Method and system for vagal blocking with or without vagal stimulation to provide therapy for obesity and other gastrointestinal disorders using rechargeable implanted pulse generator
First Claim
1. A method of providing electrical pulses with rechargeable implantable pulse generator for nerve blocking with or without selective electrical stimulation of vagus nerve(s) or its branches or part thereof for treating, controlling, or alleviating the symptoms for at least one of obesity, motility disorders, eating disorders, inducing weight loss, FGIDs, gastroparesis, gastro-esophageal reflex disease (GERD), pancreatitis, and ileus, comprising the steps of:
- providing said rechargeable implantable pulse generator, comprising a microcontroller, pulse generation circuitry, rechargeable battery, battery recharging circuitry, and a coil;
providing a lead with at least two electrodes adapted to be in contact with said nerve tissue, and in electrical contact with said rechargeable implantable pulse generator;
providing an external power source to charge said rechargeable implantable pulse generator; and
providing an external programmer to program said rechargeable implantable pulse generator.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
Method and system to provide therapy for obesity and gastrointestinal disorders such as FGIDs, gastroparesis, gastro-esophageal reflex disease (GERD), pancreatitis and ileus comprises vagal blocking and/or vagal stimulation, utilizing implanted and external components. Vagal blocking may be in the afferent or efferent direction, and may be with or without selective stimulation. Blocking may be provided by one of a number of different electrical blocking techniques. The implantable components are a lead and an implantable pulse generator (IPG), comprising re-chargeable lithium-ion or lithium-ion polymer battery. The external components are a programmer and an external recharger. In one embodiment, the implanted pulse generator may also comprise stimulus-receiver means, and a pulse generator means with rechargeable battery. In another embodiment, the implanted pulse generator is adapted to be rechargeable, utilizing inductive coupling with an external recharger. Existing nerve stimulators may also be adapted to be used with rechargeable power sources as disclosed herein. The implanted system comprises a lead with two or more electrodes, for vagus nerve(s) modulation with selective stimulation and/or blocking. In another embodiment, the external stimulator and/or programmer may comprise an optional telemetry unit. The addition of the telemetry unit to the external stimulator and/or programmer provides the ability to remotely interrogate and change stimulation programs over a wide area network, as well as other networking capabilities.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. A method of providing electrical pulses with rechargeable implantable pulse generator for nerve blocking with or without selective electrical stimulation of vagus nerve(s) or its branches or part thereof for treating, controlling, or alleviating the symptoms for at least one of obesity, motility disorders, eating disorders, inducing weight loss, FGIDs, gastroparesis, gastro-esophageal reflex disease (GERD), pancreatitis, and ileus, comprising the steps of:
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providing said rechargeable implantable pulse generator, comprising a microcontroller, pulse generation circuitry, rechargeable battery, battery recharging circuitry, and a coil;
providing a lead with at least two electrodes adapted to be in contact with said nerve tissue, and in electrical contact with said rechargeable implantable pulse generator;
providing an external power source to charge said rechargeable implantable pulse generator; and
providing an external programmer to program said rechargeable implantable pulse generator. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method of providing electrical pulses with rechargeable implantable pulse generator for vagal blocking with or without selective vagal stimulation for treating or alleviating the symptoms for at least one of obesity, eating disorders, inducing weight loss, FGIDs, gastroparesis, gastro-esophageal reflex disease (GERD), pancreatitis, and ileus, comprising the steps of:
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providing an implantable rechargeable pulse generator, wherein said implantable rechargeable pulse generator comprises a stimulus-receiver means, and an implantable pulse generator means comprising a microcontroller, pulse generation circuitry, rechargeable battery, and battery recharging circuitry;
providing a lead with at least two electrodes adapted to be in contact with said vagus nerve(s) or its branches or part thereof, and in electrical contact with said implantable rechargeable pulse generator;
providing an external power source to charge rechargeable implantable pulse generator; and
providing an external programmer to program the said rechargeable implantable pulse generator. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
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17. A system for providing electrical pulses with rechargeable implantable pulse generator for nerve blocking with or without selective electrical stimulation of vagus nerve(s) or its branches or part thereof for treating, controlling, or alleviating the symptoms for at least one of obesity, motility disorders, eating disorders, inducing weight loss, FGIDs, gastroparesis, gastro-esophageal reflex disease (GERD), pancreatitis, and ileus, comprising:
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a rechargeable implantable pulse generator, comprising, a microprocessor, pulse generation circuitry, rechargeable battery, battery recharging circuitry, and a coil;
a lead with at least two electrodes adapted to be in contact with said nerve tissue and in electrical contact with said implantable rechargeable pulse generator;
an external power source to charge said rechargeable implantable pulse generator; and
an external programmer to program said rechargeable implantable pulse generator. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification