Cardio-Synchronized Vagus Nerve Stimulation Timing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) lacks optimization in terms of timing and duration, which can limit its effectiveness in treating medical conditions like epilepsy and depression, and there is a need to collect data associated with acute incidents of these conditions to inform treatment strategies.
Innovation Solution
An implantable medical device (IMD) system that generates and delivers electrical signals to a cranial nerve based on cardiac cycle parameters, such as the R-R interval, allowing for tailored stimulation durations and initiation times within the cardiac cycle to enhance treatment efficacy and data collection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional vagus nerve stimulation is used with fixed timing and duration, then the device complexity is reduced, but the treatment effectiveness is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the stimulation timing and duration adaptive rather than fixed. The device dynamically adjusts stimulation parameters based on real-time cardiac cycle detection, transitioning from static conventional VNS to dynamic cardio-synchronized stimulation that responds to patient-specific physiological variations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback through cardiac cycle monitoring where the device detects R-waves and uses this information to determine optimal stimulation timing. The system continuously monitors cardiac activity and adjusts stimulation parameters accordingly, creating a closed-loop control system that enhances treatment effectiveness.
2Reliability
If stimulation duration is extended to improve treatment outcomes, then treatment effectiveness increases, but the risk of interfering with cardiac cycle data collection increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies periodic action by synchronizing stimulation with the cardiac cycle rhythm. Stimulation is delivered at specific intervals during the cardiac cycle (e.g., during the T-wave or at defined intervals from the R-wave), creating a periodic pattern that naturally separates stimulation periods from data collection periods, allowing both functions to coexist without interference.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the cardiac cycle into distinct phases for different functions. By dividing the cardiac cycle into intervals (such as using the T-wave period for stimulation and other periods for data collection), the system can perform stimulation and data collection without overlap, preventing information loss while maintaining treatment effectiveness.
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
This approach allows for more precise and adaptive neurostimulation, potentially improving treatment outcomes for conditions like epilepsy and depression by aligning stimulation with the patient's cardiac cycle, while also enabling data collection to inform treatment strategies.
Implementation Method 1
generating an electrical signal with the electrical signal generator, and applying the electrical signal to the cranial nerve using the at least first electrode
Data Source
AI summary
A method of providing an electrical signal to a cranial nerve of a patient for treating a medical condition, including providing an electrical signal generator, coupling at least a first electrode to a cranial nerve of the patient and to the electrical signal generator, generating an electrical signal with the electrical signal generator, and applying the electrical signal to the cranial nerve, using the at least a first electrode, for a duration less than a cardiac period of the patient and during the cardiac period of the patient. In addition, an implantable medical device capable of implementing the method is disclosed.