US 6,073,049 A · Programmably upgradable implantable cardiac pacemaker

Abstract

An implantable cardiac pacemaker is adapted to be selectively non-invasively upgraded from time to time after implantation to provide a plurality of different diagnostic, functional, and pacing operational modes in the form of respective combinations of single and dual chamber sensing and pacing and rate-adaptive pacing of a patient's heart to correct any of various cardiac arrhythmias attributable to cardiac pacing or cardiovascular disorders, and of extended memory and physiological monitoring functions. The pacemaker is implemented to make available the plurality of different pacing operational and other functional modes, and is programmable to selectively enable current operation of at least one of the available pacing operational modes according to current needs of the patient while inhibiting current operation of all other available pacing operational modes and any other non-selected functional modes. Subsequently, the implanted pacemaker may be programmed non-invasively to selectively restore operation of at least one of the inhibited pacing operational modes or other functional modes when the patient evidences a need therefor, but the selective restoration programming is locked out unless performed with a prescribed security access key. Additional charges are imposed on the patient or third party payor for the extended upgrade functions, but considerably less than the cost of a replacement device and a surgical implant procedure, while converting the implanted device from an initially inexpensive and basic form to a more sophisticated form tailored to appropriate treatment and monitoring of the patient's condition.

Claims30

Dependent claims

A programmable multi-mode cardiac pacemaker device adapted to be implanted in the body of a patient and upgraded from time to time to enable the device to provide appropriate treatment of arrhythmias attributable to abnormalities in the cardiac pacing or cardiovascular system of the patient, as the needs of the patient for such treatment undergo change, said device comprising means for providing a multiplicity of different pacing operating modes in which electrical stimuli are produced for selective application to the patient's heart to treat arrhythmias;

means for selectively sensing electrical activity of the patient's heart;
means for selectively enabling said mode providing means to operate in at least one of said modes selected to produce electrical phenomena designated to treat a diagnosed arrhythmia of the patient;
means responsive to detecting the occurrence of the diagnosed arrhythmia from sensed atrial or ventricular electrical activity for producing the designated electrical phenomena;
means for programming said device to non-invasively disable those of said multiplicity of pacing operating modes which are not required to produce the designated electrical phenomena;
and means for selectively restoring disabled pacing operating modes, including means for precluding said selective restoration except upon access through a security code.

2 more elements

An implantable cardiac pacemaker for arrhythmia detection and correction, adapted to provide a multiplicity of different pacing therapy modes in the form of respective combinations of single and dual chamber sensing and pacing and rate-adaptive pacing of a patient's heart to correct any of various cardiac arrhythmias thereof attributable to cardiac pacing or conduction disorders, said pacemaker comprising means for making available said multiplicity of different pacing therapy modes;

means for non-invasively programming said pacemaker to selectively enable current operation of at least one of the available pacing therapy modes according to current needs of the patient and to selectively inhibit current operation of all others of the available pacing therapy modes;
and means for non-invasively programming said pacemaker to selectively restore operation of at least one of the inhibited pacing therapy modes, including means to lock out operation of the programmable restoring means except with a prescribed key.

A method for selectively non-invasively upgrading a programmable multi-mode cardiac pacemaker device adapted to be implanted in the body of a patient to enable the device to provide appropriate treatment of arrhythmias attributable to abnormalities in the cardiac pacing or cardiovascular system of the patient, as the needs of the patient for such treatment undergo change from time to time, said method comprising the steps of providing the device with a plurality of different programmable diagnostic, memory, and operating functional modes in which respective electrical pulse waveforms are produced for selective application to the patient's heart to treat arrhythmias;

selectively sensing electrical activity of the patient's heart;
programming the device to enable operation thereof in at least one of said functional modes selected to produce an electrical pulse waveform designated to treat an arrhythmia when diagnosed in the patient in response to detection of the occurrence of the diagnosed arrhythmia from sensed electrical activity of at least one of the atrial and ventricular chambers of the heart, while leaving those of said plurality of functional modes which are not required to produce the electrical pulse waveform designated to treat the diagnosed arrhythmia initially disabled;
and selectively restoring one or more of said disabled functional modes when needed to upgrade the device, only upon access through a security code.

A method of correcting any of various cardiac arrhythmias attributable to cardiac pacing or cardiovascular disorders of a patient with a programmably upgradable implantable cardiac pacemaker adapted for arrhythmia detection and correction by providing a plurality of different pacing therapy modes in the form of respective combinations of single and dual chamber sensing and pacing and rate-adaptive pacing of the patient's heart, said method comprising the steps of making available said plurality of different pacing therapy modes of the pacemaker;

non-invasively programming the pacemaker to selectively enable current operation of at least some of said plurality of available pacing therapy modes according to current needs of the patient while inhibiting current operation of all others of said plurality of available pacing therapy modes;
and subsequently non-invasively programming the pacemaker to selectively restore operation of at least one of the inhibited pacing therapy modes when the patient evidences a need therefor, including locking out the capability to programmably restore operation of an inhibited pacing therapy mode except with a prescribed key.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Programmably upgradable implantable cardiac pacemaker

Life of this patent

Programmably upgradable implantable cardiac pacemaker

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims30