Therapy Adjustment Tracking With Posture Search and Stability Timers

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing medical devices struggle to accurately associate patient therapy adjustments with intended posture states, as patients often make adjustments in anticipation of changing posture states, leading to incorrect associations and inefficient therapy parameter adjustments.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a posture search timer and a posture stability timer to track therapy adjustments and posture state changes in real time, allowing the system to correctly associate adjustments with intended posture states by ensuring the final posture state is sensed within a specific time frame.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If patients make therapy adjustments in anticipation of changing posture states, then therapy adjustments can be made proactively, but the association between adjustments and posture states becomes incorrect

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveproactive therapy adjustmentVSAvoidposture state association accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary action by detecting therapy adjustments made in anticipation of posture changes and using timing mechanisms to correctly associate them with the intended posture state. The posture search timer and posture stability timer enable the system to look ahead and match adjustments with future posture states rather than current ones.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses feedback from the timing mechanisms (posture search timer and posture stability timer) to determine when a therapy adjustment should be associated with a particular posture state. The feedback loop continuously monitors whether the adjustment was made during a posture search period or after posture stabilization, enabling accurate association despite anticipatory patient behavior.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Productivity

If therapy adjustments are made frequently in anticipation of posture changes, then therapy can be optimized proactively, but the complexity of tracking and associating adjustments increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetherapy optimization efficiencyVSAvoidtracking mechanism complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The tracking mechanism is segmented into distinct functional components: the posture search timer that detects when a patient is actively changing posture, and the posture stability timer that confirms when a new posture has been achieved. This segmentation allows the system to handle frequent adjustments systematically without overwhelming complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically adjusts its tracking behavior based on the state of the timing mechanisms. When the posture search timer is active, the system expects adjustments and prepares to associate them with upcoming posture states. When the posture stability timer is active, the system associates adjustments with the current stable posture. This dynamic response simplifies the tracking logic despite frequent adjustments.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

3Device complexity

If the system immediately associates therapy adjustments with current posture state, then association is simple, but adjustments made in anticipation of posture changes are incorrectly linked

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveassociation mechanism simplicityVSAvoidtherapy parameter accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of immediately associating adjustments with the current posture state, the system performs preliminary detection using the posture search timer to determine if the patient is in the process of changing posture. This preliminary action prevents incorrect associations while maintaining a relatively simple overall mechanism.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The timing mechanisms serve as intermediaries between the therapy adjustment event and the posture state association. Rather than directly linking adjustments to current posture, the timers mediate the association process by providing temporal context about whether the adjustment was made during posture transition or after stabilization, thereby ensuring accuracy without excessive complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS12380983B2Associating therapy adjustments with posture states using a stability timer

Publication Date: 2025.08.05 MEDTRONIC INC

AI summary

The disclosure describes techniques for associating therapy adjustments with posture states using a timer. The techniques may include detecting a patient adjustment to electrical stimulation therapy delivered to the patient, sensing a posture state of the patient, and associating the detected adjustment with the sensed posture state if the sensed posture state is sensed within a first period following the detection of the adjustment and if the sensed posture state does not change during a second period following the sensing of the sensed posture state.