Neural stimulator placement

• US 10,272,239 B1
• Filed: 03/10/2016
• Issued: 04/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Curonix Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Stimwave Technologies Incorporated (Stimwave LLC)
• Inventors: Andresen, Chad David, Perryman, Laura Tyler
• Primary Examiner(s): Johnson, Nicole F
• Application Number:
  US15/065,978
• Time in Patent Office: 1,146 Days
• Field of Search: 607117
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0551 Spinal or peripheral nerve electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36002 Cancer treatment, e.g. tumour
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3605 Implantable neurostimulators for stimulating central or peripheral nerve system
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36062 Spinal stimulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36071 Pain
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36114 Cardiac control, e.g. by vagal stimulation stimulating the heart A61N1/362
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37205 Microstimulators, e.g. implantable through a cannula
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37223 Circuits for electromagnetic coupling
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/378 Electrical supply

Abstract

A method for implanting a wireless neural stimulator device, the method including: inserting a device through on a patient'"'"'s skin on a posterior side of the patient'"'"'s neck region, wherein the device includes a proximal end, a distal end, a first opening at the proximal end, a second opening at the distal end, and a lumen extending between the first opening and the second opening; after inserting the device through the patient'"'"'s skin, advancing the distal end into the epidural space of the patient; inserting the wireless neural stimulator device through the first opening; advancing the wireless neural stimulator from the first opening through the lumen until the wireless neural stimulator exits the second opening and into the patient'"'"'s epidural space; and advancing the wireless neural stimulator through the epidural space until a target site is reached.

Claims

1. A method for implanting a wireless neural stimulator device, the method comprising:

performing percutaneous introduction of an introducer assembly on a posterior side of the patient'"'"'s neck region by inserting an assembly of a needle stylet and an introducer cannula through the patient'"'"'s skin, wherein the introducer cannula includes a proximal end, a distal end, a first opening at the proximal end, a second opening at the distal end, and a lumen extending between the first opening and the second opening;

after inserting the introducer cannula through the patient'"'"'s skin, advancing the distal end into an epidural space of the patient;

removing the needle stylet from the assembly of the needle stylet and the introducer cannula;

subsequently inserting the wireless neural stimulator device through the first opening;

advancing the wireless neural stimulator from the first opening through the lumen until the wireless neural stimulator exits the second opening and into the epidural space of the patient;

advancing the wireless neural stimulator through the epidural space until a target site is reached by advancing a distal end of the assembly of the needle stylet and the introducer cannula into the epidural space of the patient; and

while maintaining the wireless neural stimulator device in the epidural space of the patient, advancing the wireless neural stimulator device until the wireless neural stimulator device reaches a target site at a level of a vertebrae.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein advancing the distal end into the epidural space comprises advancing the distal end through an intervertebral space between a pair of thoracic vertebrae until the distal end enters the epidural space.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the pair of thoracic vertebrae are T1 and T2.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein advancing the wireless neural stimulator device through the epidural space until a target site is reached comprises advancing a distal end of the wireless neural stimulator device through the epidural space until the distal end reaches a level of a cervical vertebrae.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the cervical vertebrae is C3.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein electrodes are positioned on the wireless neural stimulator device such that neural tissue at a level of C4-C5 is stimulated when the wireless neural stimulator device is operated.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the target site is located such that the wireless neural stimulator device stimulates a cervical nerve or a nucleus caudalis when the wireless neural stimulator device is operated.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless neural stimulator device is implanted without implanting an implantable pulse generator (IPG) under the patient'"'"'s skin.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless neural stimulator device is implanted without running a wire to connect the wireless neural stimulator device to an external power source.