Closed Loop Chronic Electroacupuncture System Using Changes in Body Temperature or Impedance
First Claim
1. An implantable electroacupuncture (EA) device adapted to be implanted at a specified acupoint of a patient, the electroacupuncture device including:
- a housing;
a pair of electrodes formed as an integral part of the housing;
stimulation circuitry residing inside the housing and electrically coupled to the pair of electrodes, wherein the stimulation circuitry generates stimulation pulses that are delivered to body tissue through the pair of electrodes in accordance with a prescribed stimulation regimen;
at least one sensor residing within the housing, the sensor including means for sensing at least one physiological parameter of the patient; and
feedback means responsive to changes in the sensed physiological parameter for modifying the stimulation regimen in a way that maintains functionality of the patient'"'"'s autonomic nervous system (ANS).
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Accused Products
Abstract
A closed loop electroacupuncture (EA) system monitors any change in sympathetic drive within the body of a patient undergoing EA stimulation. The sensed change in sympathetic drive is then used to adjust at least one parameter of the EA stimulation regimen in an appropriate manner that assists regulation of the patient'"'"'s autonomic nervous system (ANS). One manner of determining an increase in sympathetic drive is to monitor the body temperature at the skin. A decrease in skin temperature is indicative of increased sympathetic drive and/or exercise stress due to vasoconstriction in the subcutaneous vascular bed. An adjunct to monitoring skin temperature is to monitor subcutaneous tissue impedance. Subcutaneous tissue impedance increases during vasoconstriction. Thus, a sensed change in tissue impedance may be used by itself, or as a compliment to sensed changes in temperature, to provide feedback within the closed loop EA system to adjust the stimulation regimen.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. An implantable electroacupuncture (EA) device adapted to be implanted at a specified acupoint of a patient, the electroacupuncture device including:
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a housing; a pair of electrodes formed as an integral part of the housing; stimulation circuitry residing inside the housing and electrically coupled to the pair of electrodes, wherein the stimulation circuitry generates stimulation pulses that are delivered to body tissue through the pair of electrodes in accordance with a prescribed stimulation regimen; at least one sensor residing within the housing, the sensor including means for sensing at least one physiological parameter of the patient; and feedback means responsive to changes in the sensed physiological parameter for modifying the stimulation regimen in a way that maintains functionality of the patient'"'"'s autonomic nervous system (ANS). - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A method of operating an implantable electroacupuncture (EA) device, the EA device including a housing, at least two electrodes formed as an integral part of the housing, and stimulation circuitry residing within the housing coupled to the at least two electrodes, the method comprising:
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implanting the EA device at a specified acupoint of a patient the wording in the doc submitted to the PTO, “
implanting the EA device at a specified target tissue stimulation point that is near an acupoint of a patient;controlling the EA device so that it generates stimulation pulses that are delivered through the at least two electrodes to the patient'"'"'s body tissue at the specified acupoint in accordance with a specified stimulation regimen; sensing a physiological condition of the patient that is related to the patient'"'"'s autonomic nervous system (ANS); and adjusting the stimulation regimen in response to changes that are sensed in the patient'"'"'s physiological condition in a way that maintains functionality of the patient'"'"'s ANS. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification