Fully implantable nerve signal sensing and stimulation device and method for treating foot drop and other neurological disorders
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A totally implantable nerve stimulation system, comprising:
- one or more nerve cuffs having electrodes therein that contact a nerve or nerves;
an event-triggered, closed-loop control unit that is connected to receive signals from at least one electrode in a nerve cuff and to deliver stimulation pulses to at least one electrode in order to produce a desired physiological response, the closed-loop control unit including;
an internal electrical power source;
a processor;
a number of signal conditioning circuits;
a programmable switch controlled by the processor to connect an electrode to a signal conditioning circuit;
at least one stimulation circuit that delivers a stimulation pulse to one or more of the electrodes;
wherein the processor selectively enables the number of signal conditioning circuits, the programmable switch and the at least one stimulation circuit to lengthen the life of the electrical power source.
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Abstract
A fully implantable nerve stimulation system includes an event-triggered, closed-loop control unit that detects physiological events from nerve signals and delivers stimulation pulses to a nerve to produce a desired physiological response. The stimulation system includes a low-noise, low-power nerve signal amplifier, accelerometers that detect position and a battery powered processor that selectively powers components in the system to detect physiological events and deliver stimulation pulses with a minimum of battery power.
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Citations
37 Claims
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1. A totally implantable nerve stimulation system, comprising:
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one or more nerve cuffs having electrodes therein that contact a nerve or nerves;
an event-triggered, closed-loop control unit that is connected to receive signals from at least one electrode in a nerve cuff and to deliver stimulation pulses to at least one electrode in order to produce a desired physiological response, the closed-loop control unit including;
an internal electrical power source;
a processor;
a number of signal conditioning circuits;
a programmable switch controlled by the processor to connect an electrode to a signal conditioning circuit;
at least one stimulation circuit that delivers a stimulation pulse to one or more of the electrodes;
wherein the processor selectively enables the number of signal conditioning circuits, the programmable switch and the at least one stimulation circuit to lengthen the life of the electrical power source. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A fully implantable nerve stimulation system for treating foot drop, comprising:
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one or more nerve cuffs having electrodes therein that detect signals from and/or deliver stimulation pulses to a nerve fiber;
a sealed closed-loop control unit that is implantable in a patient, the closed-loop control unit including;
an electrical power source;
a processor;
one or more signal conditioning circuits that are selectively coupled to an electrode in a nerve cuff; and
one or more stimulation circuits that deliver stimulation pulses to an electrode;
wherein the processor detects the occurrence of a heel contact or toe lift event by filtering the output signals produced by the one or more signal conditioning circuits.
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9. A fully implantable nerve stimulation system for treating foot drop, comprising:
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one or more nerve cuffs having electrodes therein that detect signals from and/or deliver stimulation pulses to a nerve;
a sealed closed-loop control unit that is implantable in a patient, the closed-loop control unit including;
an electrical power source;
a processor;
one or more signal conditioning circuits that are selectively coupled to an electrode in a nerve cuff; and
one or more stimulation circuits that deliver stimulation pulses to an electrode;
wherein the processor detects the occurrence of a heel contact or toe lift event by filtering the output signals produced by the one or more signal conditioning circuits and comparing the filtered output signals with the unfiltered output signals to detect a rising or falling ramp in the output signals and wherein the processor causes at least one stimulation pulse to be delivered to an electrode upon detection of a toe lift event. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. An implantable system for treating foot drop comprising:
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a control unit that is implanted in the body, the control unit including;
an electrical power source;
a processor;
at least one signal conditioning circuit;
at least one nerve stimulation circuit; and
at least one nerve cuff having electrodes therein that detect signals from and/or deliver a stimulation pulse to a nerve fiber;
wherein the processor in the control unit detects physiological event signals from the processed nerve signals produced by the at least one signal conditioning circuit and delivers a stimulation pulse to an electrode upon detection of a physiological event. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. An implantable circuit for correcting foot drop comprising:
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one or more nerve cuffs including a number of electrodes to be placed around a nerve for sensing nerve signals and/or for delivering stimulation pulses to a nerve;
an implantable event driven control unit including;
a source of electrical power;
a processor;
a sensor for producing a signal indicative of an angle of a patient'"'"'s thigh;
a number of signal conditioning circuits that are selectively connectable under control of the processor to one or more electrodes to process nerve signals;
at least one nerve stimulation circuit that is selectively connectable to an electrode to deliver a stimulation pulse to the nerve;
wherein the processor is programmed to operate in a plurality of modes that are dependent in part on the sensed angle of the patient'"'"'s thigh. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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37. An implantable circuit for delivering stimulation signals to a patient'"'"'s muscle, comprising:
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one or more nerve cuffs including a number of electrodes to be placed around a nerve for sensing nerve signals and/or for delivering stimulation pulses to a nerve;
an implantable event driven control unit including;
a source of electrical power;
a processor;
a number of signal conditioning circuits that are selectively connectable-under control of the processor to an electrode to process nerve signals;
at least one nerve stimulation circuit that is selectively connectable to an electrode to deliver a stimulation pulse to the nerve;
wherein the processor is programmed to operate in a user initiated exercise mode such that stimulation signals are delivered to a nerve signal for a period of time to exercise the patient'"'"'s muscle.
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Specification