Implantable Bio-Implant Control Using Preconfigured Parameter Sets
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Solution Overview
Problem
Implantable medical devices with complex configuration profiles require periodic reconfigurations to adapt to changing patient needs, but existing systems lack efficient methods for primary care physicians to manage and adjust these devices effectively due to their complexity.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that allow primary care physicians to access and adjust implantable medical devices by selecting from preconfigured parameter sets based on clinical targets, using access keys to activate specific device functions, and monitoring patient performance to optimize therapeutic effects while minimizing side effects.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If implantable medical devices include many programmable parameters to adapt to changing patient needs, then device adaptability is improved, but device complexity increases making it difficult for primary care physicians to manage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the complex device configuration into multiple pre-configured parameter sets (first parameter set, second parameter set, etc.), each representing a complete functional configuration. This allows physicians to select between discrete, manageable configurations rather than adjusting individual parameters, thereby maintaining adaptability while reducing operational complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-configuring multiple complete parameter sets before clinical use. Each parameter set is prepared in advance with specific technical parameters (voltage, impedance, electrode characteristics, etc.) already optimized for different clinical scenarios. This eliminates the need for physicians to perform complex real-time configuration adjustments, reducing the barrier to device management.
2Productivity
If device function dynamically adjusts according to changing patient status, then treatment efficacy is improved, but the number of parameters requiring adjustment increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamics by enabling dynamic switching between pre-configured parameter sets based on changing patient status. The system monitors clinical parameters and automatically or manually transitions between parameter sets to optimize treatment efficacy in real-time, maintaining adaptability without requiring complex manual reconfiguration of individual parameters.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies parameter changes by organizing technical parameters into discrete, pre-optimized sets that can be switched between. Each parameter set contains coordinated changes across multiple parameters (voltage, impedance, electrode characteristics, rate of change, etc.), allowing the system to adapt to changing patient conditions through set transitions rather than individual parameter adjustments, thereby simplifying the adjustment process.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple technical parameters are configured to achieve functional adjustment, then device functionality is improved, but the difficulty of detecting and measuring clinical effects increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the complex interdependence of multiple technical parameters into distinct, pre-configured parameter sets. Each set represents a complete functional configuration with coordinated parameter values. This segmentation allows clinicians to evaluate clinical effects at the set level rather than attempting to isolate and measure the contribution of individual parameters, thereby reducing measurement complexity while preserving full device functionality.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and devices for tying management of an implantable medical device to the activities of a primary care physician are described, including access control, simplified parameter optimization, support for tuning a device in response to the effects of other treatments in parallel, and support for helping a primary physician and a patient work together to tune device configuration to the activity and performance needs of the patient. In some embodiments, a medical device is self-configuring in a device parameter domain, based on inputs provided in a patient performance domain. The self-configuring of the medical device is based, for example, on an automatically applied transformation of inputs derived from patient performance domain observations into changes in the configuration of the medical device which affect technical parameters of its operation.