Predictive Battery Service for Implantable Pulse-Count Therapy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for determining the replacement or recharging date of implantable medical device batteries, such as pacemakers and ICDs, are inaccurate due to unpredictable power consumption and voltage changes in lithium-based batteries, leading to premature or delayed surgical interventions.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that uses a programmer to propose therapy parameters with known energy consumption, automatically determining a predicted elective service date for the power source, and displaying this date to the operator, allowing for selection and transmission of optimized parameters to extend battery life while ensuring device functionality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If battery voltage or impedance is monitored to determine replacement time, then a simple monitoring method is provided, but the prediction accuracy is poor due to constant voltage over most of battery life
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from monitoring voltage/impedance parameters to monitoring pulse count parameters. This parameter change enables accurate tracking of battery discharge cycles and energy consumption, providing precise prediction of battery replacement timing based on actual usage patterns rather than relying on voltage characteristics that remain relatively constant throughout most of the battery's operational life.
2Ease of manufacture
If a worst-case scenario schedule is used to determine replacement period, then calculation is simple, but device replacement occurs very prematurely
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism that continuously monitors actual therapy delivery and pulse count, then uses this information to dynamically adjust and update the battery replacement prediction. This allows the system to provide accurate, usage-based predictions rather than relying on conservative worst-case estimates, thereby preventing premature replacements while maintaining simple calculation procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms the static worst-case scenario calculation into a dynamic prediction system that adapts to actual patient usage patterns. By continuously updating the battery life prediction based on real-time pulse count and therapy delivery data, the system optimizes replacement timing to match actual consumption rates rather than assuming maximum possible usage.
3Reliability
If variable therapies are delivered with on-demand schedule, then therapy efficacy is optimized, but power consumption becomes unpredictable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by continuously tracking and accumulating pulse count data throughout device operation. This accumulated data serves as a historical record of energy consumption that can be used to predict future battery status. By maintaining this running tally of actual therapy delivery, the system can provide accurate battery life predictions even when therapies are delivered on-demand with variable schedules.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention is an implantable tissue stimulation therapy system, comprising an implantable tissue stimulation device including a power source of a known stored energy amount, a programmer communicably coupled to the device and adapted to propose one or more therapy parameters for the device, each therapy parameter having a known energy consumption associated therewith, wherein a predicted elective service date of the power source based on the one or more proposed therapy parameters and the known energy amount of the power source is automatically determined, and a display communicatively coupled to the activation device, the display being configured to indicate the predicted elective power source service date to an operator, wherein the operator may choose to select the one or more proposed therapy parameters based on the indicated predicted elective service date and the selected one or more therapy parameters are transmitted to the device.