Patent ID: 11918817
Assignee: PACESETTER, INC.
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A  H | IPC A  H

Claim 6:
7. A method for providing an implantable leadless pacemaker (LP) with a remote follow-up capability whereby the LP can provide diagnostic information to an external device that is incapable of programming the LP, wherein the LP includes two or more implantable electrodes used to output both pacing pulses and conductive communication pulses, the method comprising:
the LP monitoring for a presence of one or more notification conditions associated with the LP and/or associated with a patient within which the LP is implanted;
the LP periodically outputting an advertisement sequence of pulses, using at least two of the two or more implantable electrodes of the LP, irrespective of whether the LP recognizes the presence of at least one said notification condition; and
the LP recognizing the presence of at least one said notification condition, and based thereon, the LP also outputting a notification sequence of pulses, using at least two of the two or more implantable electrodes of the LP, within one or more notification transmission windows following the outputting of the advertisement sequence of pulses, the notification sequence of pulses encoded with diagnostic information associated with the LP and/or associated with the patient within which the LP is implanted;
the LP monitoring for a programmer acknowledgement sequence of pulses within a programmer acknowledgement monitor window following each outputting by the LP of the advertisement sequence of pulses, to thereby enable the LP to determine whether an external programmer is attempting to establish a communication session with the LP; and
in response to the LP not detecting the programmer acknowledgement sequence of pulses within the programmer acknowledgement monitor window, the LP outputting the notification sequence of pulses within one or more said notification transmission window following the outputting of the advertisement sequence of pulses;
wherein the advertisement sequence of pulses and the notification sequence of pulses and/or information encoded therein are capable of being received by an external device that includes or is communicatively coupled to two or more external electrodes used to receive conductive communication pulses from the LP or by another implantable medical device (IMD) that includes two or more electrodes used to receive conductive communication pulses from the LP.