Implantable Medical Device for Providing Chronic Condition Therapy and Acute Condition Therapy Using Vagus Nerve Stimulation

Abstract

Disclosed herein are methods, systems, and apparatus for treating a medical condition in a patient using an implantable medical device (IMD). The IMD is capable of generating a first electrical signal for treating a medical condition, for example epilepsy. The first electrical signal relates to a long term therapy during a first time period in which there is no indication that the patient's brain is in an stable state, the first electrical signal being a microburst stimulation signal. The implantable device is also capable of generating a second electrical signal for treating the medical condition. The second electrical signal relates to a short term therapy during a second time period, in response to an indication that the patient's brain is in an unstable state. The second electrical signal in one example, may be a conventional stimulation signal.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]This invention relates generally to medical device systems and, more particularly, to medical device systems for applying electrical signals to a cranial nerve for the treatment of various medical conditions, and for providing a chronic condition therapy and an acute condition therapy using a microburst electrical signal and a non-microburst electrical signal.DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART[0002]Many advancements have been made in treating diseases such as depression and epilepsy. Therapies using electrical signals for treating these diseases have been found to effective. Implantable medical devices have been effectively used to deliver therapeutic stimulation to various portions of the human body (e.g., the vagus nerve) for treating these diseases. As used herein, “stimulation” or “stimulation signal” refers to the application of an electrical, mechanical, magnetic, electromagnetic, photonic, audio and / or chemical signal to a neural structure in the patie...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

However, such VNS schemes would utilize a greater amount of power than open-loop therapies and thereby affect battery life.

The industry generally lacks devices that provide for an efficient stimulation signal during an open-loop cycle and a more robust stimulation signal during a closed-loop cycle, when more robust signals are useful in preventing or attenuating certain epileptic side effects, such as seizures.

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