Implantable Cardiovascular Pressure Sensor Triggered by Physiological Activity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional systems face challenges in accurately measuring pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) during exercise or physical activity, as they often require patients to be stationary and cannot accommodate the size and power constraints of implantable sensors in the pulmonary artery, limiting their ability to conserve power and operate effectively.
Innovation Solution
An implantable medical device system that automatically triggers measurements of cardiovascular pressure, such as PAP, based on monitored physiological parameters like heart rate and respiratory rate, using a sensor assembly that operates in a low-power mode until triggered, allowing for wireless transmission of data during sensing periods and conserving power.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If continuous measurement of cardiovascular pressure is performed, then measurement precision is improved, but use of energy increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor assembly performs periodic measurements triggered by physiological events (heartbeats, respiratory cycles) rather than continuous measurement. The device enters low-power mode between measurement cycles, significantly reducing energy consumption while capturing clinically relevant pressure data at appropriate intervals during exercise and recovery phases.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the patient's own physiological signals (heart rate, respiratory rate detected by the implantable device) to automatically trigger pressure measurements. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for external triggering or continuous high-power operation, as measurements are initiated autonomously when physiologically relevant conditions occur.
2Ease of operation
If external triggering is used to initiate measurements, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The implantable device autonomously monitors physiological parameters and automatically triggers pressure measurements when predefined criteria are met (e.g., during exercise or recovery phases). This eliminates the need for external triggering devices or manual patient activation, simplifying the overall system architecture while maintaining ease of use through automatic operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system combines multiple functions into a single implantable device: physiological parameter monitoring, automatic trigger generation, and pressure measurement initiation. By merging these functions, the system eliminates external triggering complexity while maintaining automated operation, as the same device that monitors physiology also controls measurement timing.
3Use of energy by moving object
If sensor assembly remains in low-power mode, then use of energy is reduced, but measurement precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor assembly alternates between low-power mode and active measurement mode based on triggered physiological events. During low-power mode, minimal energy is consumed while the device remains ready to activate. When triggered by relevant physiological conditions (exercise, recovery), the device briefly enters high-precision measurement mode, ensuring accurate data capture only when clinically necessary.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary monitoring of physiological parameters in low-power mode and prepares for measurement in advance when trigger conditions are anticipated. The implantable device continuously tracks heart rate and respiratory rate, and when exercise or recovery phases are detected, it proactively initiates high-precision pressure measurements before the actual physiological event peaks, ensuring both power efficiency and measurement accuracy.
Data Source
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AI summary
Systems, devices disclosed provide example methods comprising determining that a triggering event has occurred based on statuses for a set of physiological parameters associated with the patient, the physiological parameters indicative of the patient engaging in a patient initiated physical activity, generating a trigger output signal in response to the determination that the triggering event has occurred, wirelessly transmitting the trigger output signal to a pressure sensing device implanted in a vessel of the patient, triggering, based on receiving the trigger output signal, the pressure sensing device to sense a cardiovascular pressure of the patient; and transmitting, by the pressure sensing device, a wireless signal comprising data corresponding to the sensed cardiovascular pressure of the patient.