Patent 8494645 was granted and assigned to Med-El on July, 2013 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
An artifact monitoring stimulation system and corresponding method are described. An implantable electrode stimulator applies an electrical stimulation pulse to target tissue using implantable electrode contacts. An artifact monitor module monitors the electrode contacts during and after the stimulation pulse to observe an artifact signal resulting from the stimulation pulse to determine a operating characteristic associated with the stimulation system, the stimulated tissue and/or electrode-electrolyte interface properties.