Patents by Inventor Steve LaPorte

Steve LaPorte has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20080071326
    Abstract: A system includes one or more sensors and a processor. Each of the sensors generates a signal as a function of at least one physiological parameter of a patient that may discernibly change when the patient is asleep. The processor monitors the physiological parameters, and determines whether the patient is asleep based on the parameters. In some embodiments, the processor determines plurality of sleep metric values, each of which indicates a probability of the patient being asleep, based on each of a plurality of physiological parameters. The processor may average or otherwise combine the plurality of sleep metric values to provide an overall sleep metric value that is compared to a threshold value in order to determine whether the patient is asleep. In addition, an electroencephalogram signal may be used to identify sleep states of the patient.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 26, 2007
    Publication date: March 20, 2008
    Inventors: Kenneth Heruth, Keith Miesel, Jonathan Werder, Steve LaPorte, Nina Graves
  • Publication number: 20080071324
    Abstract: Techniques for controlling delivery of a therapy to a patient by a medical device, such as an implantable medical device (IMD), involve a sensitivity analysis of a performance metric. The performance metric may relate to efficacy or side effects of the therapy. For example, the performance metric may comprise a sleep quality metric, an activity level metric, a movement disorder metric for patients with Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, or the like. The sensitivity analysis identifies values of therapy parameters that defines a substantially maximum or minimum value of the performance metric. The identified therapy parameters are a baseline therapy parameter set, and a medical device may control delivery of the therapy based on the baseline therapy parameter set.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 26, 2007
    Publication date: March 20, 2008
    Applicant: Medtronic, Inc.
    Inventors: Keith Miesel, Kenneth Heruth, Jonathan Werder, Steve LaPorte, Nina Graves
  • Publication number: 20080071150
    Abstract: A device, such as an implantable medical device (IMD), programming device, or other computing device determines when a patient is attempting to sleep. When the device determines that the patient is attempting to sleep, the device determines values for one or more metrics that indicate the quality of a patient's sleep based on at least one physiological parameter of the patient. When the device determines that the patient is not attempting to sleep, the device periodically determines activity levels of the patient. Activity metric values may be determined based on the determined activity levels. A clinician may use sleep quality information and patient activity information presented by a programming device to, for example, evaluate the effectiveness of therapy delivered to the patient by a medical device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 26, 2007
    Publication date: March 20, 2008
    Applicant: Medtronic, Inc.
    Inventors: Keith Miesel, Kenneth Heruth, Jonathan Werder, Steve LaPorte, Nina Graves
  • Publication number: 20080071327
    Abstract: A medical device, such as an implantable medical device (IMD), determines values for one or more metrics that indicate the quality of a patient's sleep, and controls delivery of a therapy based on the sleep quality metric values. For example, the medical device may compare a sleep quality metric value with one or more threshold values, and adjust the therapy based on the comparison. In some embodiments, the medical device adjusts the intensity of therapy based on the comparison, e.g., increases the therapy intensity when the comparison indicates that the patient's sleep quality is poor. In some embodiments, the medical device automatically selects one of a plurality of therapy parameter set available for use in delivering therapy based on a comparison sleep quality metric values associated with respective therapy parameter sets within the plurality of available therapy parameter sets.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 26, 2007
    Publication date: March 20, 2008
    Inventors: Keith Miesel, Kenneth Heruth, Jonathan Werder, Steve LaPorte, Nina Graves
  • Publication number: 20070276439
    Abstract: At least one of a medical device, such as an implantable medical device, a monitor, and a computing device determines values for one or more metrics that indicate the quality of a patient's sleep. Sleep efficiency, sleep latency, and time spent in deeper sleep states are example sleep quality metrics for which values may be determined. In some embodiments, determined sleep quality metric values are associated with a current therapy parameter set. In some embodiments, a programming device presents sleep quality information to a user based on determined sleep quality metric values. A clinician may use the sleep quality information presented by the programming device to evaluate the effectiveness of therapy delivered to the patient by the medical device, to adjust the therapy delivered by the medical device, or to prescribe a therapy not delivered by the medical device in order to improve the quality of the patient's sleep.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 26, 2007
    Publication date: November 29, 2007
    Inventors: Keith Miesel, Kenneth Heruth, Jonathan Werder, Nina Graves, Steve LaPorte
  • Publication number: 20070276443
    Abstract: A method of performing a medical procedure is provided. The medical procedure includes stimulation of a patient's heart while stimulating a nerve of the patient in order to modulate the patient's inflammatory process. More particularly, the medical procedure includes pacing the ventricles of the patient's heart while stimulating the vagal nerve of the patient. Systems and devices for performing the medical procedure are also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 8, 2007
    Publication date: November 29, 2007
    Applicant: MEDTRONIC, INC.
    Inventors: Lisa SHAFER, Steve LaPORTE, James KEOGH, Michael HILL, Matthew BONNER
  • Publication number: 20070123758
    Abstract: A device determines values for one or more metrics that indicate the quality of a patient's sleep based on sensed physiological parameter values. Sleep efficiency, sleep latency, and time spent in deeper sleep states are example sleep quality metrics for which values may be determined. The sleep quality metric values may be used, for example, to evaluate the effectiveness of a therapy delivered to the patient by a medical device. In some embodiments, determined sleep quality metric values are automatically associated with the therapy parameter sets according to which the medical device delivered the therapy when the physiological parameter values were sensed, and used to evaluate the effectiveness of the various therapy parameter sets. The medical device may deliver the therapy to treat a non-respiratory neurological disorder, such as epilepsy, a movement disorder, or a psychological disorder. The therapy may be, for example, deep brain stimulation (DBS) therapy.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2006
    Publication date: May 31, 2007
    Applicant: Medtronic, Inc.
    Inventors: Keith Miesel, Kenneth Heruth, Jonathan Werder, Steve LaPorte, Nina Graves
  • Publication number: 20060095081
    Abstract: According to the present invention at least a pair of neurological stimulation electrodes are disposed in, on, about, adjacent and/or within excitable neural tissue of a subject. Cardiac activity of a patient is detected using one or more electrodes adapted for delivery of a neurological stimulation therapy (NST). Following detection of certain types of cardiac activity one or more of the plurality of stimulation electrodes deliver or withhold NST, if desired in synchrony with the cardiac activity or in response to the detected cardiac activity. The NST delivered includes without limitation subcutaneous stimulation, peripheral, TENS and/or vagal nerve stimulation therapy or the like.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2005
    Publication date: May 4, 2006
    Inventors: Xiaohong Zhou, Thomas Mullen, Michael Hill, Steve Laporte, Gary King
  • Publication number: 20050182389
    Abstract: A system, method and apparatus relating to a therapeutic substance delivery patch for attachment to a patient such that the patch is in contact with the patient's skin, wherein the patch coordinates its delivery of the therapeutic substance to the patient based on information received relating to the operation of the implanted device. The information received by the patch may be received through telemetry from the implanted device, or alternatively from the patch sensing the action of the implanted device, or alternatively from the patch sensing the patient's physiologic reaction to the action taken by the implanted device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2002
    Publication date: August 18, 2005
    Inventors: Steve LaPorte, Markus Haller, William Hooper, Mark Lent, Kenneth Riff, Kenneth Heruth, James Olsen