PARASYMPATHETIC NERVE STIMULATION
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method comprising:
- identifying that a subject is at risk of suffering from atrial fibrillation (AF); and
responsively to the identifying, reducing a risk of an occurrence of an episode of the AF by;
coupling an electrode device to a site of a subject containing parasympathetic nervous tissue,driving, by a control unit, the electrode device to apply an electrical current to the site not responsively to any physiological parameters sensed by any device directly or indirectly coupled to the control unit, andconfiguring the current to stimulate autonomic nervous tissue in the site.
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Abstract
A method is provided, including identifying that a subject is at risk of suffering from atrial fibrillation (AF). Responsively to the identifying, a risk of an occurrence of an episode of the AF is reduced by coupling an electrode device to a site of a subject containing parasympathetic nervous tissue; driving, by a control unit, the electrode device to apply an electrical current to the site not responsively to any physiological parameters sensed by any device directly or indirectly coupled to the control unit; and configuring the current to stimulate autonomic nervous tissue in the site. Other embodiments are also described.
230 Citations
27 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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identifying that a subject is at risk of suffering from atrial fibrillation (AF); and responsively to the identifying, reducing a risk of an occurrence of an episode of the AF by; coupling an electrode device to a site of a subject containing parasympathetic nervous tissue, driving, by a control unit, the electrode device to apply an electrical current to the site not responsively to any physiological parameters sensed by any device directly or indirectly coupled to the control unit, and configuring the current to stimulate autonomic nervous tissue in the site. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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4. Apparatus comprising:
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an electrode device, configured to be coupled to a site of the subject at risk of suffering from atrial fibrillation (AF), the site containing parasympathetic nervous tissue; and a control unit, configured to reduce a risk of an occurrence of an episode of the AF by; driving the electrode device to apply an electrical current to the site not responsively to any physiological parameters sensed by any device directly or indirectly coupled to the control unit, and configuring the current to stimulate the nervous tissue in the site. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6)
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7. A method for treating a subject, comprising:
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applying a current to a site of the subject in respective bursts of pulses in each of a plurality of cardiac cycles of the subject, the site selected from the list consisting of;
a vagus nerve of the subject, an epicardial fat pad of the subject, a pulmonary vein of the subject, a carotid artery of the subject, a carotid sinus of the subject, a vena cava vein of the subject, and an internal jugular vein of the subject; andconfiguring an electrical parameter of the current so as to minimize an effect of the applying of the current on a heart rate of the subject, by applying each of the bursts after a delay following a P-wave of the subject, the delay having a duration equal to between about two-thirds and about 90% of a duration of a cardiac cycle of the subject. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10)
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11. Apparatus for treating a subject, comprising:
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an electrode device, adapted to be coupled to a site of the subject selected from the list consisting of;
a vagus nerve of the subject, an epicardial fat pad of the subject, a pulmonary vein of the subject, a carotid artery of the subject, a carotid sinus of the subject, a vena cava vein of the subject, and an internal jugular vein of the subject; anda control unit, adapted to; drive the electrode device to apply an electrical current to the site in respective bursts of pulses in each of a plurality of cardiac cycles of the subject, and configure an electrical parameter of the current so as to minimize an effect of the applying of the current on a heart rate of the subject, by applying each of the bursts after a variable delay following a P-wave of the subject, the delay having a duration equal to between about two-thirds and about 90% of a duration of a cardiac cycle of the subject. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13)
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14. Treatment apparatus, comprising:
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an electrode device, adapted to be coupled to a site of a subject suffering from atrial fibrillation (AF), the site selected from the list consisting of;
a vagus nerve of the subject, an epicardial fat pad of the subject, a pulmonary vein of the subject, a carotid artery of the subject, a carotid sinus of the subject, a vena cava vein of the subject, and an internal jugular vein of the subject;a pacing device, adapted to be applied to a heart of the subject; and a control unit, adapted to; during a first period, drive the pacing device to pace the heart, and drive the electrode device to apply an electrical current to the site, and during a second period following the first period, withhold the electrode device from applying the electrical current to the site. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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- 22. Apparatus comprising an electrode assembly adapted to be coupled to nervous tissue of a subject, the electrode assembly comprising one or more conductive elements, wherein at least a portion of the electrode assembly is adapted to be dissolvable after the electrode assembly has been coupled to the tissue.
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25. A method comprising:
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providing an electrode assembly including one or more conductive elements, at least a portion of which electrode assembly is configured to be dissolvable after the electrode assembly has been coupled to nervous tissue of a subject; and coupling the electrode assembly to the nervous tissue.
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26. Apparatus for treating a subject, comprising:
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an electrode device, configured to be coupled to a parasympathetic site of the subject selected from the group consisting;
of a vagus nerve of the subject, an epicardial fat pad of the subject, a pulmonary vein of the subject, a carotid artery of the subject, a carotid sinus of the subject, a coronary sinus of the subject, a vena cava vein of the subject, a jugular vein of the subject, a right ventricle of the subject, a parasympathetic ganglion of the subject, and a parasympathetic nerve of the subject; anda control unit, configured to; drive the electrode device to apply a current to the site, receive a sensed physiological value of the subject selected from the group consisting of;
a temperature of the subject, a blood glucose level of the subject, a blood lipid level of the subject, a blood lactic acid level of the subject, a blood CO2 level of the subject, a blood O2 level of the subject, a blood urea level of the subject, a blood creatinine level of the subject, and a blood ammonia level of the subject, and set at least one parameter of the applied current responsively to the sensed physiological value.
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27. A method for treating a subject, comprising:
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applying a current to a parasympathetic site of the subject selected from the group consisting;
of a vagus nerve of the subject, an epicardial fat pad of the subject, a pulmonary vein of the subject, a carotid artery of the subject, a carotid sinus of the subject, a coronary sinus of the subject, a vena cava vein of the subject, a jugular vein of the subject, a right ventricle of the subject, a parasympathetic ganglion of the subject, and a parasympathetic nerve of the subject;receiving a sensed physiological value of the subject selected from the group consisting of;
a temperature of the subject, a blood glucose level of the subject, a blood lipid level of the subject, a blood lactic acid level of the subject, a blood CO2 level of the subject, a blood O2 level of the subject, a blood urea level of the subject, a blood creatinine level of the subject, and a blood ammonia level of the subject; andsetting at least one parameter of the applied current responsively to the sensed physiological value.
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Specification