System and method for generating and testing treatment protocols
AssigneeAdvanced Neuromodulation Systems, Inc.
InventorJohn H. Erickson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system, method, and computer program product for interactively defining and calibrating a treatment protocol program for a stimulation device such as an implantable pulse generator (IPG). An IPG, whether it is a self-contained implantable pulse generator (SCIPG) or externally-powered implantable pulse generator (EPIPG), communicates with an external patient programmer (EPP) to receive treatment protocol programs. Using the EPP, treatment protocol programs are developed, executed, and tested while the patient provides real-time feedback, providing efficient and effective programming.
Claims22
A method for programming a stimulation device, comprising:
- placing a stimulation device into a programming mode using an external programming device, the external programming device adapted to control the stimulation device;
- sending a treatment protocol program from the external programming device to the stimulation device, wherein the treatment protocol program is associated with a first stimulation setting;
- testing the treatment protocol program using the stimulation device;
- modifying said first stimulation setting according to said testing until pain relief is experienced;
- adding a second stimulation setting to said treatment protocol program to form a test treatment protocol program which stimulates using parameters from each stimulation setting;
- testing said test treatment protocol program;
- and
- receiving a user selection of a treatment protocol program that provides the best comparative pain relief;
- balancing perceived amplitudes, using the programming device, associated with the first and second stimulation settings in real-time while the treatment protocol program is executed by the stimulation device;
- wherein said test treatment program alternates stimulation settings during said testing and balancing.
A method of creating a stimulation program for an implantable pulse generator, the method being performed using an external programming device during a programming mode, comprising:
- controlling the implantable pulse generator to execute a stimulation program by generating electrical pulses according to at least a first stimulation set of the stimulation program;
- adding a second stimulation set to the stimulation program, wherein the first and second stimulation sets define respective electrode combinations that are selected to cause the patient to experience pain relief in distinct regions of the body, wherein the adding the second stimulation set causes the implantable pulse generator to alternately generate electrical pulses according to at least the first and second stimulation sets;
- and
- modifying at least one stimulation parameter of the second stimulation set while the implantable pulse generator continues to execute the stimulation program.
A method of creating a stimulation program for an implantable pulse generator, the method being performed using an external programming device during a programming mode, comprising:
- placing the external programming device into a programming mode;
- during the programming mode, controlling the implantable pulse generator to execute a stimulation program, wherein the stimulation program defines electrical pulses to be generated and delivered by the implantable pulse generator using at least a first stimulation set;
- during the programming mode, communicating a second stimulation set to the implantable pulse generator to be added to the stimulation program, wherein the first and second stimulation sets define respective electrode combinations that are selected to cause the patient to experience pain relief in distinct regions of the body, wherein the adding the second stimulation set causes the implantable pulse generator to alternately generate electrical pulses according to at least the first and second stimulation sets;
- and
- during the programming mode, modifying at least one stimulation parameter of the second stimulation set while the implantable pulse generator continues to execute the stimulation program.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.