Wearable Transcutaneous Stimulation System for Opioid Withdrawal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current opioid withdrawal treatment options are limited, with pharmacotherapies facing challenges such as availability, safety concerns, and inadequate integration into primary care, while non-pharmacological approaches like percutaneous neurostimulation are invasive, costly, and lack user-friendly features.
Innovation Solution
A wearable transcutaneous stimulation system using a concha apparatus and earpiece with electrodes connected to a pulse generator, providing synchronized stimulation to balance autonomic nervous system activity, allowing for easy, non-invasive, and customizable treatment of opioid withdrawal symptoms without the need for professional administration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If percutaneous neurostimulation is used for opioid withdrawal treatment, then treatment effectiveness is improved, but invasiveness and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces percutaneous (invasive mechanical needle insertion) neurostimulation with transcutaneous (non-invasive electrical) neurostimulation. The wearable device uses electrical currents delivered through skin-contact electrodes to stimulate the same neural pathways, achieving comparable treatment effectiveness without the invasiveness of needle insertion.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a wearable transcutaneous electrical neurostimulation device as an intermediary between conventional treatment methods and direct percutaneous neurostimulation. This intermediary approach delivers neural stimulation through the skin using electrical currents, serving as a middle ground that maintains effectiveness while reducing invasiveness.
2Reliability
If percutaneous neurostimulation is used for opioid withdrawal treatment, then treatment effectiveness is improved, but device complexity and administration requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the neurostimulation device to be self-administered by patients without requiring professional medical personnel. The wearable device includes user-friendly controls and automated programming that allows patients to adjust and deliver treatment themselves, eliminating the need for complex professional administration protocols.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates programmable and adjustable parameters in the wearable device, allowing treatment settings to be dynamically modified based on patient needs. The device can be reprogrammed with different stimulation patterns, intensities, and durations, providing flexibility without requiring complex professional intervention for each adjustment.
3Adaptability or versatility
If pharmacotherapies are used for opioid withdrawal treatment, then availability and integration into primary care are improved, but safety concerns and treatment compliance decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces pharmacological interventions with a non-pharmacological electrical neurostimulation approach. This substitution eliminates concerns about medication safety, side effects, and drug interactions while maintaining treatment effectiveness. The device-based approach can be integrated into primary care settings without requiring specialized pharmaceutical management.
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
The system effectively reduces opioid withdrawal symptoms, enhances patient compliance, and offers long-term maintenance options by providing a safe, user-friendly, and cost-effective solution for substance use disorder treatment, including opioid addiction.
Implementation Method 1
providing a first stimulation at a first tissue location configured to stimulate a first pathway for inducing endogenous release of a first peptide; and providing a second stimulation at a second tissue location configured to stimulate a second pathway for inducing endogenous release of a second peptide
Data Source
AI summary
A treatment system and method for inducing endogenous release of peptides is provided including a concha apparatus including a first electrode in contact with vagal related neural structures; an earpiece connected to the concha apparatus by a first connector, the earpiece including a PCB layer including a second electrode configured to be in contact with a neural structure related to the auriculotemporal nerve, and at least another electrode configured to be in contact with or in proximity to neural structures related to the great auricular nerve and/or its branches and/or the lesser occipital nerve and/or its branches, and an adhesive configured to secure the electrodes on the earpiece to the skin; and a pulse generator connected to the earpiece by a second connector, the pulse generator including circuitry in communication with the first electrode of the concha apparatus, the second electrode and the at least another electrode of the earpiece.