Therapy Adjustment Association with Patient Posture States
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Medical devices delivering electrical stimulation therapy face challenges in maintaining therapeutic efficacy as patients change posture states, requiring frequent adjustments to therapy parameters to ensure effective symptom management without causing undesirable side effects.
Innovation Solution
A system that associates detected patient therapy adjustments with posture states using a posture search timer and stability timer, allowing for correct association of adjustments with intended posture states and enabling efficient storage and review of these associations for fine-tuning therapy parameters, thereby reducing the need for manual adjustments and minimizing side effects.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If therapy parameters are continuously adjusted to maintain therapeutic efficacy during posture changes, then therapeutic effectiveness is improved, but device complexity and programming burden increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by detecting and storing therapy adjustments made by patients during specific posture states before formal programming is complete. The posture search timer and stability timer proactively track adjustments in anticipation of posture-state mapping, allowing the system to pre-associate adjustments with postures without requiring complex real-time analysis during programming sessions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service by automatically detecting posture states through sensors and autonomously associating patient-made therapy adjustments with the corresponding postures. The timers and processors work without manual intervention to map adjustments to postures, reducing the programming burden on clinicians while maintaining therapeutic efficacy.
2Reliability
If manual therapy adjustments are frequently required to accommodate posture changes, then therapeutic effectiveness is maintained, but patient burden and time consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring both posture state changes and therapy adjustment events, then using this feedback to automatically update the mapping between postures and effective therapy parameters. The timers provide feedback mechanisms to determine when adjustments should be associated with specific postures, reducing the need for manual reprogramming while maintaining therapeutic effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The system leverages parameter changes by detecting alterations in therapy parameters made by patients during specific postures and automatically updating the therapy program based on these observed changes. This allows the system to adapt to individual patient needs and posture-specific requirements without requiring extensive manual programming time.
3Ease of operation
If therapy adjustments are made in anticipation of posture changes rather than during the desired posture state, then patient comfort is improved, but accurate association of adjustments with posture states becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The posture search timer implements preliminary action by initiating a detection window when a posture change is anticipated or detected. This timer proactively searches for and captures therapy adjustments made during the transition period, ensuring that anticipatory adjustments are correctly associated with the intended target posture state rather than the current posture.
Solution Approach 2:
The timers act as intermediaries between the patient's anticipatory adjustments and the posture state association system. By mediating the timing and association process, the timers resolve the ambiguity of whether an adjustment was made for the current posture or an anticipated future posture, thereby maintaining both patient comfort and association accuracy.
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 1C
AI summary
A system comprising a user interface 208 that receives a patient therapy adjustment to a parameter of a therapy program that defines electrical stimulation therapy delivered to the patient; and a processor 80 that identifies a posture state of the patient; and associates the patient therapy adjustment with the posture state when the patient therapy adjustment is within a range determined based on stored adjustment information for the identified posture state.