Alternating Polarity Waveforms for Gastrointestinal Electrical Stimulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current treatments for obesity, such as surgical interventions like Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery, come with significant risks, and existing non-surgical methods like nutritional supplements and diet/exercise programs are often ineffective for morbidly obese patients, necessitating an alternative approach for weight management.
Innovation Solution
The development of medical devices capable of delivering electrical stimulation therapy to the gastrointestinal tract using specific waveforms, including alternating pulse polarities and controlled current, to induce gastric distention, nausea, or altered gastric motility, thereby reducing food intake and promoting weight loss.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If surgical intervention (Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery) is used to treat obesity, then weight loss effectiveness is improved, but patient safety and risk of harmful effects deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical/surgical intervention (gastric bypass surgery) with an electrical stimulation system. The implantable electrical stimulator delivers controlled electrical pulses to the gastrointestinal tract to induce sensations of fullness and nausea, substituting the physical alteration of stomach anatomy with an electrical neuromodulation approach that achieves similar weight loss effects without surgical risks.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary electrical stimulation system between the patient's nervous system and the desired therapeutic effect. Rather than directly altering stomach structure through surgery, the electrical stimulator acts as an intermediary that modulates neural signals to produce sensations of satiety and discomfort, thereby reducing food intake without the harmful effects of surgical intervention.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If conventional non-surgical methods (nutritional supplements, diet and exercise programs) are used to treat obesity, then patient safety is improved, but treatment effectiveness deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs dynamic electrical stimulation parameters that can be adjusted based on patient response and therapeutic needs. The stimulator delivers pulses with varying amplitudes, durations, and frequencies to different gastrointestinal locations, creating a dynamic treatment approach that is both safe and effective. This adaptability allows the system to achieve weight loss results comparable to surgery while maintaining the safety profile of non-surgical methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes controlled changes in electrical stimulation parameters (voltage, current, pulse duration, frequency) to modulate the intensity and location of therapeutic effects. By precisely controlling these parameters, the system can induce appropriate sensations of fullness and nausea to reduce food intake, achieving effective weight loss while maintaining patient safety through non-invasive electrical modulation rather than surgery or unproven supplements.
3Productivity
If electrical stimulation therapy is delivered with alternating pulse polarities and controlled current, then treatment effectiveness is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs periodic electrical pulse trains with alternating polarities delivered at controlled intervals to the gastrointestinal tract. This periodic stimulation pattern creates consistent therapeutic effects by repeatedly inducing sensations of fullness and nausea, improving treatment effectiveness. The rhythmic nature of the pulse delivery simplifies the control logic compared to aperiodic or continuously variable waveforms, managing device complexity while achieving reliable therapeutic outcomes.
Data Source
AI summary
In some examples, the disclosure relates to a systems, devices, and techniques for delivering electrical stimulation therapy to a patient. In one example, the disclosure relates to a method including delivering a series of pulses with alternating pulse polarities to a gastrointestinal tract of a patient. The series of pulses includes at least a first pulse of a first polarity, a second pulse of a second polarity, and a third pulse of the first polarity, where the first, second and third pulses are delivered in direct succession and in that order. The first and second pulses are separated by a first time delay and the second and third pulses are separated by a second time delay. In some examples, each of the first and second time delays depend on the frequency that the series of pulses are delivered.