Cardiac Pacemakers, Inc.

Mainstay Medical Limited

Dsp Group Limited

Prashant Brijmohansing Rawat

Jeffrey Allen Von Arx

William Robert Mass

Vineel Vallapureddy

Joseph E Bange

Mark D Amundson

William J Linder

Peter Andrew Crosby

Sylvia Quiles

Hui Li

Dan Sachs

Scott R Vanderlinde

Earle Timothy Roberts

Dennis Eric Larson

Daniel T Kollmann

Mark Rutzer

Mehdi Katoozi

Jason Hannon

Timothy Hillukka

Daniel Kollman

Kristen N Jaax

Kenneth Frederick Cowan

Greg Paul Carpenter

Thomas M Bocek

Ken Cowan

Jackson Harvey

Tom Bocek

Zhifang Li

Systems and methods for enhancing muscle function of skeletal muscles in connection with a planned spine surgery intervention in a patient's back are provided. The method includes implanting one or more electrodes in or adjacent to tissue associated with one or more skeletal muscles within a back of a patient, the one or more electrodes in electrical communication with a pulse generator programmed for enhancing muscle function of the one or more skeletal muscles. Electrical stimulation is delivered, according to the programming during a time period associated with the planned spine surgery intervention, from the pulse generator to the tissue associated with the one or more skeletal muscles via the one or more electrodes, thereby improving neuromuscular control system performance of the one or more spine stabilizing muscles in connection with the planned spine surgery intervention to reduce the patient's recovery time associated with the planned spine surgery intervention.

Systems and methods for enhancing function of spine stabilization muscles associated with a spine surgery intervention

A method for enhancing muscle function of skeletal muscles in connection with a planned spine surgery intervention in a patient's back is provided. The method includes implanting one or more electrodes in or adjacent to tissue associated with one or more skeletal muscles within a back of a patient, the one or more electrodes in electrical communication with a pulse generator programmed for enhancing muscle function of the one or more skeletal muscles. Electrical stimulation is delivered, according to the programming during a time period associated with the planned spine surgery intervention, from the pulse generator to the tissue associated with the one or more skeletal muscles via the one or more electrodes, thereby improving neuromuscular control system performance of the one or more spine stabilizing muscles in connection with the planned spine surgery intervention to reduce the patient's recovery time associated with the planned spine surgery intervention.

System and method for rehabilitating a muscle and monitoring such rehabilitation are provided, the system including a user input receiver for receiving stimulation parameter inputs from a user, a stimulator for generating stimulations to be applied to a patient's body based on the stimulation parameter inputs, a signal receiver to receive, detect, and record a signal containing an evoked potential generated by the body in response to the stimulations, a signal processor for processing the recorded signal, for example, by amplifying, filtering, digitizing and temporal averaging the recorded signal, a trigger detector to alert the signal processor module when stimulations are generated to enable synchronization of the response signal with the stimulus for accurate temporal averaging, and an output display for providing data representative of the evoked potential to the user.

Systems and methods for monitoring muscle rehabilitation

An apparatus and method for enabling an implanted fractal antenna for radio frequency communications between an implantable medical device and an external device. The fractal antenna may be disposed within or outside of a header assembly of the device housing. Various examples include a three dimensional patterned cylinder usable as a tissue anchor or stent. In another embodiment the antenna may be cast, molded, stamped, punched, milled, laser cut, etched or other methods to form a fractal pattern in conductive media. In another embodiment the antenna may be formed of a printed circuit board (PCB) either with or without an included ground reference plane. In another embodiment the antenna may be formed in a fractal pattern and then wrapped around a part of the implantable device.

Implantable medical device with fractal antenna

An apparatus comprises a transceiver configured to communicate wirelessly with an IMD and a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver. The processor is configured to detect an error in a data unit received from the IMD, transmit a series of synchronization signals during an uninterrupted communication sequence, and receive, for each synchronization signal, a new data unit and the number of requested duplicate data units from the IMD. Each synchronization signal includes an echo code, wherein the echo code corresponds to a request for a number of duplicate data units to be sent in response to detecting the error in the data unit received during said uninterrupted communication sequence. The number of duplicate data units corresponds to a value of the echo code, and a duplicate data unit corresponds to a data unit previously transmitted by the IMD during said uninterrupted communication sequence.

On-demand retransmission of data with an implantable medical device

An apparatus and method for enabling far-field radio frequency communications with an implantable medical device in which an antenna structure is disposed within a header assembly of the device. The antenna structure, in various embodiments, includes a monopole antenna, a dipole antenna, an inverted F antenna, a patch antenna and a slot antenna.

Radio frequency antenna in a header of an implantable medical device

An implantable medical device for use in a patient management system is described including a housing, a first communications unit, and a second communications unit. The first communications unit can establish a first communications link within short range telemetry communication range of an external local device. The second communications unit can establish a second communications link over a pervasive wireless communications network with a remote computer. A pervasive wireless communications network can include a cell phone network. The device further includes an antenna that is configured to be operatively connected to both the first and second communications units.

Implantable medical device with antenna

A far-field radio frequency (RF) telemetry system for communicating with an implantable medical device includes a diversity antenna system. Multi-frame messages each including multiple outgoing data frames are transmitted to the implantable medical device. In response, the implantable medical device transmits response data frames each following one or more of the outgoing data frames, according to a predetermined communication protocol. An antenna control circuit selects an antenna of the diversity antenna system for transmitting the outgoing data frames and/or receiving the response data frames based on the quality of signal reception associated with the response data frames.

Method and apparatus for operating a diversity antenna system for communicating with implantable medical device

A system for communicating with an implantable medical device via RF telemetry is disclosed which mitigates the effects of nulls caused by, e.g., multi-path distortion. In one embodiment, signals transmitted by the implantable device to an external device are simultaneously received with a pair of separate spaced apart first and second antennas. The antennas may provide spatial and/or polar diversity. The presence of nulls in the implantable device's transmission pattern can be determined by detecting an error rate in the signals received from the implantable device with each antenna.

Diversity antenna system for communication with an implantable medical device

A diversity antenna system including a plurality of antennas can include an antenna interface circuit configured to connect an antenna of the plurality of antennas to a transceiver using an antenna selection signal. The antenna control circuit can be configured to produce the antenna selection signal using at least one of a random sequence generator configured to generate a random antenna selection signal or a predetermined sequence generator configured to generate a predetermined antenna selection signal according to a predetermined sequence.

Method and apparatus for antenna selection in a diversity antenna system for communicating with implantable medical device

An implantable medical device can include an implantable antenna for communication with external devices or other internal devices. Changes in the patient's body position, weight, composition or other factors may change the efficiency of the implantable antenna and hinder communication. The disclosed circuit can calculate a value for a matching network for an implantable telemetry circuit to decrease an impedance difference between the implantable telemetry circuit and the implantable antenna or increase or maximize a communication power transfer value associated with the implantable medical device.

Variable antenna matching network for an implantable antenna

A far-field radio frequency (RF) telemetry system for communicating with an implantable medical device includes a diversity antenna system. Multi-frame messages each including multiple outgoing data frames are transmitted to the implantable medical device. In response, the implantable medical device transmits response data frames each following one or more of the outgoing data frames, according to a predetermined communication protocol. An antenna control circuit selects an antenna of the diversity antenna system for transmitting the outgoing data frames and/or receiving the response data frames based the quality of signal reception associated with the response data frames.

An implantable medical device for use in a patient management system is described including a sensor, a processor, and a first communications unit. The first communications unit can deliver notification of significant events to a host computer using a short-range telemetry first communications link. A second communications unit can deliver notification of the significant events to the host computer over a second communications link, which is over a pervasive wireless communications network, such as a cell phone network. The device includes an antenna that is operatively connected to both the first and second communications units.

Growing community of inventors

Blaine, MN, United States of America

Prashant Brijmohansing Rawat