End-of-life indication system for implantable pulse generator
US5496353A · kind A · utility
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 23, 1993 |
| Grant date | Mar 5, 1996 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 23, 2013 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA61N1/36042
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An end-of-life (EOL) indicator for an implantable pulse generator (IPG)--especially of the neuromuscular stimulation variety--indicates an approaching battery EOL condition via an electrocardiogram (ECG) by changing the nature of the muscle stimulation burst signals. IPG internal circuitry detects an approaching EOL condition and modifies the burst signals by, for example, decreasing the number of pulses in a burst, increasing the heart contraction-to-powering-muscle contraction ratio, or alternating between two numbers of pulses in successive burst cycles. The approaching battery EOL condition can be easily ascertained via trans-telephonic monitoring by analyzing a transmitted ECG alone, for the above-mentioned burst signal changes. By observing the patterns in the ECG caused by the burst signal changes, a clinician could be aware of an approaching EOL without having known the original muscle stimulation burst signal parameters.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.