WO2008022010A1 - Réseau de communication sans fil pour un système de dispositif médical implantable - Google Patents

Réseau de communication sans fil pour un système de dispositif médical implantable Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2008022010A1
WO2008022010A1 PCT/US2007/075662 US2007075662W WO2008022010A1 WO 2008022010 A1 WO2008022010 A1 WO 2008022010A1 US 2007075662 W US2007075662 W US 2007075662W WO 2008022010 A1 WO2008022010 A1 WO 2008022010A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
data
communication
network
acoustic
patient
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US2007/075662
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Gregory John Haubrich
Javaid Masoud
Randall L. Knoll
Gerard J. Hill
Sarah Anne Audet
Original Assignee
Medtronic, Inc
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Medtronic, Inc filed Critical Medtronic, Inc
Priority to EP07813972A priority Critical patent/EP2060034A1/fr
Publication of WO2008022010A1 publication Critical patent/WO2008022010A1/fr

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04B—TRANSMISSION
    • H04B13/00—Transmission systems characterised by the medium used for transmission, not provided for in groups H04B3/00 - H04B11/00
    • H04B13/005—Transmission systems in which the medium consists of the human body
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
    • A61B5/00—Measuring for diagnostic purposes; Identification of persons
    • A61B5/0002—Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network
    • A61B5/0026—Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network characterised by the transmission medium
    • A61B5/0028—Body tissue as transmission medium, i.e. transmission systems where the medium is the human body
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
    • A61B5/00—Measuring for diagnostic purposes; Identification of persons
    • A61B5/0002—Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network
    • A61B5/0031—Implanted circuitry
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61N—ELECTROTHERAPY; MAGNETOTHERAPY; RADIATION THERAPY; ULTRASOUND THERAPY
    • A61N1/00—Electrotherapy; Circuits therefor
    • A61N1/02—Details
    • A61N1/08—Arrangements or circuits for monitoring, protecting, controlling or indicating
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61N—ELECTROTHERAPY; MAGNETOTHERAPY; RADIATION THERAPY; ULTRASOUND THERAPY
    • A61N1/00—Electrotherapy; Circuits therefor
    • A61N1/18—Applying electric currents by contact electrodes
    • A61N1/32—Applying electric currents by contact electrodes alternating or intermittent currents
    • A61N1/36—Applying electric currents by contact electrodes alternating or intermittent currents for stimulation
    • A61N1/372—Arrangements in connection with the implantation of stimulators
    • A61N1/37211—Means for communicating with stimulators
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61N—ELECTROTHERAPY; MAGNETOTHERAPY; RADIATION THERAPY; ULTRASOUND THERAPY
    • A61N1/00—Electrotherapy; Circuits therefor
    • A61N1/18—Applying electric currents by contact electrodes
    • A61N1/32—Applying electric currents by contact electrodes alternating or intermittent currents
    • A61N1/36—Applying electric currents by contact electrodes alternating or intermittent currents for stimulation
    • A61N1/372—Arrangements in connection with the implantation of stimulators
    • A61N1/37211—Means for communicating with stimulators
    • A61N1/37217—Means for communicating with stimulators characterised by the communication link, e.g. acoustic or tactile
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G16—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR SPECIFIC APPLICATION FIELDS
    • G16H—HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA
    • G16H40/00—ICT specially adapted for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities; ICT specially adapted for the management or operation of medical equipment or devices
    • G16H40/60—ICT specially adapted for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities; ICT specially adapted for the management or operation of medical equipment or devices for the operation of medical equipment or devices
    • G16H40/67—ICT specially adapted for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities; ICT specially adapted for the management or operation of medical equipment or devices for the operation of medical equipment or devices for remote operation
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04L25/00—Baseband systems
    • H04L25/02—Details ; arrangements for supplying electrical power along data transmission lines
    • H04L25/03—Shaping networks in transmitter or receiver, e.g. adaptive shaping networks
    • H04L25/03006—Arrangements for removing intersymbol interference
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04L25/00—Baseband systems
    • H04L25/02—Details ; arrangements for supplying electrical power along data transmission lines
    • H04L25/03—Shaping networks in transmitter or receiver, e.g. adaptive shaping networks
    • H04L25/03006—Arrangements for removing intersymbol interference
    • H04L25/03012—Arrangements for removing intersymbol interference operating in the time domain
    • H04L25/03019—Arrangements for removing intersymbol interference operating in the time domain adaptive, i.e. capable of adjustment during data reception

Definitions

  • the invention relates generally to implantable medical devices and, in particular, to a communication network for use in implantable medical device systems.
  • implantable medical devices are available for monitoring physiological conditions and/or delivering therapies. Such devices may include sensors for monitoring physiological signals for diagnostic purposes, monitoring disease progression, or controlling and optimizing therapy delivery. Examples of implantable monitoring devices include hemodynamic monitors, ECG monitors, and glucose monitors. Examples of therapy delivery devices include devices enabled to deliver electrical stimulation pulses such as cardiac pacemakers, implantable cardioverter defibrillators, neurostimulators, and neuromuscular stimulators, and drug delivery devices, such as insulin pumps, morphine pumps, etc.
  • IMDs are often coupled to medical leads, extending from a housing enclosing the IMD circuitry.
  • the leads carry sensors and/or electrodes and are used to dispose the sensors/electrodes at a targeted monitoring or therapy delivery site while providing electrical connection between the sensor/electrodes and the IMD circuitry.
  • Leadless IMDs have also been described which incorporate electrodes/sensors on or in the housing of the device.
  • IMD function and overall patient care may be enhanced by including sensors distributed to body locations that are remote from the IMD.
  • physical connection of sensors distributed in other body locations to the IMD in order to enable communication of sensed signals to be transferred to the IMD can be cumbersome, highly invasive, or simply not feasible depending on sensor implant location.
  • An acoustic body bus has been disclosed by Funke (U.S. Pat. No. 5,113,859) to allow wireless bidirectional communication through a patient's body.
  • Funke U.S. Pat. No. 5,113,859
  • Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication network implemented in an implantable medical device system.
  • Figure 2 is a functional block diagram summarizing functional components included in a networked implantable medical device according to one embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 3 is a block diagram of two networked devices adapted for wireless communication along an intrabody communication pathway.
  • Figure 4 is a flow chart of a method for use in an implantable device communication system.
  • Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of an implantable medical device communication network including an acoustic/RF gateway node.
  • Figures 6A-6C are schematic diagrams of different implementations of an acoustic/RF gateway node 302 in a communication network.
  • Figure 7 is a flow chart relating to a communication method for use in an implantable medical device communication network.
  • module refers to an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or group) and memory that execute one or more software or firmware programs, a combinational logic circuit, or other suitable components that provide the described functionality.
  • ASIC application specific integrated circuit
  • the present invention is directed to providing a wireless communications network implemented in an implantable medical device system, wherein the network includes at least one implanted device in communication with a second device, located internally or externally to the patient.
  • the network may be configured having single pathways between networked devices or as a mesh network that allows data to be routed between networked devices through node-to-node routes that can include multiple node "hops" as generally disclosed in U.S. Pat. Application No. XXXX, Attorney Docket No. P25563, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
  • Embodiments of the invention are not limited to particular network architecture. Among the other types of network architecture which may be used are star, ad hoc, and ALOHA networks.
  • node refers to a device included in a wireless network capable of at least transmitting and/or receiving data on the network and may additionally include other functions as will be described herein.
  • a node can be either an implanted or an external device and is also referred to herein as a "network member".
  • the wireless network may include multiple implantable devices each functioning as individual network nodes and may include external devices functioning as network nodes as will be further described herein. It is recognized that an overall medical device system implementing a wireless communication network according to various embodiments of the present invention may further include non-networked devices (implantable or external).
  • FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication network implemented in an implantable medical device system.
  • the network includes multiple implantable devices 12 through 26 each functioning as a node (network member).
  • the network may further include external devices functioning as network nodes.
  • Patient 10 is implanted with multiple medical devices 12 through 26 each of which may include physiological sensing capabilities and/or therapy delivery capabilities.
  • some of the implanted devices 12 through 26 may be implemented as specialty nodes for performing specific network functions such as data processing, data storage, or communication management functions without providing any physiological sensing or therapy delivery functions.
  • device 12 may be a therapy delivery device such as a cardiac pacemaker, implantable cardioverter defibrillator, implantable drug pump, or neurostimulators.
  • Device 16 may also be a therapy delivery device serving as a two-way communication node and may further be enabled for performing specialty network management functions such as acting as a network gateway.
  • Device 14 may be embodied as a sensing device for monitoring a physiological condition and also serve as a two-way communication node.
  • Devices 18, 22, 24, and 26 may be embodied as sensing devices for monitoring various physiological conditions and may be implemented as low-power devices operating primarily as transmitting devices with no or limited receiving capabilities.
  • Device 20 may be implemented as a repeater node for relieving the power requirement burden of sensing device 18 for transmitting data from a more remote implant location to other network nodes.
  • Implantable devices that may be included as network members include any therapy delivery devices, such as those listed above, and any physiological sensing devices such as EGM/ECG sensors, hemodynamic monitors, pressure sensors, blood or tissue chemistry sensors such as oxygen sensors, pH sensors, glucose sensors, potassium or other electrolyte sensors, or sensors for determining various protein or enzyme levels.
  • physiological sensing devices such as EGM/ECG sensors, hemodynamic monitors, pressure sensors, blood or tissue chemistry sensors such as oxygen sensors, pH sensors, glucose sensors, potassium or other electrolyte sensors, or sensors for determining various protein or enzyme levels.
  • the wireless network communication system provided by various embodiments of the present invention is not limited to any specific type or combination of implantable medical devices.
  • the wireless communication network implemented between the implanted devices 24 through 26 may utilize acoustic, ultrasonic and/or radio signal frequency bandwidths.
  • a combination of RF and acoustic or ultrasonic data transmission channels may be implemented to allow simultaneous RF and acoustic/ultrasonic data transmissions.
  • acoustic signals includes signals in the audible and ultrasonic range.
  • the wireless network communication system allows a multiplicity of devices to be implanted in a patient as dictated by anatomical, physiological and clinical need, without restraints associated with leads or other hardwire connections through the body for communicating signals and data from one device to another.
  • sensors and/or therapy delivery devices may be implanted in a distributed manner throughout the body according to individual patient need for diagnostic, monitoring, and disease management purposes. Data from the distributed system of implanted sensors and/or therapy delivery devices is reliably and efficiently transmitted between the implanted devices for patient monitoring and therapy delivery functions and may be transmitted to external devices as well for providing patient feedback, remote patient monitoring etc.
  • the implanted devices 12 through 26 may rely on various power sources including batteries, storage cells such as capacitors or rechargeable batteries, or power harvesting devices relying for example on piezoelectric, thermoelectric or magnetoelectric generation of power.
  • the distributed devices can be provided having minimal power requirements and thus reduced overall size.
  • Implantable devices functioning as network nodes may be miniaturized devices such as small injectable devices, devices implanted using minimally invasive techniques or mini-incisions, or larger devices implanted using a more open approach.
  • the network may include external devices as shown in Figure 1 such as a home monitor 30, a handheld device 34, and external monitoring device 36.
  • external devices as shown in Figure 1 such as a home monitor 30, a handheld device 34, and external monitoring device 36.
  • the medical device system may further include external devices or systems in wireless or wired communication with external networked devices such as a patient information display 32 for displaying data retrieved from the network to the patient, and a remote patient management system 40.
  • Physiological and device-related data feedback is available to the patient or caregiver via the home monitor 30 and patient information display 32.
  • the patient can respond appropriately to information retrieved from the network and displayed on patient information display 32 in accordance with clinician instructions.
  • a patient may respond, for example, by modifying physical activity, seeking medical attention, altering a drug therapy, or utilizing the handheld device 34 to initiate implanted device functions.
  • Data can also be made available to clinicians, caregivers, emergency responders, clinical databases, etc. via external or parallel communication networks to enable appropriate and prompt responses to be made to changing patient conditions or disease states.
  • Data acquired by the implantable may be aggregated, for example by a gateway node, and can be further filtered, prioritized or otherwise adjusted in accordance with patient condition and therapy status by a network member to provide clinically meaningful and useful information to a clinician or remote patient management system in a readily- interpretable manner.
  • the home monitor 30 may be coupled to a remote patient monitoring system. Reference is made, for example, to commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. Nos.
  • Home monitor 30 and/or a programmer may be used for communicating with one or more of implanted devices 12 through 26 using bidirectional RF telemetry for programming and/or interrogating operations.
  • home monitor 30 may communicate via an RF telemetry link with a gateway node which aggregates acoustical and RF signals received from other implanted devices.
  • FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram summarizing functional components included in a networked implantable medical device according to one embodiment of the invention.
  • Device 50 generally includes a sensor module 52 for monitoring physiological signals; a therapy delivery module 54 for delivering a therapy in response to the physiological signals according to a programmed operating mode; and a processor/control module 56 and associated memory 58 for controlling device functions.
  • Device 50 further includes a communications module 70 provided with a transceiver 72, an adaptive equalizer 74, a training sequence generator 78, and control circuitry 76.
  • Adaptive equalizer 74 includes multiple adjustable taps 76 that allow optimization of the gain, phase, and delay settings for equalizer 74.
  • device 50 may be provided as a monitoring device without including therapy delivery module 54.
  • device 50 may be a therapy delivery device that does not include sensing capabilities provided by a sensor module 52.
  • device 50 may be a networked device implanted to perform communication functions within an implantable medical device communication system without including either sensing or therapy delivery functions.
  • sensor module 52 includes or is coupled to a posture and/or activity sensor 53 for sensing changes in body position or changes in patient activity likely to correspond to a change in body position. Changes in body position may alter the signal transmission properties along a particular intrabody communication pathway. As such, detected changes in body position may be used as a trigger for repeating a training session for optimizing adaptive equalizer 74 included in the device communication module 70, as will be further described below.
  • Communications module 70 is adapted to transmit and receive acoustic intrabody data transmissions.
  • communications module 70 is adapted to transmit and/or receive radio-frequency (RF) data transmissions.
  • RF radio-frequency
  • communications module 70 is adapted to transmit and/or receive both acoustic and RF data transmissions.
  • Data transmitted wirelessly through intrabody connections is subject to distortion and delay due to signal dispersion, reflection, and absorption by the body tissues. Acoustic communication signals are particularly vulnerable to distortion of due to dispersion, reflection, and absorption by the body tissues, however, distortion of RF signals, particularly wide band, ultra wide -band, or impulse RF signals may also occur.
  • Inter-symbol interference occurs as a result of signal delays, limiting the maximum data transfer rate that is used in transmitting acoustical signals within the body.
  • the implementation of adaptive equalizer 74 in communication module 70 allows distortion and delay of transmitted signals to be corrected or compensated for, thereby allowing reliable data transmission to occur at faster data rates.
  • Equalizer 74 may be implemented digitally, using MOS, CMOS or other integrated circuit technology. Equalizer 74 may be embodied as a digital signal processing block, a shift register with tabs, for example using arithmetic logic units (ALUs), state machine, microprocessor or any other digital circuitry configured to perform the signal equalizing functions described herein. Equalizer 74 is provided with multiple adjustable taps 76 to allow the gain, phase and delay of taps 76 to be adjusted for optimum equalization of received signals. Tap adjustment may be performed by changing multiplication coefficients in respective multiplication circuits in equalizer 74. The outputs of each tap are summed to produce the equalizer output, which is corrected for distortion and delay that may occur during intrabody transmission.
  • ALUs arithmetic logic units
  • Control circuitry 76 may be included in communication module 70 for determining and setting the optimal tap coefficients.
  • processor/control module 56 may execute algorithms for determining optimum equalizer coefficients and provide control signals to equalizer 74 for appropriately setting the tap coefficients.
  • tap settings and “tap coefficients” are used interchangeably and generally refer to any of the adjustable gain, delay and/or phase of the multiple equalizer taps adjusted to optimize equalization of communication signals. The number of taps and the defined ranges for adjustable gain, delay, and/or phase will be determined according to a particular application and system characteristics, such as expected data rates, data characteristics, communication pathways, etc.
  • Communications module 70 may further include a training sequence generator 78, which can be implements as a digital state machine or other dedicated digital circuitry, for generating a training sequence to be transmitted to another implanted device for use in determining optimal equalization tap settings.
  • a training sequence may be a pseudorandom noise code or other sequence developed to provide a range of data frequencies, amplitudes and data rates that are expected to be encountered during communication network transmissions.
  • the transmitted training sequence is defined such that it will be representative of the distortion and delay characteristics corresponding to a transmission pathway between the transmitting and receiving devices.
  • the control circuitry 75 includes memory 77 for storing a reference sequence that corresponds to a training sequence generated by another network member to be received by device 50.
  • control circuitry 75 For adjusting the taps 76 of equalizer 74.
  • Control circuitry 75 "knows" that the received training sequence should be equal to the stored reference sequence.
  • the control circuitry 76 adjusts the taps 76 until the received training sequence matches the stored reference sequence.
  • Figure 3 is a block diagram of two networked devices adapted for wireless communication along an intrabody communication pathway.
  • Device 50 corresponds to the device shown in Figure 2 and includes communication module as described previously, including transceiver 72, adaptive equalizer 74, control circuitry 75, and training sequence generator 78.
  • Device 80 also includes a communication module including a transceiver 82, adaptive equalizer 84 and control circuitry 85.
  • Device 80 further includes memory 88 for storing a reference sequence.
  • Other functional blocks of device 50 are not shown in Figure 3 for the sake of simplicity.
  • device 80 may include other functional components not shown in Figure 3.
  • Device 50 transfers a training sequence generated by training sequence generator 78 to device 80.
  • the training sequence is received by transceiver 82.
  • Control circuitry 85 adjusts the gain, phase and delay of multiple equalizer taps included in equalizer 84 until the received training sequence acceptably matches the reference sequence stored in memory 88.
  • the control signals used for adjusting equalizer 84 to the determined optimal settings in device 80 are transmitted from device 80 to device 50.
  • Control circuitry 75 of device 50 may then use the transmitted control signals for adjusting tap setting for equalizer 74.
  • the equalizers 74 and 84 of both devices 50 and 80 are optimized by performing one training sequence transmission. This network operation assumes that signals being transmitted between devices 50 and 80 will undergo similar distortion and delay regardless of transmission direction along the intrabody path 90.
  • each of device 50 and device 80 include a training sequence generator and memory for storing a reference sequence such that equalizers 74 and 84 are each optimized during individual training sessions that include transmitting a training sequence and adjusting the tap settings until the received training sequence acceptably matches a reference sequence.
  • a training session may be performed for each of the other devices that device 50 will be communicating with. If device 50 is intended to receive data from multiple devices, a set of tap coefficients for optimal equalization of received signals corresponding to each of the multiple devices may be determined. The appropriate set of tap coefficients would then be provided to equalizer 74 by control circuitry 75 corresponding to the transmitting device from which device 50 is receiving data. Recognition of the transmitting device would be based on time, frequency, or code division multiple access channel plans, identifier code, RFID, or other methods. Alternatively, device 50 may include multiple equalizers each dedicated for equalizing signals received from a specified device or set of devices. Each equalizer would be adjusted to optimal tap setting corresponding to the specified device(s).
  • device 50 may function as a repeater node for transmitting signals between two communicating devices.
  • equalizer 74 may be optimized for receiving signals from the device originating a signal transmission and then transmit the equalized signal on to a final receiving device.
  • the final receiving device may equalize the signal received from device 50 according to previously optimized equalizer tap settings.
  • network nodes used during multiple hops along a mesh network communication route may transmit a signal received from the originating device as is.
  • the final receiving device would be optimized to equalize the final received signal.
  • a training sequence may be transmitted from an originating device to one or more intermediate nodes along a multi-hop route to a final receiving device, according to a defined routing scheme and channel plan.
  • Communication module control circuitry in the final receiving device would optimize equalizer tap coefficients such that the final received training sequence matches a stored reference sequence.
  • the optimized tap settings in the final receiving device would correct and compensate for signal distortion and delays occurring along each of the multiple hops.
  • Figure 4 is a flow chart of a method for use in an implantable device communication system.
  • Method 100 is intended to illustrate the functional operation of the system, and should not be construed as reflective of a specific form of software or hardware necessary to practice the invention. It is believed that the particular form of software/hardware will be determined primarily by the particular system architecture employed in the device and by the particular power capacity and other functional aspects of the device. Providing software to accomplish the present invention in the context of any modern implantable device, given the disclosure herein, is within the abilities of one of skill in the art.
  • Method 100 relates to a training session used for optimizing an adaptive equalizer in an implanted network node configured to receive acoustic, wideband/ultra-wideband RF, or other communication signals that are subject to distortion and delay along an intrabody communication path.
  • a training sequence is defined.
  • the training sequence includes a data sequence designed to include the data amplitudes, frequencies, and rates of anticipated data transmissions and thus be representative of the characteristic signal distortions and delays associated with the particular communication path.
  • the training sequence selected will depend on the particular application and network configuration.
  • the training sequence is stored in a transmitting network node corresponding to the communication path for which the training sequence was developed.
  • a reference sequence is stored in a receiving node corresponding to the communication path for which the training sequence was developed.
  • the reference sequence matches the training sequence.
  • the training sequence is transmitted from the transmitting node to the receiving node.
  • the receiving node responds to the training sequence by executing an equalization optimization algorithm at block 120.
  • equalizer tap settings or coefficients are automatically adjusted such that the received training sequence, subjected to distortion and delay along the communication path, matches the corresponding stored reference sequence.
  • the optimized tap settings for the corresponding pathway are either stored or applied to the equalizer taps at block 125. Multiple sets of tap settings may be stored for multiple receiving pathways for a given receiving node. As such, method 100 may be repeated for each of the transmitting devices/pathways from which the receiving device will be receiving data communications.
  • the training sequence may be repeated by returning to block 115.
  • Training sessions may occur on a continuous, periodic or triggered basis.
  • the communication system generally operates in a training mode and a tracking mode.
  • the training mode the training sequence is transmitted and the equalizer is optimized to match the received training sequence to a stored reference sequence.
  • a node is receiving data transmissions and the adaptive equalizer may be continuously or periodically adjusted.
  • steps 115 through 125 may be performed at the initiation of every communication session such that the equalizer of the receiving node is adjusted at the beginning of each session.
  • a data transmission may include a data header that includes the training sequence.
  • a training sequence may be provided as a data packet header to allow equalizer optimization during transmission.
  • the equalizer may be optimized every nth communication session, or on a scheduled basis, for example every 60 seconds, hourly, daily etc.
  • the frequency of the training sessions may be application specific, depending, for example, on the anticipated frequency of communication sessions and the potential variability in the acoustical properties of the communication pathway. For example, if a patient is sleeping, less frequent changes to the transmission properties of a communication pathway may occur, requiring less frequent equalizer adjustment than during the day when the patient is active and moving about.
  • a feedback signal may be used to trigger a training session at block 130.
  • a frequency or number of data errors may trigger the communication system to request a re-training of the adaptive equalizer.
  • the transmission data rate may be reduced in response to a request for retraining to reduce transmission errors. After the requested training session has been performed, the data rate may be increased again.
  • a position or activity sensor signal indicating a change in patient position may trigger a training session. Changes in patient position, weight, water retention, tissue composition due to disease state, growth, etc., or other anatomical factors may alter the acoustical transmission properties of a communication pathway, warranting a re-optimization of equalization tap settings.
  • certain conditions such as certain anatomical changes may warrant redefining the training sequence stored at block 105.
  • certain conditions such as certain anatomical changes may warrant redefining the training sequence stored at block 105.
  • significant weight gain or the progression of diseased tissue such as tumor growth, tissue swelling, heart dilation or other tissue changes, may alter the characteristic dispersion of acoustical signals along a particular communication pathway.
  • the training sequence and reference sequence may be updated from time to time, and the training session may be repeated as often as needed for maintaining optimal equalization.
  • FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an implantable medical device communication network including an acoustic/RF gateway node.
  • Acoustic/RF gateway node 201 is provided in network 200 which includes networked devices communicating in the acoustical range and networked devices communicating in the RF range.
  • acoustic/RF gateway node 201 includes a communication module 202 that may include an acoustic signal transceiver 204, an RF signal transceiver 206, and associated control circuitry 208.
  • acoustic/RF gateway node 201 may function as an acoustical receiver and an RF transmitter, without including acoustic transmitting capabilities and/or RF receiving capabilities.
  • Acoustic/RF gateway node 201 may include one or more adaptive equalizers associated with at least acoustic signal transceiver 204. Acoustic/RF gateway node 201 may further include a processor/control module 210 and associated memory 212 and a sensor/therapy delivery module 214.
  • one or more RF networked devices 222 transmit data to acoustic/RF gateway node 201 and one or more acoustic networked devices 220 transmit data to acoustic/RF gateway node 201.
  • Acoustic and RF data may be received by acoustic/RF gateway node 201 concurrently.
  • network 200 may include one or more dual communication devices 224 capable of transmitting acoustic and RF data concurrently to acoustic/RF gateway node 201.
  • Acoustic/RF gateway node 201 receives acoustic and RF data transmissions and concatenates or aggregates the acoustic and RF data.
  • Acoustic/RF gateway node 201 may use received acoustic and RF data in controlling sensing/therapy delivery functions of node 201.
  • acoustic/RF gateway node 201 may convert acoustic data to RF data and transmit the converted data, which may be aggregated with other received RF data, to another implanted device 222 or 224 for use in controlling therapy delivery and/or sensing functions of system 200.
  • Acoustic/RF gateway node 201 may transmit the aggregated data via an RF telemetry link 218 to an external device 230, such as a programmer or home monitor.
  • acoustic/RF gateway node 201 provides a communication link for transmitting acoustic data acquired by an implanted system to an external communication network node.
  • External device 230 may be coupled to a remote patient management network 232 or other clinician information network such that data received by external device 230 may be made available to clinicians, medical centers or other caregivers in a remote patient management environment.
  • Acoustic/RF gateway node 201 may be implemented in an implantable device, such as a cardiac stimulation device, neurostimulator, drug delivery device, or physiological monitoring device, or in a specialized communication network node without including monitoring and/or therapy delivery capabilities.
  • Figure 6A is a schematic diagram of an implantable medical device communication network 300 including an acoustic/RF gateway node 302 implemented as an implanted device and in communication with one or more implanted devices 304, 306 and 308 in an acoustic communication network.
  • Acoustic/RF gateway node 302 receives acoustic communication signals from each of devices 304, 306 and 308 along respective intrabody communication pathways. Gateway node 302 aggregates the received acoustical data and may further filter, process or prioritize the data. Gateway node 302 converts the aggregated acoustic data to RF data and transmits the RF data to external device 310 via an RF telemetry link 312.
  • Figure 6B is a schematic diagram of an implantable medical device communication network including an acoustic/RF gateway node 322 implemented as an external device having a surface 323 adapted for intimate contact with the patient's skin 324 so as to be acoustically coupled with the patient's body.
  • Acoustic/RF gateway node 322 is configured to receive acoustical signals transmitted from one or more devices 326, 328 and 330 implanted within the patient's body.
  • acoustic/RF gateway node 322 may be implemented in the form of a watch- like device, pager-like device, or other external device that may be comfortably worn by a patient and provide the acoustical coupling needed for receiving acoustical signals being transmitted by implanted devices 326, 328 and 330.
  • Acoustic/RF gateway node 322 may be proximate the patient's skin without making intimate contact and still be adequately acoustically coupled with the implanted devices 326, 328 and 330.
  • a layer of clothing may be between the patient's skin 324 and node 322.
  • Gateway node 322 converts aggregates received acoustical data and converts the acoustical data to RF signals which are transmitted to external device 332 via an RF telemetry link 334.
  • FIG. 6C is a schematic diagram of an acoustic/RF gateway 342 implemented as a transcutaneous device.
  • Acoustic/RF gateway 342 includes an external portion 344 and a transcutaneous portion 346 extending through the patient's skin 350.
  • Transcutaneous portion 346 improves the acoustical coupling between acoustic/RF gateway node 342 and implanted devices 352, 354, and 356.
  • Gateway node 342 receives acoustical data from implanted devices 352, 354, and 356 along respective intrabody acoustical communication paths and converts aggregated acoustical data to RF signals transmitted to external device 360 via RF telemetry link 362.
  • implanted devices may include both acoustical and RF communication links with each other and the acoustic/RF gateway, along concurrent RF and acoustic data transmission. Concurrent acoustic and RF data transmissions may allow fast data transfer between devices, shortening the duration of communication sessions thereby improving data transfer success rates.
  • Acoustic/RF gateway nodes provide a communication path for acoustic data to be transferred to an external device or network. Acoustic/RF gateway nodes may further provide aggregation of acoustic and RF data as described previously.
  • FIG. 7 is a flow chart relating to a communication method for use in an implantable medical device communication network.
  • an acoustic data transmission is initiated between an implanted or external network device and an acoustic/RF gateway node.
  • the acoustic/RF gateway may be implanted, external, transcutaneous, or adapted to be worn on the surface of a patient as described above.
  • An acoustic data transmission may be initiated on a scheduled basis, in response to a triggering event, and/or in response to a wake -up signal received by the transmitting device or another specialized network node.
  • the acoustic/RF gateway, or any other network device may transmit a wake -up signal to another device to initiate an acoustic data transmission.
  • the acoustic/RF gateway may alternatively receive an RF data transmission from an implanted or external device at block 410.
  • RF data transmissions may occur concurrently or sequentially with acoustic data transmissions.
  • Data transferred may include device programming data, software updates, physiological and/or device related data, which may include patient or physician alert signals, as well as header identifier codes for receiver equalization, security, device identification, data identification or other parametric information such as date, time, etc.
  • Data transmitted is received at the acoustic/RF gateway at block 415.
  • the acoustic/RF gateway may aggregate acoustic and RF data received from multiple devices and may perform signal processing and analysis depending on the particular application.
  • the acoustic/RF gateway may use processed or analyzed data for device control operations and/or transmit processed data or analysis results to any other implanted networked device, using acoustic and/or RF communication routes.
  • the acoustic/RF gateway node may additionally or alternatively convert all acoustic data to RF signals at block 425 for transmission via an RF telemetry link to another implanted or external device at block 430.
  • the acoustic/RF gateway node may convert all RF data to acoustic data signals at block 425 for transmission via an acoustical link to another implanted, transcutaneous, or surface worn device at block 430.

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Abstract

L'invention concerne un système de dispositif médical implantable comportant, dans un premier mode de réalisation, un premier dispositif doté d'un premier module de communication couplé à un réseau de communication sans fil pour transmettre des données, et d'un second dispositif adapté pour être implanté dans le corps d'un patient ; ledit système est doté d'un second module de communication couplé au réseau de communication sans fil, et adapté pour recevoir des données à partir du premier dispositif. Le second dispositif peut être pourvu d'un égaliseur couplé au second module de communication pour réduire une distorsion de signal des données reçues sans fil à travers le corps du patient. Le second dispositif peut convertir un signal reçu en un signal de sortie acoustique ou radiofréquence.
PCT/US2007/075662 2006-08-18 2007-08-10 Réseau de communication sans fil pour un système de dispositif médical implantable WO2008022010A1 (fr)

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US60/822,770 2006-08-18

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WO2015092747A3 (fr) * 2013-12-18 2015-09-17 Tylerton International Inc. Dispositif médical avec régulation séparée
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US10188866B2 (en) 2015-06-24 2019-01-29 Impulse Dynamics Nv Simple control of complex bio-implants
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JP6798488B2 (ja) * 2015-06-02 2020-12-09 ソニー株式会社 通信装置、通信システム、通信方法およびプログラム
CN108136186B (zh) * 2015-08-20 2021-09-17 心脏起搏器股份公司 用于医疗装置之间的通信的系统和方法
CN106934204A (zh) * 2015-12-31 2017-07-07 创领心律管理医疗器械（上海）有限公司 医疗装置的随访系统及其使用方法
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EP3558452B1 (fr) * 2016-12-23 2021-11-24 Cardiac Pacemakers, Inc. Communication sans fil entre une pluralité de dispositifs implantés
EP4376497A2 (fr) * 2018-06-12 2024-05-29 Impulse Dynamics NV Transmission à modulation de couplage de puissance

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US9339190B2 (en) 2005-02-17 2016-05-17 Metacure Limited Charger with data transfer capabilities
US9084566B2 (en) 2006-07-07 2015-07-21 Proteus Digital Health, Inc. Smart parenteral administration system
WO2008130801A1 (fr) * 2007-04-23 2008-10-30 Medtronic, Inc. Réseau de communication sans fil pour un système de dispositif médical implantable
US9125979B2 (en) 2007-10-25 2015-09-08 Proteus Digital Health, Inc. Fluid transfer port information system
US8419638B2 (en) 2007-11-19 2013-04-16 Proteus Digital Health, Inc. Body-associated fluid transport structure evaluation devices
US9008761B2 (en) 2010-02-01 2015-04-14 Proteus Digital Health, Inc. Two-wrist data gathering system
US9014779B2 (en) 2010-02-01 2015-04-21 Proteus Digital Health, Inc. Data gathering system
US8332020B2 (en) 2010-02-01 2012-12-11 Proteus Digital Health, Inc. Two-wrist data gathering system
US10376218B2 (en) 2010-02-01 2019-08-13 Proteus Digital Health, Inc. Data gathering system
US10512782B2 (en) 2013-06-17 2019-12-24 Nyxoah SA Remote monitoring and updating of a medical device control unit
US11642534B2 (en) 2013-06-17 2023-05-09 Nyxoah SA Programmable external control unit
WO2015092747A3 (fr) * 2013-12-18 2015-09-17 Tylerton International Inc. Dispositif médical avec régulation séparée
US10188866B2 (en) 2015-06-24 2019-01-29 Impulse Dynamics Nv Simple control of complex bio-implants
US11020598B2 (en) 2015-06-24 2021-06-01 Impulse Dynamics Nv Simple control of complex bio-implants
US11986664B2 (en) 2015-06-24 2024-05-21 Impulse Dynamics Nv Simple control of complex bio-implants

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