84 results about "Afferent" patented technology

Method and system to provide therapy for obesity and gastrointestinal disorders such as FGIDs, gastroparesis, gastro-esophageal reflex disease (GERD), pancreatitis and ileus comprises vagal blocking and/or vagal stimulation. Vagal blocking may be in the afferent or efferent direction, and may be with or without stimulation pulses. Blocking may be provided by one of a number of different electrical blocking techniques. Electrical signals may be provided with an external stimulator in conjunction with an implanted stimulus-receiver, or an implanted stimulus-receiver comprising a high value capacitor for temporary power source. In one embodiment, the external stimulator may comprise an optional telemetry unit. The addition of the telemetry unit to the external stimulator provides the ability to remotely interrogate and change stimulation programs over a wide area network, as well as other networking capabilities,

A method and apparatus for treatment of an eating disorder includes electrically, mechanically and/or pharmaceutically/chemically stimulating a of the vagus nerve of the lower esophagus, cardia, esophageal/cardia junction, cardia/fundus junction or upper stomach so as to induce afferent action potentials on the vagus nerve. The device may be noninvasively adjusted after implantation to provide increased or decreased restriction on the patient's gastrointestinal tract. Each stimulus may be administered as a series of programmed pulses of defined amplitude, duration and period, to evoke a responsive signal to the brain by the target nerve, effective for producing a temporary feeling of satiety in the person. An implantable stimulus generator may be operatively coupled to a nerve electrode, pressure device or chemical outlet to apply a defined signal to a selected nerve branch. The implantable stimulus generator is programmable to allow clinician programming of defined signal parameters effective to treat the eating disorder of the patient. Methods are also provided to identify electrodes nearest to a branch of the vagus nerve to apply an electrical stimulation signal with improved efficiency.

A method and apparatus for treatment of an eating disorder includes electrically, mechanically and/or pharmaceutically/chemically stimulating a of the vagus nerve of the lower esophagus, cardia, esophageal/cardia junction, cardia/fundus junction or upper stomach so as to induce afferent action potentials on the vagus nerve. The device may be noninvasively adjusted after implantation to provide increased or decreased restriction on the patient's gastrointestinal tract. Each stimulus may be administered as a series of programmed pulses of defined amplitude, duration and period, to evoke a responsive signal to the brain by the target nerve, effective for producing a temporary feeling of satiety in the person. An implantable stimulus generator may be operatively coupled to a nerve electrode, pressure device or chemical outlet to apply a defined signal to a selected nerve branch. The implantable stimulus generator is programmable to allow clinician programming of defined signal parameters effective to treat the eating disorder of the patient. Methods are also provided to identify electrodes nearest to a branch of the vagus nerve to apply an electrical stimulation signal with improved efficiency.

A method and device for creating an afferent stimulus for preventing obstructive sleep apnea are disclosed. The device includes at least one electrode and a stimulator, of which at least one electrode stimulates the genioglossus muscle of a patient having obstructive sleep apnea. The electrode is capable of conducting selected electrical stimulation generated by the stimulator, and the system is capable of delivering the selected electrical stimulation during a selected time of day. The electrical stimulation is selected to maintain sufficient muscle tone of the genioglossus muscle to prevent it from obstructing the airway during sleep, preferably at a stimulus intensity low enough to avoid awakening the patient during sleep. A removable mouthpiece having a battery, at least one electrode, and a controller, and optionally a sensor, can be used for providing the stimulation.

Described herein are vascular remodeling devices that include a proximal section, an intermediate section, and a distal section. During deployment, the proximal section can expand from a compressed delivery state to an expanded state and anchors the device in an afferent vessel of a bifurcation. The distal section expands from the compressed delivery state to an expanded state that may be substantially planar, approximately semi-spherical, umbrella shaped, or reverse umbrella shaped. The distal section is positioned in a bifurcation junction across the neck of an aneurysm or within an aneurysm. The intermediate section allows perfusion to efferent vessels. Before or after the device is in position, embolic material may be used to treat the aneurysm. The distal section can act as a scaffolding to prevent herniation of the embolic material. The device can be used for clot retrieval with integral distal embolic protection.

A device is for the electrotherapeutic treatment of headaches such as tension headaches and migraines. An electrode support (10) has a shape and is size selected so as to allow, independently from the subject, the excitation of the afferent paths of the supratrochlear (2) and supraorbital (3) nerves of the ophthalmic branch (1) of the trigeminal nerve. An electrical circuit includes a programmable signal generator suitable for creating pulses of a duration of between 150 and 450 microseconds with a maximum increase in intensity of 0 to 20 milliamperes at a rate of less than or equal to 40 microamperes per second and with a step up in intensity not exceeding 50 microamperes.

Disclosed herein are methods, systems, and apparatus for treating a medical condition of a patient, involving detecting a physiological cycle or cycles of the patient and applying an electrical signal to a portion of the patient's vagus nerve through an electrode at a selected point in the physiological cycle(s). The physiological cycle can be the cardiac and/or respiratory cycle. The selected point can be a point in the cardiac cycle correlated with increased afferent conduction on the vagus nerve, such as a point from about 10 msec to about 800 msec after an R-wave of the patient's ECG, optionally during inspiration by the patient. The selected point can be a point in the cardiac cycle when said applying increases heart rate variability, such as a point from about 10 msec to about 800 msec after an R-wave of the patient's ECG, optionally during expiration by the patient.

Methods of providing therapy to a patient are provided. In one method, the patient has a neuron to which a sub-threshold biological electrical stimulus is applied. The method comprises applying electrical noise energy to the neuron, wherein resonance between the biological electrical stimulus and the electrical noise energy is created, such that an action potential is propagated along the axon of the neuron. In another method, the patient has a neuron to which a supra-threshold biological electrical stimulus is applied. This method comprises applying supra-threshold electrical noise energy to the neuron, thereby preventing an action potential from being propagated along the axon of the neuron. Still another method comprises applying an electrical stimulus to a neuron, and applying supra-threshold electrical noise energy to the neuron, thereby preventing or reversing any neurological accommodation of the neuron that may occur in response to the electrical stimulus.

The pain associated with an injection or minor surgical procedure at a site on the skin of a patient is reduced by urging a skin engaging surface of a pressure member against the skin proximate the site, thereby stimulating the large diameter afferent sensory nerve fibers in the skin proximate the site and at least partially blocking pain signals from the small diameter afferent pain nerve fibers in the skin proximate the site. An apparatus for use in this method comprises a pressure member having a skin engaging surface adapted to be pressed against the skin of a patient proximate the site to stimulate the large diameter afferent sensory nerve fibers in the skin proximate the site. In certain embodiments, the skin engaging surface is comprised of a plurality of projections extending from the pressure member. Various embodiments include a syringe retainer adapted to be secured to a syringe, and a least one resilient member, such as a spring, resiliently securing the pressure member to the syringe retainer.

A vascular remodeling device is provided that can comprise a proximal section, an intermediate section, and a distal section. During deployment, the proximal section can expand from a compressed delivery state to an expanded state and anchor the device in the afferent vessel of a bifurcation. The distal section can comprise at least one embolization coil that can be positioned within an aneurysm to treat the aneurysm and expand from the compressed delivery state to an expanded state upon deployment. The intermediate section can allow perfusion to efferent vessels. Before, during, and/or after the device is positioned, additional embolic material can be used to treat the aneurysm.

Electrical stimulation of specific sensory nerves to control the filling and/or emptying of the urinary bladder. A wireless, injectable microstimulator is implanted into the soft tissues through which the sensory nerves pass, but where they are not normally accessible by conventional open surgical implantation of conventional electrical stimulators or electrodes with leads. In males, the dorsal penile nerves 6 are stimulated by a microstimulator injected into the dorsal quadrant of the penis. The activity induced in these nerves cause the spinal cord to generate reflex responses that result in relaxation of the detrusor muscle, increasing bladder capacity and preventing incontinence as a result of inappropriate bladder contractions. The sensory nerves, such as urethral afferents 4, supplying the urethra are stimulated by a microstimulator implanted into the corpus of the penis, adjacent to the urethra. The activity induced in the urethral afferents 4 cause the spinal cord to generate reflex responses that result in contractions of the detrusor muscle and relaxation of the sphincter 5, emptying the bladder.

An intravascular lead is used to deliver energy for stimulating nervous system targets using energy delivery elements (e.g. electrodes) that are in direct contact with the nervous system targets. The lead may be positioned within the internal jugular vein and the nervous system targets may include the carotid artery/carotid sinus bulb and/or associated baroreceptor afferents, and/or surrounding nervous system targets in the region of the internal jugular vein, such as the carotid sinus nerve and/or associated nerve branches and/or the vagus nerve and/or associated nerve branches. Stimulation energy travels along a conductive bridge that extends from the intravascular lead to the nervous system target, or is relayed from the intravascular lead to another device disposed within or surrounding the target structure.

A non-invasive vagal stimulation device and method. The device comprises a body having a vibration member. The stimulation is created by the vibration member which has a vibratory rate that can be adjusted from being off to a preferred operating range. The non-invasive stimulation method consists of placing the non-invasive stimulation device in the vicinity of the carotid artery bifrication where arises a carotid sinus and body which contain afferent sensory nerves that travel to medulla oblongata of brain, and either applying pressure in place, or moving the device along the target arm. The method can be accomplished either with the vibration feature of the device turned on or off.

An intraluminal apparatus including a catheter and device is positionable at a junction of afferent and efferent vessels of a bifurcation having an aneurysm. After positioning the device to substantially conform the device to the shape of the junction, the device acts as a scaffolding to inhibit herniation of objects out of the aneurysm and the device permits perfusion to the efferent vessels. Positioning the device may include deployment and optional release from a catheter. Embolic material may be inserted in the aneurysm before or after positioning the device. The device may have a proximal end, a distal end, and a plurality of filaments extending between and coupled at the proximal end and the distal end. The device may include a central filament configured to reshape the device. The distal end of the device may include a covering. The device may be football shaped, pumpkin shaped, or acorn shaped.

Methods and systems for monitoring, preventing and/or treating upper airway disorders such as apnea, dysphagia, reflux and/or snoring are described. The methods and systems monitor the upper airway disorders by processing one or more neural signals obtained from one or more upper airway afferents. Upper airway disorders are prevented and/or treated by delivering one or more stimulations to one or more reflex-related afferents, efferents, muscles, and sensory receptors to manipulate the threshold and/or trigger an upper airway reflex including, but not limited to a swallow reflex and/or a negative-pressure reflex.