Therapeutic treatment of disorders based on timing information

Abstract

Techniques for operation of neurostimulation or drug delivery devices to adjust treatment therapy during specific times of the day are disclosed. Advantageously, battery usage and/or drug dosage can be reduced during periods when treatment therapy need not be provided. Furthermore, tolerance of the patient toward the neurostimulation or drug delivery that may develop from the regular application of electrical stimulation or treatment therapy may be reduced or slowed. In one embodiment, a device includes a real time clock for shutting off the device in accordance with a preset schedule. The device can be configured to turn off after the patient has fallen asleep and turns on right before the patient awakes. The device may include a sensor for sensing symptoms related to a disorder being treated and treatment therapy can be adjusted accordingly.

1 . A drug delivery system for treatment of a disorder comprising in combination: 
 (a) an implantable pump having at least one reservoir for storing at least one drug;    (b) a real time clock coupled to the pump and providing time-of-day information; and    (c) at least one implantable catheter coupled to the pump and adapted to deliver the drug to at least one predetermined site in a body of a patient, wherein the pump is configured to adapt delivery of the drug in response to the time-of-day information provided by the real time clock and the pump is further configured to adapt delivery of the drug in response to a change in rhythms of the patient.    
   
   
       2 . A drug delivery system for treatment of a disorder comprising in combination: 
 an implantable pump having a reservoir for storing a drug;    a implantable microprocessor for controlling the pump;    a real time clock coupled to the microprocessor and providing time-of-day information; and    an implantable catheter couple to the pump, the catheter configured to deliver the drug to a predetermined site in a body of the patient at a controlled delivery rate, wherein the microprocessor varies the delivery rate of the drug in response to the time-of-day information provided by the real time clock.    
   
   
       3 . The drug delivery system of  claim 2 , wherein the microprocessor causes the pump to provide a first delivery rate in response to a first time-of-day information from the real time clock and the microprocessor causes the pump to provide a second delivery rate in response to a second time-of-day information from the real time clock.  
   
   
       4 . The drug delivery system of  claim 3 , further comprising a sensor configured to provide feedback regarding a patient characteristic, wherein the microprocessor modifies the drug delivery in response to both the feedback provided by the sensor and the time-of-day information provided by the real time clock.  
   
   
       5 . The drug delivery system of  claim 3 , wherein the second delivery rate is zero.  
   
   
       6 . A method of delivering a drug to a patient from an implanted pump, comprising: 
 determining a time-of-day;    determining an appropriate delivery rate of the drug based on the time-of-day; and    providing the drug to the patient via an implanted catheter at the appropriate rate.    
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 6 , further comprising the step of providing a feedback signal based on a patient characteristic, wherein the step of determining the appropriate delivery rate includes consideration of the feedback signal.  
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 6 , further comprising the step of modifying the delivery rate in response to a change in the time-of-day information.