# US 11,998,749 B2 · Implantable medical device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,998,749 B2 - Document ID: US11998749B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/767,647 - Filed: 2020-09-24 - Published: 2022-11-17 - Granted: 2024-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2019-10-21 - Assignees: BIOTRONIK SE & Co. KG - Applicants: BIOTRONIK SE & Co. KG - Inventors: Thomas Doerr; Sergey Ershov; Torsten Radtke; Martin Roemer - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11998749B2 ## CPC - A61N 1/365: controlled by a physiological parameter, e.g. heart potential {(evoked response A61N1/371)} - A61N 1/3925: {Monitoring; Protecting} - A61N 1/3621: {for treating or preventing abnormally high heart rate} - A61N 1/39622: {Pacing therapy} - A61N 1/3706: {Pacemaker parameters (stimulation threshold A61N1/371)} - A61N 2001/083: {Monitoring integrity of contacts, e.g. by impedance measurement} - A61N: ELECTROTHERAPY; MAGNETOTHERAPY; RADIATION THERAPY; ULTRASOUND THERAPY (measurement of bioelectric currents A61B; surgical instruments, devices or methods for transferring non-mechanical forms of energy to or from the body A61B18/00; anaesthetic apparatus in general A61M; incandescent lamps H01K; infrared radiators for heating H05B) ## Abstract An implantable medical device which performs the following steps during operation: a) performing a detection of whether the implantable medical device is in an implanted state; b) if it is detected that the implantable medical device is in an implanted state, activating a first diagnostic or therapeutic function of the implantable medical device, and subsequently activating a second diagnostic or therapeutic function of the implantable medical device, wherein the second diagnostic or therapeutic function is activated only after the fulfillment of at least one activation criterion selected from the group consisting of an elapse of a first time period from the activation of the first diagnostic or therapeutic function, an elapse of a second time period from the detection that the implantable medical device is in an implanted state, and a passing of a function test. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An implantable medical device comprising a processor and a memory unit, wherein the memory unit comprises a computer-readable program that causes the processor to perform the following steps when run on the processor: a) performing a detection to determine that the implantable medical device is in an implanted state; and b) activating a first diagnostic or therapeutic function of the implantable medical device, and subsequently activating a second diagnostic or therapeutic function of the implantable medical device, wherein the second diagnostic or therapeutic function is activated only after the fulfilment of: i) a passing of a function test; and ii) at least one of an elapse of a first time period from the activation of the first diagnostic or therapeutic function or an elapse of a second time period from the detection that the implantable medical device is in an implanted state; wherein the first diagnostic or therapeutic function and/or the second diagnostic or therapeutic function comprises a function for cardiac defibrillation, a function for antitachycardia stimulation of a cardiac region of a patient and/or a function for the automatic adaptation of algorithms used for antitachycardia stimulation. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The implantable medical device according to claim 1, wherein the implantable medical device is a device selected from the group consisting of pacemaker implants, cardioverter-defibrillators, cardiac resynchronisation therapy devices, spinal cord stimulators, deep brain stimulation devices and implantable drug pumps. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The implantable medical device according to claim 1, wherein the program causes the processor to activate the first diagnostic or therapeutic function only after a third time period has elapsed from the detection that the implantable medical device is in an implanted state. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The implantable medical device according to claim 1, wherein the first time period and/or the second time period each have a length which is between 5 minutes and 48 hours. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The implantable medical device according to claim 1, wherein the implantable medical device comprises a time-measuring device for measuring the first time period and/or the second time period. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The implantable medical device according to claim 5, wherein the program causes the processor to stop, change or reset the time-measuring device depending on a start event in order to start measuring the first time period and/or the second time period. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The implantable medical device according to claim 1, wherein the first diagnostic or therapeutic function and/or the second diagnostic or therapeutic function comprises a detection of a cardiac signal of a patient, a stimulation of a cardiac region of a patient within the scope of a pacemaker stimulation, a stimulation of a cardiac region of a patient within the scope of a cardiac resynchronisation therapy, a function for detecting an electrode error and/or an electrode dislocation and/or a function for remote implant monitoring. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The implantable medical device according to claim 1, wherein the implantable medical device is a cardiac resynchronisation therapy device or a cardioverter/defibrillator, and the second diagnostic or therapeutic function comprises a cardiac defibrillation function. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The implantable medical device according to claim 1, wherein the function test is selected from the group consisting of a test in order to determine whether electrodes of the implantable medical device provided for detecting electrical signals and/or emitting electrical pulses are correctly positioned, a test in order to determine whether electrodes provided for detecting electrical signals and/or emitting electrical pulses have an electrode breakage, a test in order to determine compliance with a signal quality criterion, and a test in order to determine the type of detected physiological electrical signals. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The implantable medical device according to claim 1, wherein the program causes the processor to determine available shock vectors following fulfilment of the activation criterion for a defibrillation function. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The implantable medical device according to claim 1, wherein the program causes the processor to activate all implanted defibrillation electrodes of the implantable medical device for defibrillation and for electrode diagnostics upon detection that the implantable medical device is in its implanted state. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) A method for controlling the operation of an implantable medical device according to claim 1, comprising the following steps: a) performing a detection to determine that the implantable medical device is in an implanted state; and b) activating a first diagnostic or therapeutic function of the implantable medical device, and subsequently activating a second diagnostic or therapeutic function of the implantable medical device, wherein the second diagnostic or therapeutic function is activated only after the fulfilment of: i) a passing of a function test; and ii) at least one of an elapse of a first time period from the activation of the first diagnostic or therapeutic function or an elapse of a second time period from the detection that the implantable medical device is in an implanted state wherein the first diagnostic or therapeutic function and/or the second diagnostic or therapeutic function comprises a function for cardiac defibrillation, a function for antitachycardia stimulation of a cardiac region of a patient and/or a function for automatic adaptation of algorithms used for antitachycardia stimulation. ### Claim 13 A computer program product comprising a computer-readable code that causes a processor to perform the following steps when run on the processor: a) performing a detection to determine that an implantable medical device is in an implanted state; and b) activating a first diagnostic or therapeutic function of the implantable medical device, and subsequently activating a second diagnostic or therapeutic function of the implantable medical device, wherein the second diagnostic or therapeutic function is activated only after the fulfilment of: i) a passing of a function test; and ii) at least one of an elapse of a first time period from the activation of the first diagnostic or therapeutic function or an elapse of a second time period from the detection that the implantable medical device is in an implanted state wherein the first diagnostic or therapeutic function and/or the second diagnostic or therapeutic function comprises a function for cardiac defibrillation, a function for antitachycardia stimulation of a cardiac region of a patient and/or a function for automatic adaptation of algorithms used for antitachycardia stimulation. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) A method for implanting an implantable medical device according to claim 1 into a human or animal patient in need of such implantation, wherein the method comprises the steps of: a) implanting the implantable medical device into the patient; b) performing a detection to determine that the implantable medical device is in an implanted state by means of a program run on the processor; c) activating a first diagnostic or therapeutic function of the implantable medical device, and subsequently activating a second diagnostic or therapeutic function of the implantable medical device by means of a program run on the processor, wherein the second diagnostic or therapeutic function is activated only after the fulfilment of: i) a passing of a function test; and ii) at least one of an elapse of a first time period from the activation of the first diagnostic or therapeutic function or an elapse of a second time period from the detection that the implantable medical device is in an implanted state wherein the first diagnostic or therapeutic function and/or the second diagnostic or therapeutic function comprises a function for cardiac defibrillation, a function for antitachycardia stimulation of a cardiac region of a patient and/or a function for automatic adaptation of algorithms used for antitachycardia stimulation.