DEVICE AND METHOD FOR REDUCING WEIGHT

• US 20100280569A1
• Filed: 08/27/2008
• Published: 11/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Toulouse, Institut National de La Recherche Agronomique
• Original Assignee: Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Toulouse, Institut National de La Recherche Agronomique
• Inventors: Malbert, Charles-Henri, Val-Laillet, David, Biraben, Arnaud, Bobillier, Eric
• Application Number:
  US12/675,194
• Publication Number:
  US 20100280569A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/40
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36007 of urogenital or gastrointestinal organs, e.g. for incontinence control
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36114 Cardiac control, e.g. by vagal stimulation stimulating the heart A61N1/362

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device (2) for reducing weight in an individual, the device (2) comprising: a generator (42, 43) adapted to produce an electrical signal; at least a first set of electrodes (6) comprising two electrodes (10, 12) able to be connected to the generator (42, 43) and being intended to be fixed to a first vagus nerve (18) of the individual at a predefined distance one from another to apply the electrical signal to a portion (19) of the first vagus nerve (18) located between the electrodes (10, 12); characterized in that it comprises a short-circuiting switch (52) being adapted to short-circuit the electrodes (10, 12).

Claims

1. A device for reducing weight in an individual, the device comprising:

a generator adapted to produce an electrical signal;

at least a first set of electrodes comprising two electrodes able to be connected to the generator and being intended to be fixed to a first vagus nerve of the individual at a predefined distance one from another to apply the electrical signal to a portion of the first vagus nerve located between the electrodes;

characterized in that it comprises a short-circuiting switch being adapted to be turned on for short-circuiting the electrodes, wherein the generator is a current generator and the applied electrical signal is an effective current signal which has an amplitude defined by a method implemented in a computer program stored in a memory, said amplitude increasing gradually during a progressive phase (PP) and being maintained constant during a stabilised phase (SP).

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the short-circuiting switch comprises a MOSFET transistor having a gate connected to a ground, a gate (D) linked to one electrode and a source (S) connected to the other electrode.

3. The device according to claim 2, which comprises a voltage generator adapted to apply a voltage to the source (S) of the short-circuiting switch for controlling its turn on and turn off.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein it comprises:

a second set of electrodes comprising two electrodes able to be connected to the generator and being intended to be fixed to a second vagus nerve of the individual body at a predefined distance one from another to feed with current a portion of the second vagus nerve located between the electrodes;

a channel selector switch adapted to connect alternatively the first set of electrodes (6) and the second set of electrodes to said generator according to a predefined frequency to transmit the current generated by said generator alternatively to the first and to the second vagus nerves.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the generator is adapted to adjust the voltage applied to at least the portion of the first vagus nerve, and in that the device comprises a detector adapted to generate an alarm when the amplitude of the current is superior to a predefined threshold.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the generator is adapted to produce pulses trains, the pulses having amplitudes increasing from 0.1 milliampere to 2.5 milliampere during a progressive phase (PP) and a constant amplitude equal to 2.5 milliampere during a stabilised phase (SP).

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein the progressive phase (PP) is an initial phase lasting between 10 and 20 days.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein the generator is adapted to produce pulses trains, the pulses trains have a period of 33 milliseconds and the pulse (L) lasts 1 millisecond.

10. The device according to claim 1, wherein each phase comprises an emission (T1) period follows by a non emission period (T2), the generator being adapted to produce pulses during each emission period (T1), the generator not being adapted to produce any pulse during each non emission period (T2), and in that the short-circuiting switch short-circuits the electrodes of the first and of the second sets during the non emission period (T2).

11. The device according to claim 10, wherein the emission period (T1) lasts for 30 seconds and the non emission period (T2) lasts for 5 minutes.

4. (canceled)

12. A method for reducing weight in an individual, wherein an effective electrical signal is applied peri-diaphragmatically to a portion of a first vagus nerve and optionally to a portion of a second vagus nerve, wherein the electrical signal is in the form of pulses trains, the pulses having amplitudes increasing from 0.1 milliampere to 2.5 milliampere during a progressive phase (PP) and a constant amplitude equal to 2.5 milliampere during a stabilised phase (SP).

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the progressive phase is an initial phase lasting between 10 and 20 days.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the pulses trains have a period of 33 milliseconds and the pulse (L) lasts 1 millisecond.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein each phase comprises an emission (T1) period follows by a non emission period (T2).

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein each phase comprises an emission (T1) period follows by a non emission period (T2), the emission period (T1) lasts for 30 seconds and the non emission period (T2) lasts 5 minutes.

26. The method according to claim 12, wherein the individual is obese.

27. The method according to claim 12, wherein the individual is morbidly obese.

17. A method for reducing weight in an individual, wherein an effective electrical signal is applied peri-diaphragmatically to a portion of a first vagus nerve and optionally to a portion of a second vagus nerve by at least one device comprising:

a generator adapted to produce an electrical signal;

at least a first set of electrodes comprising two electrodes able to be connected to the generator and being intended to be fixed to a first vagus nerve of the individual at a predefined distance one from another to apply the electrical signal to a portion of the first vagus nerve located between the electrodes;

characterized in that it comprises a short-circuiting switch being adapted to be turned on for short-circuiting the electrodes, the generator is a current generator, the individual is a mammal, and the applied electrical signal is an effective current signal which has an amplitude defined by a method implemented in a computer program stored in a memory, said amplitude increasing gradually during a progressive phase and being maintained constant during a stabilised phase (SP).

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the device is surgically implanted in the individual.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the device is implanted in a left subclavian area of the individual.

20. The method according to claim 17, wherein the individual is obese.

21. The method according to claim 17, wherein the individual is morbidly obese.

22-25. -25. (canceled)