Importance

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Abstract

A patient programmer for facilitating patient control over an implanted medical device, such as an implanted spinal cord stimulator or the like, is disclosed. A programmer in accordance with the present invention is a portable, light-weight, easy to use patient programmer. The programmer enables a patient to control the operation of his or her implanted device outside of a clinical setting. The programmer incorporates features which ensure that users of varying ages, education levels, dexterity levels, physical and mental health will be able to safely control the operation of their implanted devices, within predefined limits established by a physician or clinician. Circuitry is provided for avoiding battery depletion and/or undesired programmer/implanted device communication in the event that the programmer's key is accidentally depressed (for example, due to being jammed into a purse or pocket) or is depressed repeatedly or continuously over an extended period of time. The programmer provides tactile, audible, and visible feedback to the user to convey information regarding the proper (or improper) operation of the programmer and the implanted device. In one embodiment, the device includes a beeper and light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to indicate, for example, that a desired programming function has been successful or unsuccessful.

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First Claim