US 12,708,770 B2Granted

Feed forward control system for a spinal cord stimulation system and method of use

AssigneeWavegate Corporation

InventorErich W. Wolf, II

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Abstract

The system incorporates a feed forward control system which automatically adjusts mean stimulation current to maintain consistent dosing of electrical current applied to the spinal cord despite motion of the spinal cord relative to the epidural electrode array. Optical boundary conditions are captured using a sample and hold circuit when the spinal cord is in its most dorsal position (supine patient position) and most ventral position (prone or sitting positions). Optimal mean stimulation current is manually set for these two ordinal positions during setup. During operation, the mean current is actively modulated by interpolating the mean current between the two current boundary conditions using a nominally inverse linear relation to the instantaneous optical reflectance which is bounded by the optical boundary conditions.

Claims14

Dependent claims

A system for stimulating a spinal cord of a patient comprising:

a controller, having a memory;
a reflectometer, operatively connected to the controller;
a stimulation electrode operatively connected to the controller;
and
a set of instructions, resident in the memory that, when executed cause the system to perform the steps of:
storing a lower reflectometer current boundary and an upper stimulation current boundary corresponding to a patient prone position, wherein the patient prone position is any posture of the patient in which the stimulation electrode is implanted wherein the spinal cord is in its most ventral position and further away from the reflectometer;
storing an upper reflectometer current boundary and a lower stimulation current boundary corresponding to a patient supine position, wherein the patient supine position is any posture of the patient in which the stimulation electrode is implanted wherein the spinal cord is in its most dorsal position and nearest the reflectometer;
deriving a functional relationship between the lower reflectometer current boundary, the upper reflectometer current boundary, the lower stimulation current boundary and the upper stimulation current boundary;
deriving an adjusted stimulation current value by adjusting a stimulation current value based on the functional relationship and a reflectometer current signal;
sending a stimulation signal to the stimulation electrode based on the adjusted stimulation current value;
and
directly applying the stimulation signal with the adjusted stimulation current value to a tissue of the patient.

9 more elements

A method for stimulating a spinal cord of a patient, the method further comprising:

providing a controller, having a memory;
providing a reflectometer, operatively connected to the controller;
providing a stimulation electrode operatively connected to the controller;
and
providing a set of instructions, resident in the memory that, when executed cause the controller to perform the steps of:
storing a lower reflectometer current boundary and an upper stimulation current boundary corresponding to a patient prone position, wherein the patient prone position is any posture of the patient in which the stimulation electrode is implanted wherein the spinal cord is in its most ventral position and further away from the reflectometer;
storing an upper reflectometer current boundary and a lower stimulation current boundary corresponding to a patient supine position, wherein the patient supine position is any posture of the patient in which the stimulation electrode is implanted wherein the spinal cord is in its most dorsal position and nearest the reflectometer;
deriving a functional relationship between the lower reflectometer current boundary, the upper reflectometer current boundary, the lower stimulation current boundary and the upper stimulation current boundary;
deriving an adjusted stimulation current value by adjusting a stimulation current value based on the functional relationship and a reflectometer current signal;
sending a stimulation signal to the stimulation electrode based on the adjusted stimulation current value;
and
directly applying the stimulation signal with the adjusted stimulation current value to a tissue of the patient.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 18/355,126Filed 19 Jul 2023 · us provisional application
Priority: 19 Jul 2022
Published: US 2024/0024680 A125 Jan 2024
Granted: 18 Aug 2026
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification14 codes

A61N 1/36062
Adapted for a particular treatment: spinal stimulation
A61B 5/1116
Measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof, e.g. head or hand tremor or mobility of a limb: determining posture transitions
A61B 5/686
Mounted on an invasive device: permanently implanted devices, e.g. pacemakers, other stimulators, biochips
A61N 1/0551
For implantation or insertion into the body, e.g. heart electrode: spinal or peripheral nerve electrodes