Arched Implant Modulating Nerves for Sleep Apnea
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current treatments for sleep-related breathing disorders like obstructive sleep apnea and snoring are inadequate, as they often require cumbersome masks or invasive procedures, and there is a need for more effective methods to modulate nerves to address these conditions without significant side effects.
Innovation Solution
An implantable device with a flexible carrier and electrodes that can be placed near a nerve, such as the genioglossus muscle, to modulate nerve activity through energy delivery, allowing for stimulation or inhibition of nerves to manage conditions like sleep apnea and hypertension, and potentially treat other disorders like migraines.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional treatments for sleep apnea and snoring are used (masks, invasive procedures), then therapeutic effectiveness may be achieved, but patient comfort and invasiveness worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical treatments (masks, invasive procedures) with a neuromodulation system that uses electrical energy delivered through electrodes to modulate nerve activity. This substitutes mechanical/physical interventions with an electrical field-based approach, achieving therapeutic effects without the discomfort of masks or invasive surgery.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a flexible carrier with adjustable geometry that can be configured in different shapes and sizes to match various anatomical structures. The electrode configuration and energy delivery parameters can be adjusted to optimize therapeutic effectiveness while minimizing patient discomfort, allowing customization for individual patients.
2Reliability
If nerve modulation is achieved through energy delivery, then therapeutic benefits improve, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the implantable device into separate functional modules: a flexible carrier component, electrode array, energy delivery system, and control circuitry. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently and simplifies the overall device architecture, making the complex neuromodulation function more manageable and implantable.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible carrier with electrodes is designed to be adaptable to different anatomical locations and nerve targets. The same basic device architecture can be configured for treating sleep apnea, snoring, or other conditions by adjusting electrode placement and energy delivery parameters, reducing the need for multiple specialized devices.
3Measurement precision
If electrodes are placed near nerves for stimulation, then nerve modulation effectiveness improves, but risk of harmful effects increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates control circuitry that monitors the electrical signals and energy delivery to the nerves. This feedback mechanism allows the device to adjust energy delivery parameters in real-time, ensuring effective nerve modulation while preventing excessive stimulation that could cause harmful effects. The system can detect nerve responses and adjust accordingly to maintain safe operating parameters.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible carrier allows for precise localization of electrodes to specific nerve targets with high spatial precision. By concentrating the energy delivery at the exact location where nerve modulation is needed, the device achieves high effectiveness while minimizing exposure of surrounding healthy tissues to electrical energy, thereby reducing the risk of harmful side effects.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The device effectively modulates nerve activity to alleviate symptoms of sleep apnea and snoring, improving sleep quality and reducing the risk of related health issues like high blood pressure, while being minimally invasive and adaptable for various conditions.
Implementation Method 1
The implantable device includes an antenna configured to receive a signal
Implementation Method 2
at least one pair of electrodes arranged on a first elongated arm of the two elongated arms. The at least one pair of electrodes is adapted to modulate a first nerve
Data Source
AI summary
An implant unit configured for implantation into a body of a subject is provided. The implant unit may include a flexible carrier unit including a central portion and two elongated arms extending from the central portion, an antenna, located on the central portion, configured to receive a signal, at least one pair of electrodes arranged on a first elongated arm of the two elongated arms. The at least one pair of electrodes may be adapted to modulate a first nerve. The elongated arms of the flexible carrier may be configured to form an open ended curvature around a muscle with the nerve to be stimulated within an arc of the curvature.