Method and device for detecting and treating depression
AssigneeCardiac Pacemakers, Inc.
InventorHelen L. Reeve
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system is described for detecting and/or treating depression that may be incorporated into an implantable device such as a cardiac rhythm management device. The device may determine that depression is present by analysis of heart rate variability measured using the cardiac sensing channels of the device and/or by detection of blood-borne factors that are associated with depression. If depression is detected, the device may be configured to automatically delivery therapy such as neuromodulation and/or drug delivery.
Claims16
An implantable device, comprising:
- a sensing channel configured to collect values of one or more physiological variables in a patient;
- circuitry configured to derive one or more depression parameters that are correlated with depression in a patient from the one or more collected physiological variables;
- a sensing channel configured to generate an electrogram signal representing electrical activity in a cardiac chamber;
- circuitry configured to measure and collect time intervals between successive intrinsic beats, referred to as a BB interval, and storing the collected intervals as a discrete BB interval signal, filtering the BB interval signal into defined high and low frequency bands, and determine the signal power of the BB interval signal in each of the low and high frequency bands, referred to as LF and HF, respectively;
- circuitry configured to compute a heart rate variability parameter as an LF/HF ratio;
- circuitry configured to detect depression based upon the one or more depression parameters, wherein the one or more depression parameters includes the computed LF/HF ratio;
- and,
- wherein the circuitry configured to detect depression is further configured to cause delivery of anti-depressive therapy when depression is detected.
A method for operating an implantable device in order to treat depression, comprising:
- generating an electrogram signal representing electrical activity in a cardiac chamber;
- measuring and collecting time intervals between successive intrinsic heart beats, referred to as a BB interval, and storing the collected intervals as a discrete BB interval signal, filtering the BB interval signal into defined high and low frequency bands, and determining the signal power of the BB interval signal in each of the low and high frequency bands, referred to as LF and HF, respectively;
- computing a heart rate variability parameter as an LF/HF ratio;
- collecting values of one or more physiological variables via one or more sensing channels of an implantable device;
- deriving one or more depression parameters that are correlated with depression in a patient from the one or more collected physiological variables;
- detecting depression based upon the one or more depression parameters, wherein the one or more depression parameters includes the computed LF/HF ratio;
- and,
- triggering delivery of anti-depressive therapy from the implantable device when depression is detected based upon the one or more depression parameters.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.