TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates generally to implantable devices and, more particularly, to systems, apparatus, methods and computer-readable storage media facilitating data buffering and removal in implantable devices.

BACKGROUND

Contemporary healthcare relies heavily on implantable medical devices (IMDs) to help patients lead normal and healthy lives. For example, IMDs such as pacemakers, implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs), cardiac re-synchronization therapy (CRT) devices, drug delivery systems, and neurostimulators can help manage a broad range of ailments, such as cardiac arrhythmia, diabetes, and Parkinson's disease. Modern IMDs are entrusted with important tasks such as measuring and collecting data about vital signs and facilitating the provisioning of the collected data to devices utilized by doctors and nurses. Accordingly, telemetry has an important role in accomplishing these important tasks. However, the collected data can be time-sensitive and, therefore, systems, apparatus, methods and computer-readable storage media that facilitate data buffering and removal of stale data prior to transmission are desired.

SUMMARY

The following presents a simplified summary to provide a basic understanding of one or more embodiments described herein. This summary is not an extensive overview of the embodiments envisaged herein. It is intended to neither identify key or critical elements of the embodiments nor delineate any scope of embodiments or the claims. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of the embodiments in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later. It will also be appreciated that the detailed description can include additional or alternative embodiments beyond those described in the Summary section.

Embodiments described herein include systems, apparatus, methods and computer-readable storage media facilitating mitigation of transmission of stale data from an implantable device. In some embodiments, the implantable device is or includes an IMD. In other embodiments, the implantable device is or includes a device configured to interact with the IMD. In these embodiments, both the implantable device and the IMD can be implanted within and/or disposed on a patient. In various embodiments, the patient can be any living being (e.g., a human, an animal).

In an embodiment, an implantable device is provided that includes: a memory that stores executable components; and a processor that executes the executable components stored in the memory. The executable components include a communication component configured to transmit one or more packets on a communication network, a packet transmission queue configured to store the one or more packets for transmission on the communication network, and a data management queue configured to store one or more data items for submission to the packet transmission queue to one or more other devices. The executable components also include a data removal component configured to remove a data item of the one or more data items from the data management queue, wherein removal is based on a determination that the data item in the data management queue has an expected arrival time to another device of the one or more other devices that exceeds a latest arrival time associated with the data item.

In some embodiments, the implantable device also includes a data forwarding component configured to determine a size of the packet transmission queue, and in response to the size of the packet transmission queue being within a threshold size, forward another data item from the data management queue to the packet transmission queue.

In some embodiments, the implantable device also includes a deadline component configured to determine the deadline for the data item based on a characteristic associated with the implantable device, a characteristic associated with the other device, a type of data of the data item, or a status of the implantable device.

In another embodiment, a method includes providing, by an implantable device including a processor, one or more data items in a data management queue for buffering prior to submission to a packet transmission queue for transmission as one or more packets on a communication network to one or more other devices. The method also includes removing a data item from the data management queue based on a determination that the data item of the one or more data items in the data management queue has an expected arrival time to another device of the one or more other devices that is after a defined maximum acceptable arrival time associated with the data item.

In some embodiments, the method includes estimating the expected arrival time of the data item to the other device based on an expected transmission time per packet in the packet transmission queue.

In another embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium is provided. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium stores executable instructions that, in response to execution, cause an implantable device including a processor to perform operations. The operations include monitoring one or more data items stored in a data management queue prior to submission of the one or more data items to a packet transmission queue for transmission as one or more packets on a communication network to one or more other devices. The operations also include discarding a data item of the one or more data items from the data management queue, wherein the discarding is associated with a determination that the data item has an expected arrival time to another device of the one or more other devices that is after a defined latest arrival time for the data item.

In some embodiments, the operations also include reducing a rate of transferring the one or more data items to the data management queue based on a determination that a size of the data management queue exceeds a threshold queue size.

In another embodiment, a system is provided. The system includes a sensor and an implantable device. The implantable device includes a detection component configured to detect a signal from the sensor and supply a data item of one or more data items and corresponding to the signal to a data management queue for transmission to another device. The implantable device also includes a data removal component configured to discard the data item from the data management queue based on a determination that the data item in the data management queue is estimated to arrive at the other device after an acceptable latest arrival time associated with the data item.

In some embodiments, the implantable device also includes a throttling component configured to reduce a sampling rate of the signal to reduce a number of the one or more data items to be supplied to the data management queue.

In some embodiments, the system also includes the other device. The other device can include a mobile device in some embodiments. In some embodiments, the system also includes a server device configured to receive the data item, or information about the data item, from the other device.

