Vagus nerve stimulation method
US9289599B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 3, 2012 |
| Grant date | Mar 22, 2016 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 3, 2032 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA61B5/4094
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An implanted electrical signal generator delivers a novel exogenous electrical signal to a vagus nerve of a patient. The vagus nerve conducts action potentials originating in the heart and lungs to various structures of the brain, thereby eliciting a vagal evoked potential in those structures. The exogenous electrical signal simulates and/or augments the endogenous afferent activity originating from the heart and/or lungs of the patient, thereby enhancing the vagal evoked potential in the various structures of the brain. The exogenous electrical signal includes a series of electrical pulses organized or patterned into a series of microbursts including 2 to 20 pulses each. No pulses are sent between the microbursts. Each of the microbursts may be synchronized with the QRS wave portion of an ECG. The enhanced vagal evoked potential in the various structures of the brain may be used to treat various medical conditions including epilepsy and depression.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.