Spinal Cord Modulation for Paresthetic Feedback and Anesthetic Pain Relief
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing spinal cord stimulation systems for pain management often fail to provide effective pain relief for all patients, as some experience less beneficial effects or require additional sensory feedback to confirm the presence of therapeutic effects.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a spinal cord modulation system that delivers both anesthetic and paresthetic effects by using a pulse generator to apply electrical pulses to the spinal cord through leads, with specific signal delivery parameters for each effect, allowing for patient feedback and adjustment of parameters.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If spinal cord stimulation is applied to treat pain, then pain relief is achieved for many patients, but some patients experience less beneficial effects or require additional sensory feedback to confirm therapeutic effects
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies feedback by delivering a first signal to produce an anesthetic effect and a second signal to produce a paresthetic effect, using the paresthetic effect as sensory feedback to confirm the presence and effectiveness of the anesthetic effect. This allows patients and clinicians to detect whether therapeutic effects are present without requiring separate monitoring methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses the paresthetic effect as an intermediary indicator to signal the presence of the anesthetic effect. Rather than directly measuring the anesthetic effect, the system uses the accompanying paresthetic sensation as a measurable proxy to confirm therapeutic delivery.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If electrical pulses are delivered to produce anesthetic effect only, then pain relief is achieved, but patient monitoring and confirmation of therapeutic presence becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The system delivers dual signals where the paresthetic effect serves as feedback to confirm the anesthetic effect is present. This resolves the information loss by providing a detectable sensation that indicates the therapeutic effect is active.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameters of electrical stimulation to produce two distinct effects: an anesthetic effect for pain relief and a paresthetic effect for detection. By adjusting signal parameters (amplitude, frequency, pulse width), the system achieves both pain suppression and sensory feedback simultaneously.
3Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If dual signals are delivered to produce both anesthetic and paresthetic effects, then patient monitoring is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges two signal delivery functions into a single spinal cord modulation system. The same lead and pulse generator deliver both the anesthetic signal and the paresthetic signal, combining multiple therapeutic functions into one integrated device rather than requiring separate systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The spinal cord modulation system is designed with multi-functionality to deliver both anesthetic and paresthetic effects through the same hardware platform. The pulse generator and lead configuration can produce different signal types to achieve multiple therapeutic objectives simultaneously.
Data Source
AI summary
Spinal cord modulation for inducing paresthetic and anesthetic effects, and associated systems and methods are disclosed. A representative method in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure includes creating a therapeutic effect and a sensation in a patient by delivering to the patient first pulses having a first set of first signal delivery parameters and second pulses having a second set of second signal delivery parameters, wherein a first value of at least one first parameter of the first set is different than a second value of a corresponding second parameter of the second set, and wherein the first pulses, the second pulses or both the first and second pulses are delivered to the patient's spinal cord.