Treatment and warning of recurring therapy and other events using an implantable device
AssigneeNeuroPace, Inc.
InventorBenjamin D. Pless
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An implantable neurostimulator system is capable of responsively treating epileptiform activity with electrical stimulation and other therapies and is further configured to detect periods of increased susceptibility to clinical seizures. The event densities of therapy applications (or detections or other events) in time are observed and calculated, and if high enough, measures are taken to warn the patient or provide additional therapy.
Claims14
An implantable device for detecting a patient's increased susceptibility to neurological events and triggering an action when a state of increased susceptibility is detected, the device comprising:
- a buffer configured to store a time of a therapy event each time a therapy is delivered to the patient;
- and
- a central processing unit configured to select an event time window and including a therapy density analyzer, the therapy density analyzer further comprising:
- a therapy event identifier configured to identify a selected therapy event that occurred in the event time window;
- an interval counter configured to measure time elapsed from the time of a therapy event that is a predetermined number of therapy events prior to the selected therapy event to the time of the selected event;
- and
- a density evaluator configured to compare the time elapsed from the time of the therapy event that is the predetermined number of therapy events prior to the selected therapy event to the time of the selected event to a predetermined time interval, and if elapsed time is less than the predetermined time interval, to provide a signal that is configured to initiate one or more actions to respond to the neurological events,
- wherein the therapy event identifier is configured to identify another selected therapy event that occurred in the event time window if the elapsed time is not less than the predetermined time interval for the selected therapy event and if not all therapy events in the event time window have been previously selected.
A method for detecting a patient's susceptibility to neurological events, the method comprising:
- (a) determining a time of a therapy event each time a therapy is delivered to the patient;
- (b) selecting an event time window;
- (c) selecting a therapy event that occurred during the event time window;
- (d) measuring time elapsed from a therapy event that is a predetermined number of therapy events prior to the selected therapy event to the selected therapy event;
- (e) comparing the time elapsed from the therapy event that is the predetermined number of therapy events prior to the selected therapy event to the selected therapy event to a predetermined time interval;
- (f) if the elapsed time is less than the predetermined time interval, providing a signal that is configured to initiate one or more actions to respond to the neurological events;
- and
- (g) if the elapsed time is not less than the predetermined time interval, repeating (c), (d), (e) and (f) for each therapy event in the window unless the elapsed time is less than the predetermined time interval for said therapy event or until all therapy events in the window have been selected.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.