Weight loss method and advice
First Claim
1. A system for treating an eating disorder by electrical stimulation of a vagus nerve of the patient in a manner to induce an afferent action potential on the nerve, comprising:
- an implantable gastric band having an inner periphery for contacting at least a portion of the patient'"'"'s gastrointestinal tract, said gastric band comprising a plurality of electrodes for electrical communication with said at least a portion of the gastrointestinal tract, a pulse generator coupled to said plurality of electrodes capable of providing an electrical signal to at least one of said plurality of electrodes sufficient to induce an afferent action potential on a vagus nerve of the patient.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus for treatment of an eating disorder includes electrically, mechanically and/or pharmaceutically/chemically stimulating a of the vagus nerve of the lower esophagus, cardia, esophageal/cardia junction, cardia/fundus junction or upper stomach so as to induce afferent action potentials on the vagus nerve. The device may be noninvasively adjusted after implantation to provide increased or decreased restriction on the patient'"'"'s gastrointestinal tract. Each stimulus may be administered as a series of programmed pulses of defined amplitude, duration and period, to evoke a responsive signal to the brain by the target nerve, effective for producing a temporary feeling of satiety in the person. An implantable stimulus generator may be operatively coupled to a nerve electrode, pressure device or chemical outlet to apply a defined signal to a selected nerve branch. The implantable stimulus generator is programmable to allow clinician programming of defined signal parameters effective to treat the eating disorder of the patient. Methods are also provided to identify electrodes nearest to a branch of the vagus nerve to apply an electrical stimulation signal with improved efficiency.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. A system for treating an eating disorder by electrical stimulation of a vagus nerve of the patient in a manner to induce an afferent action potential on the nerve, comprising:
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an implantable gastric band having an inner periphery for contacting at least a portion of the patient'"'"'s gastrointestinal tract, said gastric band comprising a plurality of electrodes for electrical communication with said at least a portion of the gastrointestinal tract, a pulse generator coupled to said plurality of electrodes capable of providing an electrical signal to at least one of said plurality of electrodes sufficient to induce an afferent action potential on a vagus nerve of the patient. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method of treating an eating disorder by electrical stimulation of a vagus nerve of the patient to induce afferent action potentials on said nerve, comprising:
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providing an implantable gastric band having a plurality of electrodes;
surgically coupling said implantable gastric band to at least a portion of the patient'"'"'s gastrointestinal tract, said step comprising electrically coupling at least one of said plurality of electrodes to a vagus nerve on said at least a portion of the gastrointestinal tract;
generating an electrical signal;
applying said electrical signal to said at least one electrode coupled to said vagus nerve; and
inducing afferent action potentials on said nerve with said electrical signal. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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Specification