Multi-Contact Nerve Cuff for Dual Nerve Stimulation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional nerve cuffs require separate development, qualification, and clinical trials for the hypoglossal nerve trunk and its genioglossus muscle branch, making them costly and inefficient.

Innovation Solution

A single nerve cuff design that can be selectively placed on either the hypoglossal nerve trunk or the genioglossus muscle branch, featuring a biologically compatible, elastic, electrically insulative cuff body with multiple electrically conductive contacts and a lead body with electrical conductors.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If separate nerve cuffs are used for HGN trunk and HGN GM branch, then stimulation requirements for each nerve are satisfied, but development costs and clinical trial requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestimulation effectivenessVSAvoidnumber of nerve cuff types

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The nerve cuff is designed with multiple electrically conductive contacts arranged to enable both axial and radial stimulation vectors, allowing a single device to satisfy the stimulation requirements of both HGN trunk and HGN GM branch, thereby eliminating the need for separate specialized cuffs for each application

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Reliability

If multiple specialized nerve cuffs are developed, then optimal stimulation is achieved for each nerve, but development and qualification time increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestimulation optimizationVSAvoiddevelopment and qualification time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The invention merges the functionality of multiple specialized nerve cuffs into a single multi-contact cuff design that can be configured for different stimulation patterns, thereby reducing the number of separate development and qualification processes required while maintaining optimal stimulation capability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Ease of manufacture

If a single nerve cuff design is used for both HGN trunk and HGN GM branch, then development costs are reduced, but the cuff must accommodate different nerve diameters and stimulation requirements

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedevelopment costVSAvoidcuff configuration flexibility

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The nerve cuff incorporates multiple electrically conductive contacts that can be selectively activated to provide different stimulation vectors (axial or radial), enabling the single cuff design to adapt to different nerve types and stimulation requirements through dynamic configuration rather than requiring separate static designs

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUS20250121182A1Electrode leads having multi-application nerve cuffs and associated systems and methods

Publication Date: 2025.04.17 ALFRED E MANN FOUND FOR SCI RES

AI summary

An electrode that includes an elongate lead body and a nerve cuff. The nerve cuff may include a biologically compatible, elastic, electrically insulative cuff body configured to be circumferentially disposed around a nerve, first and second relatively wide electrically conductive contacts carried by the cuff body that are spaced from one another in the length direction and that extend in the width direction to such an extent that they extend completely around the cuff body inner lumen when the cuff body is in the pre-set furled shape, and a plurality of relatively narrow electrically conductive contacts carried by the cuff body that are spaced from one another in the width direction and are located between the first and second relatively wide electrically conductive contacts.