Body stability measurement

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.

1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . An implantable medical device configured to be implanted in a patient comprising:
 accelerometer circuitry configured to generate at least one signal;   memory; and   processing circuitry coupled to the accelerometer circuitry, the communication circuitry, and the memory, the processing circuitry configured to:
 detect, based upon the at least one signal, a Sit-to-Stand transition of the patient in which the implantable medical device is implanted; 
 determine, based on the at least one signal, that the patient has been inactive for a predetermined period of time prior to the Sit-to-Stand transition; 
 based on the determination that the patient has been inactive for at least the predetermined period of time prior to the Sit-to-Stand transition, process the at least one signal by determining at least one of a) a first step taken by the patient after the Sit-to-Stand transition based on the at least one signal, b) a peak or valley in the at least one signal, c) an amplitude of a peak to a valley in the at least one signal, d) a length of time for the amplitude of the peak to the valley to reach a predetermined amplitude threshold in the at least one signal, or e) a slope of the at least one signal; and 
 transmit, via a communication link and to an external computing device, data that is usable by the external computing device to generate an output that is based at least in part on a likelihood the patient may fall. 
   
     
     
         22 . The device of  claim 21 , wherein the output is a body stability score. 
     
     
         23 . The device of  claim 21 , wherein the predetermined time period comprises a plurality of minutes. 
     
     
         24 . The device of  claim 21 , wherein the data comprises information related to at least one of: a) the first step taken by the patient after the Sit-to-Stand transition, b) the peak or valley in the at least one signal, c) the amplitude of the peak to the valley in the at least one signal, d) the length of time for the amplitude of the peak to the valley to reach the predetermined amplitude threshold in the at least one signal, or e) the slope of the at least one signal. 
     
     
         25 . The device of  claim 24 , wherein processing the at least one signal comprises determining the first step taken by the patient after the Sit-to-Stand transition, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to determine a length of time from the Sit-to-Stand transition to the first step taken by the patient, and wherein the information related to the first step taken by the patient after the Sit-to-Stand transition comprises the length of time from the Sit-to-Stand transition to the first step taken by the patient. 
     
     
         26 . The device of  claim 24 , wherein the predetermined time period is a first predetermined time period, wherein processing the at least one signal comprises determining the peak or valley in the at least one signal, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to determine a number of peaks and valleys in the at least one signal during a second predetermined time period associated with the Sit-to-Stand transition, and wherein the information related to the peak or valley in the at least one signal comprises the number of peaks and valleys in the at least one signal during the second predetermined time period associated with the Sit-to-Stand transition. 
     
     
         27 . The device of  claim 26 , wherein the second predetermined time period comprises a plurality of seconds. 
     
     
         28 . The device of  claim 21 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to monitor the at least one signal for the Sit-to-Stand transition continuously. 
     
     
         29 . The device of  claim 21 , wherein the implantable medical device comprises an insertable cardiac monitor. 
     
     
         30 . The device of  claim 21 , further comprising communication circuitry, the communication circuitry being configured to provide the communication link. 
     
     
         31 . A method of operating an implantable medical device configured to be implanted in a patient, the method comprising:
 detecting, based upon at least one accelerometer signal, a Sit-to-Stand transition of the patient in which the implantable medical device is implanted;   determining, based on the at least one accelerometer signal, that the patient has been inactive for a predetermined period of time prior to the Sit-to-Stand transition;   based on the determination that the patient has been inactive for at least the predetermined period of time prior to the Sit-to-Stand transition, process the at least one accelerometer signal by determining at least one of a) a first step taken by the patient after the Sit-to-Stand transition based on the at least one accelerometer signal, b) a peak or valley in the at least one accelerometer signal, c) an amplitude of a peak to a valley in the at least one accelerometer signal, d) a length of time for the amplitude of the peak to the valley to reach a predetermined amplitude threshold in the at least one accelerometer signal, or e) a slope of the at least one accelerometer signal; and   transmit, via a communication link and to an external computing device, data that is usable by the external computing device to generate an output that is based at least in part on a likelihood the patient may fall.   
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein the output is a body stability score. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein the predetermined time period comprises a plurality of minutes. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein the data comprises information related to at least one of: a) the first step taken by the patient after the Sit-to-Stand transition, b) the peak or valley in the at least one accelerometer signal, c) the amplitude of the peak to the valley in the at least one accelerometer signal, d) the length of time for the amplitude of the peak to the valley to reach the predetermined amplitude threshold in the at least one accelerometer signal, or e) the slope of the at least one accelerometer signal. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein processing the at least one accelerometer signal comprises determining the first step taken by the patient after the Sit-to-Stand transition, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to determine a length of time from the Sit-to-Stand transition to the first step taken by the patient, and wherein the information related to the first step taken by the patient after the Sit-to-Stand transition comprises the length of time from the Sit-to-Stand transition to the first step taken by the patient. 
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein the predetermined time period is a first predetermined time period, wherein processing the at least one accelerometer signal comprises determining the peak or valley in the at least one accelerometer signal, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to determine a number of peaks and valleys in the at least one accelerometer signal during a second predetermined time period associated with the Sit-to-Stand transition, and wherein the information related to the peak or valley in the at least one accelerometer signal comprises the number of peaks and valleys in the at least one accelerometer signal during the second predetermined time period associated with the Sit-to-Stand transition. 
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 36 , wherein the second predetermined time period comprises a plurality of seconds. 
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to monitor the at least one signal for the Sit-to-Stand transition continuously. 
     
     
         39 . The device of  claim 31 , wherein the implantable medical device comprises an insertable cardiac monitor. 
     
     
         40 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions, that when executed by processing circuitry of an implantable medical device, cause the device to:
 detect, based upon the at least one signal, a Sit-to-Stand transition of a patient in which the implantable medical device is implanted;   determine, based on the at least one signal, that the patient has been inactive for a predetermined period of time prior to the Sit-to-Stand transition;   based on the determination that the patient has been inactive for at least the predetermined period of time prior to the Sit-to-Stand transition, process the at least one signal by determining at least one of a) a first step taken by the patient after the Sit-to-Stand transition based on the at least one signal, b) a peak or valley in the at least one signal, c) an amplitude of a peak to a valley in the at least one signal, d) a length of time for the amplitude of the peak to the valley to reach a predetermined amplitude threshold in the at least one signal, or e) a slope of the at least one signal; and   transmit, via a communication link and to an external computing device, data that is usable by the external computing device to generate an output that is based at least in part on a likelihood the patient may fall.