Vagus Nerve Electrical Modulation for Anaphylaxis Treatment
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current treatments for conditions like anaphylaxis, anaphylactic shock, and asthma often result in collateral damage or significant side effects, and existing methods for managing bronchial constriction and hypotension are inadequate, particularly in emergency situations.
Innovation Solution
Applying electrical impulses to the vagus nerve to block or modulate signals, thereby relaxing myocardial and bronchial smooth muscle tone, increasing heart function, and dilating airways, which can be achieved through the use of implantable or external devices with leads positioned on the vagus nerve branches.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If surgical lesioning or medicinal treatment is used to treat malfunctioning tissue, then therapeutic effect is achieved, but collateral damage or significant side effects occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical surgical lesioning with electrical field application. Instead of physically destroying tissue with heat or cold, the invention uses electrical fields to modulate nerve signal transmission, achieving therapeutic effects without mechanical damage. This is evident in the use of electrical stimulation to treat neurological conditions while preserving tissue integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces electrical fields as an intermediary mechanism between the treatment device and target tissue. Rather than direct mechanical or chemical intervention, electrical fields serve as a mediator to modulate physiological functions, reducing direct contact and associated damage. The electrical field acts as a non-invasive bridge to achieve therapeutic goals.
2Ease of operation
If medicinal treatment is used to manage conditions like asthma and anaphylaxis, then symptom relief is achieved, but patients become dependent on artificially synthesized chemicals with significant side effects
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables the body's own nervous system to regulate physiological functions through electrical modulation. Instead of relying on external chemical substances, the treatment stimulates the body's inherent regulatory mechanisms via the vagus nerve and other neural pathways, allowing self-regulation of bronchial tone and cardiovascular function without chemical dependence.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces chemical medicinal treatment with electrical field application. Instead of using synthesized drugs to relieve symptoms, the invention uses electrical stimulation to modulate neural control of physiological functions, eliminating the need for chemical substances and their associated side effects.
3Reliability
If deep brain stimulation is used to treat neurological conditions, then therapeutic results are improved, but invasive implantation procedures cause significant complications including stroke
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the treatment approach into non-invasive external electrical field application rather than invasive brain implantation. By segmenting the treatment from the target area and applying fields externally, the invention achieves neural modulation without penetrating the skull or inserting electrodes into brain tissue, thereby avoiding implantation-related complications.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses electrical fields as an intermediary that can penetrate tissue without physical invasion. Rather than directly implanting devices into the brain, external electrical fields serve as a mediator to reach and modulate neural activity, achieving therapeutic effects while avoiding the dangers of invasive procedures.
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 provides immediate relief from anaphylaxis and asthma symptoms by increasing heart function and dilating airways, allowing for temporary stabilization until further medical intervention can occur, potentially reducing mortality rates associated with severe reactions.
Implementation Method 1
Applying electrical impulses to the vagus nerve to block or modulate signals
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and devices for treating anaphylaxis, anaphylactic shock, bronchial constriction, and/or asthma include providing an electrical impulse to a selected region of the vagus nerve of a patient suffering from anaphylaxis to block and/or modulate nerve signals that would regulate the function of, for example, myocardial tissue, vasodilation/constriction and/or pulmonary tissue.