Neuromodulation Priming Field for Rapid SCS Optimization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS) therapies for pain relief often have a significant wash-in time, making it challenging to quickly find an optimal location for the neuromodulation field within an office visit, as patients do not receive immediate feedback on the effectiveness of parameter changes.
Innovation Solution
The use of a priming field, generated by the neuromodulation system, to quickly sensitize neural tissue and reduce the wash-in time for sub-perception neuromodulation, allowing for faster pain relief feedback and optimization of neuromodulation field placement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If sub-perception SCS therapy is used to avoid paresthesia, then patient comfort is improved, but wash-in time increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by delivering a priming stimulus before the actual therapeutic stimulation. This priming stimulus pre-sensitizes the neural tissue, creating a state of heightened responsiveness that allows subsequent sub-perception therapy to take effect more rapidly. The priming phase is a preparatory action that occurs beforehand to reduce the delayed effect problem.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism (the priming stimulus) that mediates between the therapeutic goal and the physiological response. This intermediary priming phase acts as a bridge that prepares the neural tissue to respond more quickly to the subsequent sub-perception therapy, effectively reducing the wash-in time without requiring the patient to perceive paresthesia.
2Productivity
If conventional SCS is used to provide immediate feedback, then programming efficiency is improved, but paresthesia occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by delivering a priming stimulus that pre-sensitizes the neural tissue before the actual therapeutic stimulation begins. This preparatory phase enables the subsequent sub-perception therapy to produce observable effects more quickly, achieving programming efficiency comparable to conventional SCS without requiring paresthesia.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the temporal parameters of stimulation delivery by introducing a priming phase with specific timing characteristics. The priming stimulus is delivered with particular duration, intensity, and timing parameters that differ from both conventional SCS and standard sub-perception therapy, creating an optimized stimulation profile that achieves rapid effect without paresthesia.
3Reliability
If multiple parameter sets are tested to find optimal location, then therapy effectiveness is improved, but time required for optimization increases
Solution Approach 1:
The priming stimulus performs preliminary action by pre-sensitizing the neural tissue across the treatment area before parameter testing begins. This creates a state of heightened neural responsiveness that allows multiple parameter sets to be tested more quickly, as the tissue is already in a responsive state and can provide faster feedback on parameter effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent maintains continuity of useful action by having the priming stimulus continue throughout the parameter testing phase. This continuous priming keeps the neural tissue in a sensitized state throughout the optimization process, allowing seamless transition between different parameter tests without losing the heightened responsiveness, thereby reducing total optimization time.
Data Source
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AI summary
A neuromodulation device is configured with a set of testing program configuration instructions including therapeutic neuromodulation field-setting parameters. The device determines a custom priming program in response to the testing program configuration instructions. The custom priming program controls the neuromodulation device to generate a priming field with specific correspondence to the therapeutic neuromodulation field to be produced by the testing program.