Method and apparatus for treating dysphagia with electrical stimulation
DCFirst Claim
1. An electrical pharyngeal neuromuscular stimulator comprising:
- a plurality of electrodes adapted to be selectively placed in electrical contact with tissue of a pharyngeal region of an associated animal;
a generator for generating a series of electrical pulses in electrical contact with each of the plurality of electrodes, the generator including,a pulse rate modulator for generating each of the electrical pulses having a frequency generally fixed at 80 hertz,a pulse width modulator for generating each pulse of the series of electrical pulses at a duration generally fixed at 300 microseconds, anda governor for regulating the electrical pulses such that at least one of current so as not to exceed 4.4 milliamps RMS or power so as not to exceed 9.6 MW RMS.
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Abstract
This invention is directed to a simple, non-invasive method and device for treating dysphagia and artificially promoting swallowing by electrical stimulus. In the present invention, a plurality of electrodes are selectively placed in electrical contact with tissue of a pharyngeal region of patient and a series of electrical pulses in electrical contact with each of the plurality of electrodes with a generator. The generator includes a pulse rate modulator for generating each of the electrical pulses having a frequency generally fixed at 80 hertz, a pulse width modulator for generating each pulse of the series of electrical pulses at a duration generally fixed at 300 microseconds, and a governor for regulating the electrical pulses such that at least one of current so as not to exceed 4.4 milliamps RMS or power so as not to exceed 9.6 MW RMS. The electrical pulses selectively stimulate muscles located proximate to the selectively placed electrodes to initiate swallowing.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. An electrical pharyngeal neuromuscular stimulator comprising:
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a plurality of electrodes adapted to be selectively placed in electrical contact with tissue of a pharyngeal region of an associated animal; a generator for generating a series of electrical pulses in electrical contact with each of the plurality of electrodes, the generator including, a pulse rate modulator for generating each of the electrical pulses having a frequency generally fixed at 80 hertz, a pulse width modulator for generating each pulse of the series of electrical pulses at a duration generally fixed at 300 microseconds, and a governor for regulating the electrical pulses such that at least one of current so as not to exceed 4.4 milliamps RMS or power so as not to exceed 9.6 MW RMS. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A method for electrical pharyngeal neuromuscular stimulation for artificially promoting swallowing, said method comprising the steps of:
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selectively placing a plurality of electrodes in electrical contact with tissue of a pharyngeal region of an associated animal; and generating a series of electrical pulses in electrical contact with each of the plurality of electrodes with a generator, the generator including, a pulse rate modulator for generating each of the electrical pulses having a frequency generally fixed at 80 hertz, a pulse width modulator for generating each pulse of the series of electrical pulses at a duration generally fixed at 300 microseconds, and a governor for regulating the electrical pulses such that at least one of current so as not to exceed 4.4 milliamps RMS or power so as not to exceed 9.6 MW RMS; wherein the electrical pulses selectively stimulate muscles located proximate to the selectively placed electrodes to initiate swallowing. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification