VAGUS NERVE STIMULATION METHOD
First Claim
1. A method of treating a medical condition in a patient having a brain, a vagus nerve, and a heart that generates a cardiac signal having a QRS wave portion, the method comprising:
- identifying a select portion of the QRS wave portion of the patient'"'"'s cardiac signal;
after identifying the select portion of the QRS wave portion and before identifying a select portion of a next sequential QRS wave portion, generating at least one microburst, the-at least one microburst being patterned and comprising 2 to 20 electrical pulses, adjacent ones of the electrical pulses being separated from one another by an interpulse interval of less than about 40 milliseconds; and
delivering the at least one microburst directly to a selected location on the vagus nerve of the patient, the at least one microburst delivered to the vagus nerve evoking a response in the brain of the patient, wherein the pulses of the at least one microburst are spaced apart to simulate endogenous afferent activity occurring at a particular time in the cardiac signal and enhance a vagal evoked potential evoked in the brain.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An implanted electrical signal generator delivers a novel exogenous electrical signal to a vagus nerve of a patient. The vagus nerve conducts action potentials originating in the heart and lungs to various structures of the brain, thereby eliciting a vagal evoked potential in those structures. The exogenous electrical signal simulates and/or augments the endogenous afferent activity originating from the heart and/or lungs of the patient, thereby enhancing the vagal evoked potential in the various structures of the brain. The exogenous electrical signal includes a series of electrical pulses organized or patterned into a series of microbursts including 2 to 20 pulses each. No pulses are sent between the microbursts. Each of the microbursts may be synchronized with the QRS wave portion of an ECG. The enhanced vagal evoked potential in the various structures of the brain may be used to treat various medical conditions including epilepsy and depression.
15 Citations
72 Claims
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1. A method of treating a medical condition in a patient having a brain, a vagus nerve, and a heart that generates a cardiac signal having a QRS wave portion, the method comprising:
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identifying a select portion of the QRS wave portion of the patient'"'"'s cardiac signal; after identifying the select portion of the QRS wave portion and before identifying a select portion of a next sequential QRS wave portion, generating at least one microburst, the-at least one microburst being patterned and comprising 2 to 20 electrical pulses, adjacent ones of the electrical pulses being separated from one another by an interpulse interval of less than about 40 milliseconds; and delivering the at least one microburst directly to a selected location on the vagus nerve of the patient, the at least one microburst delivered to the vagus nerve evoking a response in the brain of the patient, wherein the pulses of the at least one microburst are spaced apart to simulate endogenous afferent activity occurring at a particular time in the cardiac signal and enhance a vagal evoked potential evoked in the brain.
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2-46. -46. (canceled)
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47. A method of treating a brain disorder in a patient having a cardiac cycle, a vagus nerve, and a brain, the method comprising:
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detecting at least a portion of the cardiac cycle of the patient; applying to a selected location on the vagus nerve of the patient, in response to having detected the portion of the cardiac cycle of the patient, a pulsed electrical signal configured to increase afferent activity on the vagus nerve to be conducted thereby to the brain to treat the brain disorder, the pulsed electrical signal comprising at least one microburst, wherein each microburst of the pulsed electrical signal is patterned and comprises; from 2 to 6 pulses per microburst; at least one interpulse interval between adjacent pulses of the microburst, each interpulse interval ranging from about 5 to about 10 milliseconds; and a microburst duration less than or equal to 100 milliseconds. - View Dependent Claims (48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61)
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62. A computer readable program storage device encoded with instructions that, when executed by a computer, perform a method, comprising:
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detecting at least a portion of the cardiac cycle of the patient; applying to a selected location on the vagus nerve of the patient, in response to having detected the portion of the cardiac cycle of the patient, a pulsed electrical signal configured to increase afferent activity on the vagus nerve to be conducted thereby to the brain to treat the brain disorder, the pulsed electrical signal comprising at least one microburst, wherein each microburst of the pulsed electrical signal is patterned and comprises; from 2 to 6 pulses per microburst; at least one interpulse interval between adjacent pulses of the microburst, each interpulse interval ranging from about 5 to about 10 milliseconds; and a microburst duration less than or equal to 100 milliseconds. - View Dependent Claims (63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72)
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Specification