Medtronic, Inc.

Starkey Laboratories, Inc.

Sourav Bhunia

Justin R Burwinkel

Buye Xu

Jason Alan Galster

Peter J Tetrick

Can Cinbis

Walter H Olson

Kyle D Olson

Paul D Ziegler

Stefan Kracker

Peggi S Cross

Kaysar Rahim

Dave Tourtelotte

Various embodiments of a predictive fall event management system and a method of using such system are disclosed. The system includes a body-worn device and a controller operatively connected to the body-worn device. The controller is adapted to receive physiological data representative of a physiological characteristic of a wearer of the body-worn device over a monitoring time period; receive contextual data representative of context information of the wearer over the monitoring time period; and determine one or more future physiological states or contextual states based at least in part on one or more of the physiological data and the contextual data. The controller is further adapted to determine, for a future time, whether a fall condition is satisfied based upon the one or more future physiological states or contextual states and generate a fall prevention output responsive to satisfaction of the fall condition.

Predictive fall event management system and method of using same

Various embodiments of a fall prediction system and method of using such system are disclosed. The system includes a hearing device for a user, a sensor operatively connected to the hearing device and adapted to detect a characteristic of the user and generate a sensor signal based on the characteristic, an accessory operatively connected to the hearing device, and a controller operatively connected to the hearing device. The controller is adapted to determine a fall risk value based on the sensor signal, compare the fall risk value to a fall risk threshold, and generate a fall prevention output if the fall risk value exceeds the fall risk threshold.

Fall prediction system including an accessory and method of using same

An electronic device comprises an enclosure configured for insertion into the ear canal and comprising a distal end configured to extend at least beyond a first bend of the ear canal. A distal temperature sensor is situated at a location of the enclosure that faces a tragus-side of the ear canal between the first and second bends when the enclosure is fully inserted into the ear canal. A proximal temperature sensor is situated on the enclosure at a location spaced apart from a surface of the ear canal and proximal of the distal temperature sensor in an outer ear direction when the enclosure is fully inserted into the ear canal. A processor, coupled to the distal and proximal temperature sensors and to memory, is configured to calculate an absolute core body temperature using a heat balance equation stored in the memory and the first and second temperature signals.

Devices and sensing methods for measuring temperature from an ear

Various embodiments of a fall prediction system and method of using such system are disclosed. The system includes a hearing device for a wearer, a sensor operatively connected to the hearing device and adapted to detect a characteristic of the wearer and generate a sensor signal based on the characteristic, and a controller operatively connected to the hearing device. The controller is adapted to determine a fall risk value based on the sensor signal, compare the fall risk value to a fall risk threshold, and generate a fall prevention output if the fall risk value exceeds the fall risk threshold.

Fall prediction system and method of using the same

A reflectance optical perfusion sensor may include at least one light source and a plurality of detector elements arranged in a planar or nonplanar configuration, such as a three-dimensional array. The detector elements may sense light emitted by the at least one light source and reflected by a blood mass of a patient, such as blood within a blood vessel. In some examples, the detector elements may be arranged such that photodetection surfaces of at least two of the detector elements are nonparallel. In addition to or instead of the nonplanar arrangement of detector elements, an optical perfusion sensor may include a detector array including a plurality of detector elements at least partially surrounding a light source. Varying the location and orientations of detector elements may help increase a quantity of light emitted by the at least one light source and reflected toward the optical perfusion sensor by blood.

Optical perfusion sensor detector

Techniques of inducing a physiological perturbation to monitor a heart failure status of a patient are described. An implantable medical device (IMD) may induce a physiological perturbation in the patient to monitor and determine how the patient responds to the physiological change. This response may be indicative of heart failure improvement or worsening. For example, the IMD may deliver electrical stimulation with parameters configured to perturb the patient (e.g., stimulation that deviates from stimulation therapy). The IMD may then detect at least one physiological parameter to monitor the patient's response to the perturbation. Based on the detected physiological parameter, the IMD may generate a heart failure status. The heart failure status may then be used for adjusting patient therapy, with or without the use of remote monitoring.

Physiological perturbations for measuring heart failure

An improved system for measuring changes in blood flow, particularly in the context of an automatic arrhythmia treatment device. The system includes a heater, exposable to a bloodstream, a driver providing power to the heater, a temperature sensor, isolated from the blood stream and thermally coupled to the temperature of the heater and a measurement circuit coupled to the temperature sensor, providing signals indicative of blood flow. The system may include an intravascular lead having a lead body wherein the heater is mounted to the lead body so as to dissipate its generated heat into the blood. The heater and temperature sensor may be thermally insulated from the lead body and the heater and the temperature sensor may be on substantially a single isotherm during operation.

Rapid thermal detection of cardiac output change

A method and apparatus for verifying a determined cardiac event in a medical device based on detected variation in hemodynamic status that includes a plurality of sensors sensing cardiac signals, and a physiologic sensor sensing physiologic signals to generate a plurality of variation index samples corresponding to the sensed signals. A microprocessor detects a cardiac event in response to the sensed cardiac signals, computes a variation index trend associated with a predetermined number of variation index samples of the plurality of variation index samples, determines whether the sensed cardiac signals are associated with noise in response to the computed variation index, and confirms the determined cardiac event in response to the sensed cardiac signals not being associated with noise.

Method and apparatus for verifying a determined cardiac event in a medical device based on detected variation in hemodynamic status

A method and apparatus for verifying a determined cardiac event in a medical device based on detected variation in hemodynamic status that includes a physiologic sensor sensing physiologic signals to generate a plurality of variation index samples corresponding to the sensed signals, and a microprocessor computing a variation index trend associated with a predetermined number of variation index samples of the plurality of variation index samples, determining whether deviations of the predetermined number of variation index samples over predetermined sampling windows are less than a deviation threshold, and determining, in response to the deviations being less than the deviation threshold, a corrected variation index trend in response to the changes in the variation index trend during the predetermined sampling windows.

A medical device identifies a hemodynamically unstable arrhythmia based upon optical hemodynamic sensor signals. The optical hemodynamic sensor includes a light source for transmitting light corresponding to first and second wavelengths through a blood perfused tissue of a patient and a light detector for generating optical signals corresponding to an intensity of the detected light at the first and second wavelengths. At a low motion period for the patient, optical signals are obtained from the optical hemodynamic sensor and are analyzed to determine a baseline motion level for the patient. Subsequent signals obtained from the optical hemodynamic sensor are compared to the baseline motion levels, with only those signals corresponding to periods where motion does not exceed the baseline level of motion being further analyzed to determine if they are consistent with a hemodynamically unstable arrhythmia.

Method and apparatus for using an optical hemodynamic sensor to identify an unstable arrhythmia

A method and apparatus for verifying a determined cardiac event in a medical device based on detected variation in hemodynamic status that includes a plurality of sensors sensing cardiac signals, and a physiologic sensor sensing physiologic signals to generate a plurality of variation index samples corresponding to the sensed signals. A microprocessor detects a cardiac event in response to the sensed cardiac signals, computes a variation index trend associated with a predetermined number of variation index samples of the plurality of variation index samples, determines a rate of change of the computed variation index trend, and confirms the determined cardiac event in response to the computed variation index trend and in response to the determined rate of change.

An improved method and apparatus for measuring changes in blood flow, particularly in the context of an automatic arrhythmia treatment device. The invention may employ a flow sensor which is activated in response to detection of a tachyarrhythmia or in response to delivery of an anti-tachyarrhythmia therapy. If activated in response to detection of tachyarrhythmia, the flow sensor may be employed to determine whether a substantial drop in cardiac output has or has not occurred, in order to select an appropriate therapy, in particular to avoid unnecessary delivery of high level shocks. If activated in response to delivery of an anti-tachyarrhythmia therapy, the flow sensor may be employed to determine whether the therapy was or was not successful in correcting a low cardiac output or whether a reduced cardiac output followed delivery of the therapy.

Growing community of inventors

Shoreview, MN, United States of America

Sourav Bhunia