A completely programmable and very flexible implantable pain controller

An advanced full programmable pain controller is described in this paper. The system is composed of three main parts: two different external control units and a surgically implanted module. The first external part of the system is intended for the physician and consists of a PC computer system with appropriate application software and hardware interface. It allows programming the internal part through a user-friendly graphical interface. The second external part is for the patient and consists of a simple switch to start and stop stimulation at his convenience. An RF carrier provides both data and power for the implant circuitry through a closely coupled inductive link. The internal part consists of a microstimulator built around a full custom mixed-signal microprocessor generating different programmable current waveforms by executing a set of micro-commands. This chip is mounted together with different satellite components on a hermetically housed hybrid circuit.