NERVE STIMULATION METHODS FOR AVERTING IMMINENT ONSET OR EPISODE OF A DISEASE
First Claim
1. A method of averting the onset of an acute medical event in a patient, comprising:
- using one or more sensors to detect physiological and/or environmental signals within, on, and/or about the patient;
using values of said environmental signals to forecast the onset of the acute medical event;
positioning a device adjacent to a skin surface of the patient;
generating one or more electrical impulses with the device; and
transmitting the electrical impulses to selected nerve fibers in the patient to treat the acute medical event.
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Abstract
Transcutaneous electrical and magnetic nerve stimulation devices are disclosed, along with methods of averting imminent medical attacks using energy that is delivered noninvasively by the devices. The attacks comprise asthma attack, epileptic seizure, attacks of migraine headache, transient ischemic attack or stroke, onset of atrial fibrillation, myocardial infarction, onset of ventricular fibrillation or tachycardia, panic attack, and attacks of acute depression. The imminence of an attack is forecasted using grey-box or black-box models as used in control theory. In preferred embodiments of the disclosed methods, a vagus nerve in the neck of a patient is stimulated noninvasively to avert the attack.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. A method of averting the onset of an acute medical event in a patient, comprising:
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using one or more sensors to detect physiological and/or environmental signals within, on, and/or about the patient; using values of said environmental signals to forecast the onset of the acute medical event; positioning a device adjacent to a skin surface of the patient; generating one or more electrical impulses with the device; and transmitting the electrical impulses to selected nerve fibers in the patient to treat the acute medical event. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A device for averting an acute attack in a patient comprising:
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a housing having an electrically permeable or conducting contact surface for contacting an outer skin surface of a patient; an energy source within the housing configured to generate an electric field sufficient to transmit an electric current through the outer skin surface of the patient to a nerve at a target region within the patient; and wherein the electric current is sufficient to avert or at least partially ameliorate the acute event, selected from a group of events comprising asthma attack, epileptic seizure, attack of migraine headache, transient ischemic attack or stroke, onset of atrial fibrillation, myocardial infarction, onset of ventricular fibrillation or tachycardia, panic attack, and attack of acute depression. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification