Simple control of complex bio-implants
View Patent ↗Methods and devices for tying management of an implantable medical device to the activities of a primary care physician are described, including access control, simplified parameter optimization, support for tuning a device in response to the effects of other treatments in parallel, and support for helping a primary physician and a patient work together to tune device configuration to the activity and performance needs of the patient. In some embodiments, a medical device is self-configuring in a device parameter domain, based on inputs provided in a patient performance domain. The self-configuring of the medical device is based, for example, on an automatically applied transformation of inputs derived from patient performance domain observations into changes in the configuration of the medical device which affect technical parameters of its operation.
1. A method of adjusting the operation of an implantable medical device, comprising:
receiving access to selectively activate from among a plurality of technical parameter sets preconfigured for use with the implantable medical device, wherein the parameter sets are ordered according to their effect on a clinical parameter affected by operation of the device;
monitoring the response of the clinical parameter to activation of a first of the preconfigured parameter sets ordered between at least two others of the preconfigured parameter sets; and
activating one of the other two preconfigured parameter sets, based on the ordering of the parameter sets, the monitoring of the clinical parameter and a clinical target for the clinical parameter.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving access comprises presenting the device with an access token accepted by the device.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of technical parameter sets was preconfigured after implantation of the implantable medical device within a patient.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the clinical parameter comprises a clinical measure of patient performance.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the clinical parameter comprises self-reported patient performance.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the parameter sets are ordered according to a therapeutic effect of the device.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the parameter sets are ordered according to a side-effect of the device.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the implantable medical device is a stimulator configured for cardiac contractility modulation.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the implantable medical device is a stimulator configured for gastric contractility modulation.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the implantable medical device is an implanted pulse generator configured for central nervous system stimulation.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the implantable medical device is a stimulator configured for cardiac resynchronization therapy.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of technical parameter sets are configured by a device implantation specialist, and the receiving access is by a primary medical care provider.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the preconfigured parameter sets are stored by the implantable medical device.
14. The method of claim 1 , comprising continued monitoring of the response of the clinical parameter, and activating of other parameter sets based on the ordering of the parameter sets and as indicated by the state of the monitored clinical parameter relative to the clinical target.
15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the continued monitoring ends when the clinical parameter reaches the clinical target.
16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the preconfigured parameter sets are ordered according to their relatively larger or smaller effects on the clinical parameter.
17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the first preconfigured parameter set differs from each of the at least two others of the preconfigured parameter sets in at least three components of the parameter set.
18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the clinical parameter is a parameter of a one dimensional patient performance space.