Patents by Inventor Bruce D. Gunderson

Bruce D. Gunderson 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: 20240041346
    Abstract: This disclosure is directed to techniques for recording and recognizing physiological parameter patterns associated with symptoms. A medical device system includes a medical device including an accelerometer configured to collect an accelerometer signal that indicates one or more patient movements that occur during a cough. Additionally, the medical device system includes processing circuitry configured to: determine whether the accelerometer signal satisfies a set of criteria corresponding to a cough pattern comprising a smooth increase from a baseline, then a sharp decrease, a peak within the sharp decrease, then a gradual return to the baseline; and identify a cough based on the determination that the accelerometer signal satisfies the set of criteria.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 23, 2023
    Publication date: February 8, 2024
    Inventors: Bruce D. Gunderson, Gautham Rajagopal
  • Patent number: 11793423
    Abstract: This disclosure is directed to techniques for recording and recognizing physiological parameter patterns associated with symptoms. A medical device system includes a medical device including an accelerometer configured to collect an accelerometer signal that indicates one or more patient movements that occur during a cough. Additionally, the medical device system includes processing circuitry configured to: determine whether the accelerometer signal satisfies a set of criteria corresponding to a cough pattern comprising a smooth increase from a baseline, then a sharp decrease, a peak within the sharp decrease, then a gradual return to the baseline; and identify a cough based on the determination that the accelerometer signal satisfies the set of criteria.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: Medtronic, Inc.
    Inventors: Bruce D. Gunderson, Gautham Rajagopal
  • Publication number: 20230329584
    Abstract: A medical device system and method that includes accelerometer circuitry configured to generate at least one signal, a memory, and processing circuitry coupled to the accelerometer circuitry and the memory. The processing circuitry is configured to monitor a patient for a Sit-To-Stand transition based upon the at least one signal, detect the Sit-to-Stand transition, determine if the patient has been inactive for a predetermined period of time prior to the Sit-to-Stand transition, and if the patient has been inactive for at least the predetermined period of time prior to the Sit-to-Stand transition, determine a body stability score of the patient.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 22, 2023
    Publication date: October 19, 2023
    Inventor: Bruce D. Gunderson
  • Patent number: 11717186
    Abstract: A medical device system and method that includes accelerometer circuitry configured to generate at least one signal, a memory, and processing circuitry coupled to the accelerometer circuitry and the memory. The processing circuitry is configured to monitor a patient for a Sit-To-Stand transition based upon the at least one signal, detect the Sit-to-Stand transition, determine if the patient has been inactive for a predetermined period of time prior to the Sit-to-Stand transition, and if the patient has been inactive for at least the predetermined period of time prior to the Sit-to-Stand transition, determine a body stability score of the patient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2023
    Assignee: Medtronic, Inc.
    Inventor: Bruce D. Gunderson
  • Publication number: 20220409064
    Abstract: A method for monitoring health of a subject based on a physiological response to physical exertion, by processing circuitry of a medical device system, is described that includes detecting a plurality of exertion events of the subject based on a first sensed signal that varies as a function of movement of the subject. The method further includes determining a response of a physiological parameter of the subject to the exertion event for each of the detected exertion events based on second sensed signal that varies as a function of the physiological parameter. The method further includes determining that a change in the responses over time crosses threshold and generating an alert to a user based on the determination that the change crosses the threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 1, 2022
    Publication date: December 29, 2022
    Inventor: Bruce D. Gunderson
  • Publication number: 20220398470
    Abstract: This disclosure describes techniques for bypassing an algorithm configured to determine a likelihood of episode data being a false indication of a cardiac episode. A medical device system includes processing circuitry configured to receive episode data and determine, based on satisfaction of one or more bypass conditions of a set of bypass conditions, whether to bypass the algorithm. Responsive to bypassing the algorithm, the processing circuitry stores the episode data as a true indication of the cardiac episode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 26, 2022
    Publication date: December 15, 2022
    Inventors: Ya-Jian Cheng, Sean R. Landman, Bruce D. Gunderson, Paul D. Ziegler, Shantanu Sarkar, Kevin T. Ousdigian, Gautham Rajagopal, Ekaterina M. Ippolito
  • Publication number: 20220346667
    Abstract: This disclosure is directed to techniques for recording and recognizing physiological parameter patterns associated with symptoms. A medical device system includes a medical device including an accelerometer configured to collect an accelerometer signal that indicates one or more patient movements that occur during a cough. Additionally, the medical device system includes processing circuitry configured to: determine whether the accelerometer signal satisfies a set of criteria corresponding to a cough pattern comprising a smooth increase from a baseline, then a sharp decrease, a peak within the sharp decrease, then a gradual return to the baseline; and identify a cough based on the determination that the accelerometer signal satisfies the set of criteria.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 3, 2021
    Publication date: November 3, 2022
    Inventors: Bruce D. Gunderson, Gautham Rajagopal
  • Publication number: 20220322952
    Abstract: This disclosure is directed to devices, systems, and techniques for monitoring a patient condition. In some examples, a medical device system includes processing circuitry configured to determine a plurality of pulse transit time (PTT) intervals, determine, based on an accelerometer signal, a posture of a patient from a plurality of postures corresponding to each PTT interval of the plurality of PTT intervals, classify each PTT interval of the plurality of PTT intervals based on the respective posture of the patient corresponding to the respective PTT interval, and monitor, based on the classified plurality of PTT intervals, a patient condition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 23, 2022
    Publication date: October 13, 2022
    Inventors: Bruce D. Gunderson, Avram Scheiner
  • Publication number: 20220211322
    Abstract: This disclosure is directed to systems and techniques for detecting changes in patient health based upon monitoring patient sleep activities.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 6, 2021
    Publication date: July 7, 2022
    Inventors: Bruce D. Gunderson, Andrew Radtke, Brian B. Lee
  • Patent number: 11375905
    Abstract: This disclosure is directed to devices, systems, and techniques for monitoring a patient condition. In some examples, a medical device system includes processing circuitry configured to determine a plurality of pulse transit time (PTT) intervals, determine, based on an accelerometer signal, a posture of a patient from a plurality of postures corresponding to each PTT interval of the plurality of PTT intervals, classify each PTT interval of the plurality of PTT intervals based on the respective posture of the patient corresponding to the respective PTT interval, and monitor, based on the classified plurality of PTT intervals, a patient condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Assignee: Medtronic, Inc.
    Inventors: Bruce D. Gunderson, Avram Scheiner
  • Patent number: 11351382
    Abstract: The disclosure describes an enhancement to lead monitoring techniques, which uses a sensing integrity counter (SIC). The techniques of this disclosure may enhance lead monitoring techniques by detecting possible sensing issues based on a significant increase in periodic, e.g., daily, SIC counts relative to previous periods. Some issues with sensing cardiac signals via implantable cardiac leads can result in an implantable medical device (IMD) measuring very short intervals between what appears to be sensed heart beats. Examples of issues include insulation breach, conductor fracture, or poor electrical connection, which may cause noise that appears to be an R-wave. The IMD may detect the noise, along with actual R-waves, and determine that there are relatively short (e.g., less than a threshold) intervals between the “R-waves.” A significant increase in the number or frequency of very short intervals between R-waves may indicate the date/time of a significant sensing issue.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2022
    Assignee: Medtronic, Inc.
    Inventor: Bruce D. Gunderson
  • Patent number: 11278728
    Abstract: An implantable medical device capable of sensing cardiac signals and delivering cardiac electrical stimulation therapies is enabled to detect a short circuit event. A signal is sensed by a sensing module coupled to electrodes. A controller detects a short circuit event in response to a slope of the sensed signal exceeding a short circuit threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: Medtronic, Inc.
    Inventors: Bruce D. Gunderson, Marshall S. Stanton
  • Publication number: 20220071513
    Abstract: This disclosure is directed to systems and techniques for detecting change in patient health based upon peak and non-peak patient activity data. In some examples, the peak and non-peak patient activity data correspond to one or more peak (time) periods and the one or more non-peak periods, respectively, where at least one peak period and at least one non-peak period corresponds a highest activity level and a lowest activity level, respectively, for a single day. If a change in patient health is detected, the techniques described herein may direct a medical device to generate for display output indicating the detection of the change in patient health.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 8, 2020
    Publication date: March 10, 2022
    Inventor: Bruce D. Gunderson
  • Publication number: 20220022788
    Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for detecting when a patient is experiencing seasonal affective disorder (SAD). An example computer-implemented method includes determining a status of one or more health metrics for a patient based on sensor data collected from at least one biometric device. The method also includes determining potential sun exposure for a patient based on weather metrics corresponding in time with the health metrics. Additionally, the method includes, when a decline in the status of the health metrics for the patient correlates with declining potential sun exposure, providing an alert indicative that patient is experiencing SAD.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 27, 2020
    Publication date: January 27, 2022
    Inventors: Bruce D. Gunderson, Trent M. Fischer
  • Publication number: 20210393966
    Abstract: The disclosure describes an enhancement to lead monitoring techniques, which uses a sensing integrity counter (SIC). The techniques of this disclosure may enhance lead monitoring techniques by detecting possible sensing issues based on a significant increase in periodic, e.g., daily, SIC counts relative to previous periods. Some issues with sensing cardiac signals via implantable cardiac leads can result in an implantable medical device (IMD) measuring very short intervals between what appears to be sensed heart beats. Examples of issues include insulation breach, conductor fracture, or poor electrical connection, which may cause noise that appears to be an R-wave. The IMD may detect the noise, along with actual R-waves, and determine that there are relatively short (e.g., less than a threshold) intervals between the “R-waves.” A significant increase in the number or frequency of very short intervals between R-waves may indicate the date/time of a significant sensing issue.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2020
    Publication date: December 23, 2021
    Inventor: Bruce D. Gunderson
  • Publication number: 20210186399
    Abstract: Systems and methods for are disclosed for determining whether to output an indication of a urinary tract infection (UTI) in a patient, based on sensor data indicative of one or more common symptoms of UTIs, including, but not limited to, nocturia, fatigue or tremors; fever or chills; agitation or restlessness; lower back pain; painful urination; and presyncope or syncope.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2019
    Publication date: June 24, 2021
    Inventors: Bruce D. Gunderson, Brian B. Lee, Andrew Radtke
  • Publication number: 20210169428
    Abstract: A user equipment that includes a touchscreen, and at least one processor configured to generate first timestamp data based upon detection of a first touch event on the touchscreen, and second timestamp data based upon detection of a second touch event on the touchscreen, for calculation by a medical device system of a patient-specific functional status parameter associated with a Sit-To-Stand performance test over a time segment inclusively bounded by a first time defined by the first timestamp data and a second time defined by the second timestamp data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 22, 2021
    Publication date: June 10, 2021
    Inventors: Bruce D. Gunderson, Eduardo N. Warman
  • Publication number: 20210153751
    Abstract: This disclosure is directed to devices, systems, and techniques for monitoring a patient condition. In some examples, a medical device system includes processing circuitry configured to determine a plurality of pulse transit time (PTT) intervals, determine, based on an accelerometer signal, a posture of a patient from a plurality of postures corresponding to each PTT interval of the plurality of PTT intervals, classify each PTT interval of the plurality of PTT intervals based on the respective posture of the patient corresponding to the respective PTT interval, and monitor, based on the classified plurality of PTT intervals, a patient condition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 21, 2019
    Publication date: May 27, 2021
    Inventors: Bruce D. Gunderson, Avram Scheiner
  • Publication number: 20210127992
    Abstract: An example medical device system and method includes accelerometer circuitry configured to generate at least one signal, a memory, and processing circuitry coupled to the accelerometer circuitry and the memory. The processing circuitry is configured to determine a first plurality of pulse transit times (PTTs), determine, based on the at least one accelerometer signal, a Sit-to-Stand transition, determine, based on the Sit-to-Stand transition occurring, a second plurality of PTTs after the Sit-to-Stand transition, and determine a likelihood that a person, such as a patient, may fall based on the first plurality of PTTs and the second plurality of PTTs.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 2, 2020
    Publication date: May 6, 2021
    Inventors: Bruce D. Gunderson, Eduardo N. Warman, Mirko de Melis
  • Publication number: 20210106253
    Abstract: This disclosure is directed to devices, systems, and techniques for detecting one or more coughs in a patient. In some examples, a medical device a medical device includes a plurality of electrodes configured to collect an electrogram (EGM) signal; and an accelerometer configured to collect an accelerometer signal, and processing circuitry. The processing circuitry is configured to identify, in the EGM signal, a segment of the EGM signal, identify, a segment of the accelerometer signal which is collected over a period of time, determine whether a parameter value associated with the segment of the accelerometer signal is greater than a threshold parameter value, and increment, in response to the parameter value associated with the segment of the accelerometer signal being greater than the threshold parameter value, a cough count value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2019
    Publication date: April 15, 2021
    Inventor: Bruce D. Gunderson