver such as a microphone and internal associated circuitry capable of demodulating DTMF tones of the type employed in modem touch-tone telephones. In response to a defined sequence of DTMF tones, the device may initiate telemetry transmission or exhibit a change in the operational mode of the device, as previously accomplished by means of an applied magnet. The device employed to deliver the DTMF tone sequence may be similar to an auto-dialer, of the type available at electronics stores, pre-programmed with one or more sequences of tones. Alternatively, or if the physician provided device is lost or broken, an off the shelf auto-dialer may be employed, with one or more memorized numbers used to activate the device telemetry or to trigger a change in operating mode. Alternatively, the patient's own touch-tone phone preferably a phone with the capability to memorize several phone numbers might be employed.
Because the DTMF tone-generating device (e.g. an auto-dialer) can store multiple sequences of tones, it may be employed to control multiple operational parameters and/or activate device telemetry independently of mode changes, a benefit not typically available using a simple magnet. As an added benefit, the DTMF tone generating device may also have the patient's physician's phone number memorized and may also be used to assist in contacting the physician.
In preferred embodiments of the invention, the implanted device also includes a mechanism for generating audible feedback to indicate to the patient and/or physician that the DTMF tones have been received. For example, the microphone within the device may also serve as a speaker and may be driven by associated audio modulation circuitry within the device. The audio feedback may include differing series of tones, depending on the information to be conveyed.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4146029 (1979-03-01), Ellinwood, Jr.
patent: 4601291 (1986-07-01), Boute et al.
patent: 4692147 (1987-09-01), Duggan
patent: 5107833 (1992-04-01), Barsness
patent: 5113869 (1992-05-01), Nappolz et al.
patent: 5331966 (1994-07-01), Bennett et al.
patent: 5342408 (1994-08-01), DeCoriolis et al.
patent: 5342409 (1994-08-01), Mullett
patent: 5354319 (1994-10-01), Wyborney et al.
patent: 5357427 (1994-10-01), Langen et al.
patent: 5372607 (1994-12-01), Stone et al.
patent: 5383909 (1995-01-01), Keimel
patent: 5433736 (1995-07-01), Nilsson
patent: 5456692 (1995-10-01), Smith, Jr. et al.
patent: 5662689 (1997-09-01), Elsberry et al.
patent: 5693076 (1997-12-01), Kaemmerer
patent: 5752977 (1998-05-01), Grevious et al.
patent: 5843138 (1998-12-01), Evers et al.
patent: 5843139 (1998-12-01), Goedeke et al.
U.S. application No. 09/302,932, filed Apr. 30, 1999 by Villaseca, entitled “Telemetry System for Implantable Medical Devices”.
U.S. application No. 09/302,637, filed Apr. 30, 1999 by Goedeke entitled “Telemetry System for Implantable Medical Devices”.
Dudding Charles H.
Goedeke Steven D.
McMahon Beth L.
Medtronic Inc.
Schaetzle Kennedy
Wolde-Michael Girma
LandOfFree
Method and apparatus for communications with an implantable... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Method and apparatus for communications with an implantable..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Method and apparatus for communications with an implantable... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2488929