Patient Remote for Nerve Stimulation Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current neurostimulation systems face challenges in accurately predicting nerve tissue structures and electrical properties among patients, leading to variable treatment outcomes, frequent adjustments, patient discomfort, and short device lifetimes, with patients often struggling to adjust stimulation levels effectively.
Innovation Solution
A patient remote device that allows patients to incrementally adjust the stimulation level of a neurostimulation system wirelessly, within a clinically effective range, to maintain comfort and efficacy, featuring a portable housing with switches and displays for easy operation and battery status indication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If patients are allowed to freely adjust stimulation levels, then patient comfort and treatment efficacy can be optimized, but patients may inadvertently set stimulation levels outside clinically effective ranges causing discomfort or pain
Solution Approach 1:
The patient remote serves as an intermediary device between the patient and the neurostimulation system. It provides patient control over stimulation parameters while incorporating clinician-programmed boundaries that prevent unsafe adjustments. The remote acts as a mediator that translates patient needs into safe, controlled stimulation changes within pre-defined clinically effective ranges.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter control approach by implementing bounded adjustment ranges. Instead of allowing unlimited patient control, the remote device modifies stimulation parameters only within pre-determined safe boundaries established by clinicians. This maintains patient agency while ensuring reliability through parameter constraints.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple stimulation programs and parameters are made available to patients, then treatment adaptability is improved, but device complexity and patient confusion increase
Solution Approach 1:
The complex program selection and parameter adjustment functions are extracted from the patient remote and retained in the clinician programmer. The remote device is left with simplified controls for basic stimulation level adjustment and program selection, while the complex programming capabilities remain with the clinician's device. This separation reduces patient device complexity while preserving treatment adaptability through clinician-configured options.
3Duration of action of stationary object
If the neurostimulation system is designed with extended battery life, then device replacement frequency is reduced, but initial device cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The neurostimulation system incorporates self-service power management features including automatic power adjustment based on usage patterns, sleep modes during low-activity periods, and intelligent duty cycling. The device monitors its own power consumption and automatically optimizes battery usage without requiring external intervention or complex user management, thereby extending battery life while maintaining acceptable complexity levels.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The patient remote simplifies patient-controlled neurostimulation, reducing discomfort and extending device life by allowing controlled adjustments within safe stimulation parameters, enhancing treatment efficacy and patient convenience.
Implementation Method 1
The patient remote is configured to wirelessly control a nerve-stimulating pulse generator
Data Source
AI summary
A neurostimulation system having an external or an implantable pulse generator programmed to innervate a specific nerve or group of nerves in a patient through an electrode as a mode of treatment, having a patient remote that wirelessly communicates with the pulse generator to increase stimulation, decrease stimulation, and provide indications to a patient regarding the status of the neurostimulation system. The patient remote can allow for adjustment of stimulation power within a clinically effective range and for turning on and turning off the pulse generator. The patient remote and neurostimulation system can also store a stimulation level when the pulse generator is turned off and automatically restore the pulse generator to the stored stimulation level when the pulse generator is turned on.