System and method for supplying a patient reminder alert from an implantable medical device
AssigneeMedtronic, Inc.
InventorsJohn E. Burnes, Luc R. Mongeon
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An implantable medical device (IMD) provides an alert to a patient that has the IMD implanted in their body. The alert is used to remind the patient to schedule and/or proceed to a follow-up physician visit. The reminder is also used to remind the patient to initiate a remote communication so that stored data or other information may be transmitted to a remote computer network or other communication node.
Claims40
An implantable medical device (IMD), comprising:
- a timer circuit operable to supply a time signal;
- memory circuit operable to store data representative of an IMD check time associated with one of scheduling a physician visit and proceeding to a physician visit;
- and
- a controller circuit in operable communication with the timer circuit and the memory circuit and for supplying an alert signal at a time relative to the IMD check time stored in the memory circuit.
A system for supplying a reminder to a patient having an implantable medical device (IMD), comprising:
- an IMD including:
- a timer circuit operable to supply a time signal,
- a memory circuit operable to store data representative of a check time associated with one of scheduling a physician visit and proceeding to a physician visit,
- a controller circuit in operable communication with the timer circuit and the memory circuit and for supplying an alert signal at a time relative to the IMD check time stored in the memory circuit,
- a radio frequency (RF) signal source coupled to receive the alert signal and operable, in response thereto, to supply an RF signal, and
- an RF emitter coupled to receive the RF signal and operable, in response thereto, to emit the RF signal;
- and
- an RF receiver configured to receive the emitted RF signal and operable, in response thereto, to issue a patient reminder signal.
An implantable medical device (IMD), comprising:
- a memory circuit having a plurality of memory registers adapted to receive and store IMD-related data therein;
- and
- a controller circuit in operable communication with the memory circuit and operable to (i) determine content of one or more of the memory registers and (ii) supply one or more alert signals based at least in part on the determined content of one or more of the memory registers, wherein one or more of the memory registers receives and stores data representative of an IMD check time associated with one of scheduling a physician visit and proceeding to a physician visit, and wherein the device further comprises:
- a timer circuit in operable communication with the controller circuit and operable to supply a time signal,
- wherein the controller circuit supplies the alert signal at a time relative to the IMD check time stored in the memory circuit.
A method of reminding a patient having an implantable medical device (IMD) implanted in their body to take an action, the method comprising:
- determining content of one or more memory registers;
- and
- supplying one or more alert signals to the patient from the IMD based at least in part on the determined content of one or more of the memory registers, wherein the content of one or more of the memory registers is a check time associated with one of scheduling a physician visit and proceeding to a physician visit, and the method further comprises:
- determining a time relative to the check time;
- and
- supplying the one or more alert signals to the patient from the IMD when the determined time is at least a predetermined time.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.