Method and system for supporting a communication engagement with a plurality of classes of implantable medical devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing communication systems for implantable medical devices, particularly leadless pacemakers and legacy cardiac rhythm management products, face challenges in managing interactions due to differing communication modalities, data throughput requirements, and the need for managing multiple devices during change-out procedures, which are not compatible with shared interfacing designs.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that supports communication engagement with a plurality of implantable medical devices by automatically detecting device classes based on communication interfaces and protocols, enabling selective auto-interrogation and list creation for both legacy and modern implants, allowing seamless interaction with a unified graphical user interface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a unified communication interface is used for both legacy and leadless pacemaker devices, then device compatibility is improved, but communication protocol complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The communication interface is segmented into multiple detection modules, each responsible for identifying specific device classes (legacy vs. leadless). The system divides the communication handling into separate pathways: one for legacy devices using traditional auto-interrogation and another for leadless devices using command-response protocols. This segmentation allows the unified interface to support multiple device types without requiring a single complex protocol to handle all cases simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary device class detection before establishing the communication protocol. Upon establishing a connection, the programming device automatically detects the device class and pre-configures the appropriate communication mode. This preliminary action ensures that the correct protocol (auto-interrogation for legacy, command-response for leadless) is selected in advance, avoiding protocol conflicts and simplifying the communication process.
2Productivity
If auto-interrogation is enabled for all devices, then data throughput is improved for legacy devices, but communication conflicts occur with multiple leadless devices
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the interrogation mode based on the detected device class. For legacy devices, auto-interrogation is enabled to maximize data throughput. For leadless devices, the system dynamically switches to a command-response mode where the programmer initiates all communications. This dynamic adaptation prevents communication conflicts when multiple leadless devices are present while maintaining high data throughput for legacy devices.
Solution Approach 2:
Different communication qualities are applied to different device classes. Legacy devices receive aggressive auto-interrogation with high data throughput, while leadless devices receive controlled command-response interactions. This local quality differentiation ensures that each device type communicates in the most appropriate manner for its specific requirements, preventing conflicts while optimizing performance.
3Reliability
If the programmer initiates command/response interactions for leadless pacemakers, then communication reliability is improved, but interaction speed decreases compared to legacy devices
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary device class detection to identify leadless pacemakers. Once identified, the programmer is pre-configured to initiate all command/response interactions, ensuring reliable communication. This preliminary identification allows the system to establish the appropriate communication rhythm and pacing for leadless devices, compensating for the slower interaction speed through optimized command sequencing and timing.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
The invention relates to a method and system for supporting a communication engagement with a plurality of classes (C1, C2) of implantable medical devices (10), the method comprising the steps of positioning a communication unit (11) of a programming device (12) within a communication range of an implantable medical device (10), and establishing a connection between the programming device (12) and the implantable medical device (10), wherein a class of the implantable medical device (10) is detected depending on a communication interface and/or a communication protocol of the implantable medical device (10), and wherein depending on the detected class of the implantable medical device (10) an auto-interrogation of the implantable medical device (10) is performedand/or a list of implantable medical devices (10) positioned within the communication range of the communication unit (11) of a programming device (12) is created.