Feedback Controlled Gastric Stimulation for Obesity Treatment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current gastric electrical stimulation (GES) methods for treating obesity are energy-demanding and invasive, and lack efficient feedback mechanisms to optimize power consumption and effectiveness, leading to potential tissue accommodation and reduced contractility over time.
Innovation Solution
A feedback-controlled gastric stimulator comprising a contraction sensor, a contraction generator, and a controller, which senses circumferential contractions in the stomach and induces retrograde contractions using electrical signals, optimizing energy use and minimizing tissue accommodation through inter-electrode impedance and force transducer feedback mechanisms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If continuous gastric electrical stimulation is applied to induce retrograde peristalsis, then gastric emptying is delayed and satiety is induced, but power consumption increases and tissue accommodation occurs reducing effectiveness over time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback-controlled GES system where a contraction sensor detects natural or stimulated gastric contractions and provides signals to a controller. The controller adjusts stimulation delivery based on this feedback, ensuring stimulation is provided only when needed to maintain retrograde peristalsis. This prevents continuous stimulation and associated tissue accommodation while maintaining therapeutic effectiveness, thereby reducing overall power consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts stimulation parameters based on real-time detection of gastric motility patterns. By transitioning from static continuous stimulation to dynamic feedback-based stimulation, the system maintains effectiveness while minimizing energy consumption and preventing tissue accommodation to constant stimulation patterns.
2Productivity
If feedback control mechanisms are added to optimize GES, then power consumption is reduced and effectiveness is maximized, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs electrodes that serve multiple functions: they can both deliver electrical stimulation and detect gastric contractions through impedance measurements or other sensing modalities. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate sensing and stimulation components, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity while enabling feedback control to optimize productivity.
3Reliability
If invasive stimulation methods are used to ensure effective retrograde peristalsis, then gastro paresis symptoms are reliably induced, but patient comfort is reduced and tissue damage risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system optimizes stimulation parameters such as voltage, current, pulse duration, and frequency based on feedback from contraction sensors. By dynamically adjusting these parameters to the minimum effective levels, the system maintains reliable induction of gastro paresis symptoms while minimizing tissue invasion and patient discomfort compared to fixed high-intensity stimulation protocols.
Data Source
AI summary
Neural Gastric Electrical Stimulation (NGES) is a new method for invoking gastric contractions under microprocessor control. However, optimization of this technique using feedback mechanisms to minimize power consumption and maximize effectiveness has been lacking. An apparatus and method are provided for inducing controlled gastro paresis. The apparatus comprises a contraction sensor, a stomach contraction generator, and a controller. The contraction sensor is responsive to circumferential contractions of the stomach, and outputs a signal indicative of a circumferential contraction. The stomach contraction generator induces a circumferential contraction upon receipt of an electrical signal from the controller. The controller sends the electrical signal to the generator upon receipt of the output signal from the sensor. The method comprises the steps of sensing a circumferential contraction of the stomach, and invoking a circumferential contraction of the stomach in response to sensing the circumferential contraction.