Method and apparatus for synchronized treatment of obstructive sleep apnea
First Claim
1. An implantable pulse generator for treating obstructive sleep apnea in a patient, comprising:
- means for determining when the patient has entered a sleep state;
means for electrically stimulating a nerve in the upper airway tract of the patient to elicit a contraction by an innervated muscle, the means for electrically stimulating being operative for a pre-determined period of time after the sleep state determining means determines the patient has entered the sleep state;
means for sensing the respiratory effort of a patient comprising first and second electrodes suitable for placement on opposite sides of the patient'"'"'s diaphragm, the respiratory effort sensing means delivering high frequency current between the electrodes to thereby measure the impedance therebetween; and
a controller to control the means for electrically stimulating in coordination with the sensed respiratory effort.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus for synchronized treatment of obstructive sleep apnea. In one embodiment such stimulation is provided by an implantable pulse generator, the implantable pulse generator having a stimulation stage to output stimulation pulses to a body structure, a sensing stage to sense the respiratory effort of a patient, and a controller, to coordinate, and preferably to synchronize, the output stimulation pulses with the sensed respiratory effort. The respiratory effort of a patient is sensed through the use of two electrodes disposed such that the diaphragm is positioned between, and the high frequency current is injected from one electrode to the other and the corresponding impedance is measured, the corresponding impedance thus being a function of the diaphragm position, itself indicating the respiratory effort of the patient. In such a manner the present invention permits the delivery of stimulation to be precisely controlled by the actual respiratory effort of the patient.
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Citations
16 Claims
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1. An implantable pulse generator for treating obstructive sleep apnea in a patient, comprising:
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means for determining when the patient has entered a sleep state;
means for electrically stimulating a nerve in the upper airway tract of the patient to elicit a contraction by an innervated muscle, the means for electrically stimulating being operative for a pre-determined period of time after the sleep state determining means determines the patient has entered the sleep state;
means for sensing the respiratory effort of a patient comprising first and second electrodes suitable for placement on opposite sides of the patient'"'"'s diaphragm, the respiratory effort sensing means delivering high frequency current between the electrodes to thereby measure the impedance therebetween; and
a controller to control the means for electrically stimulating in coordination with the sensed respiratory effort. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method of treating obstructive sleep apnea in a patient, comprising the steps of:
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determining when the patient has entered a sleep state;
sensing respiratory effort of the patient using first and second electrodes disposed on opposite sides of the patient'"'"'s diaphragm, the first and second electrodes delivering high frequency current thereacross to permit measurement of the impedance therebetween as a measure of the sensed respiratory effort; and
continuously stimulating a hypoglossal nerve of the patient for a pre-determined period of time after the sleep state has been entered, the stimulation being provided in coordination with the sensed respiratory effort. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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Specification