Optimized vector selection for a multi-axis accelerometer in an implantable medical device

Inventors

Taff, Brian M. • Qu, Min • Swenson, Kurt

Assignees

Biotronik SE and Co KG

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a medical system, comprising at least an implantable medical device, and a multi-axis accelerometer comprised by the implantable medical device for measuring an acceleration of the implantable medical device along a plurality of vectors, wherein the multi-axis accelerometer is configured to provide for each vector a signal indicative of the acceleration of the implantable medical device in the direction of the respective vector. The medical system is configured to assess said signals to automatically select or propose a vector of said plurality of vectors that comprises the best alignment with a pre-defined vector.

Core Innovation

The disclosure describes an implantable medical device medical system that includes a multi-axis accelerometer configured to measure acceleration of the implantable medical device along a plurality of vectors and to provide, for each vector, a signal indicative of the acceleration in the direction of the respective vector. The medical system assesses the signals to automatically select or propose a vector of the plurality of vectors that comprises the best alignment with a pre-defined vector, preferably gravity.

To enable the alignment selection, the system or the implantable medical device collects data from each of the multiple accelerometer vectors in a sequential fashion so as to cycle through each vector one after the other. The disclosed selection is based on assessing the acceleration signals, including using a largest signal amplitude criterion associated with the best alignment with the pre-defined vector.

The disclosure further describes embodiments in which the system supports a programmer and graphical user interface workflow that enables automatic vector selection or proposal and confirmation. In such embodiments, the workflow includes activity or exercise testing with heart rate sampling, visualization of the vector responses, and previewing an expected heart rate response, where the selected or proposed vector is used for pacing-rate adaptation in an intracardiac pacemaker context.

Claims Coverage

The partial claims provided include two independent claims. The first claim covers a medical system with an implantable multi-axis accelerometer that automatically selects or proposes a best-aligned vector and cycles through the vectors sequentially; the second claim covers a method that performs vector selection or proposal based on static acceleration signal amplitude when the patient is oriented in alignment with a pre-defined vector.

Across the independent claims, the inventive concept is to collect vector-specific acceleration signals from an implantable multi-axis accelerometer in a sequential manner, assess alignment to a pre-defined vector, and automatically select or propose the vector associated with the largest-amplitude signal, including static acceleration amplitude, when the patient is oriented in alignment with that pre-defined vector.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications