Systems and methods for deploying patient therapy devices
Methods for identifying responders to paresthesia-free stimulation therapy, and associated systems are disclosed. A representative method comprises implanting a pair of spinal cord signal delivery devices and connecting an external signal generator thereto. A plurality of the electrical contacts are simultaneously activated with a high frequency signal without causing paresthesia in the patient, wherein the electrical contacts would cause paresthesia in the patient if activated with a low frequency signal. The high frequency signal is in a range of from about 3 kHz to about 20 kHz and an amplitude of less than 4 mA. If the patient responds favorably, a signal generator is implanted in the patient. A second high frequency signal is then applied to fewer than the plurality of electrical contacts.
1. A method of identifying patient responders to a paresthesia-free spinal cord stimulation therapy, the method comprising:
implanting in a patient a pair of spinal cord signal delivery devices, each having at least eight electrical contacts;
connecting an external signal generator to the spinal cord signal delivery devices;
initially simultaneously activating at least twelve of the electrical contacts with a therapy signal from the external signal generator without causing paresthesia in the patient while delivering the therapy;
implanting a signal generator in the patient if the patient responds favorably to the simultaneous activation of the at least twelve electrical contacts; and
after implanting the signal generator, applying the therapy signal to the patient via fewer than the at least twelve electrical contacts.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the therapy signal is at a frequency in a frequency range between 1.5 kHz and 100 kHz.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the amplitude of the therapy signal is between 0.5 mA and 20 mA.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein after implanting the signal generator, the therapy signal is applied via two of the plurality of electrical contacts.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein after implanting the signal generator, the therapy signal is applied at a duty cycle of less than about 17%.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein after implanting the signal generator, the therapy signal is applied at a duty cycle of less than about 10%.
7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising monitoring the impedance of each of the fewer than the at least twelve electrical contacts and grouping the fewer than the at least twelve electrical contacts into a first group and a second group based on the impedance of the individual contacts and simultaneously activating the contacts of the first group of contacts using a first current source and the contacts of the second group of contacts using a second current source.
8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising removing a selected contact from the first group if the selected contact's impedance is outside a selected range and including the selected contact in the second group.
9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising simultaneously activating the at least twelve of the electrical contacts for a duration of approximately 20 minutes or more.
10. A method for deploying a patient therapy system, comprising:
implanting in a patient at least one spinal cord signal delivery device having at least 8 electrical contacts;
connecting an external signal generator to the at least one spinal cord signal delivery device;
determining whether the patient responds favorably to a paresthesia-free therapy signal from the external signal generator by initially simultaneously applying the signal to at least 75% of any of the electrical contacts;
implanting a signal generator into the patient when the patient responds favorably; and
after implanting the signal generator, applying the paresthesia-free therapy signal to a plurality of the electrical contacts fewer than the at least 75% of the electrical contacts via the implanted signal generator.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein at least a portion of the therapy signal is at a frequency in a frequency range from about 1.5 kHz to about 100 kHz.
12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the therapy signal is at a frequency in a frequency range from about 3 kHz to about 50 kHz.
13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the therapy signal is at a frequency in a frequency range from about 5 kHz to about 15 kHz.
14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the therapy signal has an amplitude of less than 2.5 mA.
15. The method of claim 10 , wherein the at least 75% of the electrical contacts includes twelve electrical contacts.
16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the at least 75% of the electrical contacts includes all of the electrical contacts.
17. The method of claim 10 , further comprising two spinal cord signal delivery devices, each having multiple electrical contacts.
18. The method of claim 10 , further comprising monitoring the impedance of each of the fewer than the at least 75% of electrical contacts and grouping the fewer than the at least 75% of electrical contacts into a first group and a second group based on the impedance of the individual contacts and simultaneously activating the contacts of the first group of contacts using a first current source and the contacts of the second group of contacts using a second current source.
19. The method of claim 18 , further comprising removing a selected contact from the first group if the selected contact's impedance is outside a selected range and including the selected contact in the second group.
20. The method of claim 10 , further comprising simultaneously applying the signal to the at least 75% of the electrical contacts for a duration of approximately 20 minutes or more.