Electrically activated alteration of body tissue stiffness for breathing disorders
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method for inhibiting a sleep-related breathing disorder of a patient, the patient having an airway with an airway wall, the method comprising:
- attaching a material to the airway wall; and
reversibly stiffening the attached material by altering an electrical field or current applied to the material so that the stiffened attached material mitigates the sleep related breathing disorder.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Medical devices, systems, and methods mitigate a variety of disorders, including sleep-related breathing disorders. A stiffness, shape, and/or size of a reinforced tissue structure can be altered by applying a magnetic field and/or electrical field. The upper airway can be remodeled at night while maintaining physiological movement (such as swallowing, speaking, singing, and the like) when awake. Biasing of the tissue structures may also be employed.
-
Citations
40 Claims
-
1. A method for inhibiting a sleep-related breathing disorder of a patient, the patient having an airway with an airway wall, the method comprising:
-
attaching a material to the airway wall; and
reversibly stiffening the attached material by altering an electrical field or current applied to the material so that the stiffened attached material mitigates the sleep related breathing disorder. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
-
-
20. A system for inhibiting a sleep-related breathing disorder of a patient, the patient having an airway with an airway wall, the system comprising:
-
an electro-rheostatic material configured to be attached to the airway wall, the material having a first configuration and second configuration, the material in the first configuration having sufficient flexibility to deform with an adjacent region of the airway during physiological movement when the material is attached to the airway wall, the attached material in the second configuration having a stiffness inhibiting hypermobility or resonant movement of the adjacent region sufficiently to mitigate the sleep-related breathing disorder; and
a source generating an electrical field, the field capable of reversibly changing the material between the first configuration and a second configuration. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
-
-
39. A method for inhibiting a sleep-related breathing disorder of a patient, the patient having an airway with an airway wall, the method comprising:
-
attaching a material to the airway wall;
monitoring a breathing characteristic of the patient; and
reversibly applying an electrical field to the attached material in response to the monitoring so that the attached material changes configuration and mitigates the sleep related breathing disorder.
-
-
40. A system for inhibiting a sleep-related breathing disorder of a patient, the patient having an airway with an airway wall, the system comprising:
-
a material configured to be attached to the airway wall, the material having a first configuration and second configuration, the material in the first configuration allowing deformation of an adjacent region of the airway during physiological movement when the material is attached to the airway wall, the attached material in the second configuration inhibiting hypermobility or resonant movement of the adjacent region sufficiently to mitigate the sleep-related breathing disorder;
a sensor for monitoring a breathing characteristic of the patient; and
a source coupled to the sensor so as to generate an electrical field in response to the monitoring, the field capable of reversibly changing the material between the first configuration and a second configuration.
-
Specification