Weight loss method and device
First Claim
1. A system for treating an eating disorder by electrical stimulation of a vagus nerve of the patient in a manner to induce an afferent action potential on the nerve, comprising:
- an implantable gastric band having an inner periphery for contacting at least a portion of the patient'"'"'s gastrointestinal tract innervated by said vagus nerve, said gastric band comprising a plurality of electrodes for electrical communication with said at least a portion of the gastrointestinal tract and said vagus nerve, wherein said plurality of electrodes is used for both sensing and inducing afferent action potentials; and
a pulse generator coupled to said plurality of electrodes and configured to generate a test electrical signal to be applied to said plurality of electrodes, and also configured to select which of said electrode(s) are to be used to induce said action potentials based on detection of an afferent action potential in said nerve induced by said test electrical signal and sensed by at least one said electrode, and further configured to provide an electrical stimulation signal to at least said selected electrode sufficient to induce an exogenous afferent action potential on said vagus nerve of the patient while permitting transmission of native action potentials on said nerve.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus for treatment of an eating disorder includes electrically, mechanically and/or pharmaceutically/chemically stimulating a of the vagus nerve of the lower esophagus, cardia, esophageal/cardia junction, cardia/fundus junction or upper stomach so as to induce afferent action potentials on the vagus nerve. The device may be noninvasively adjusted after implantation to provide increased or decreased restriction on the patient'"'"'s gastrointestinal tract. Each stimulus may be administered as a series of programmed pulses of defined amplitude, duration and period, to evoke a responsive signal to the brain by the target nerve, effective for producing a temporary feeling of satiety in the person. An implantable stimulus generator may be operatively coupled to a nerve electrode, pressure device or chemical outlet to apply a defined signal to a selected nerve branch. The implantable stimulus generator is programmable to allow clinician programming of defined signal parameters effective to treat the eating disorder of the patient. Methods are also provided to identify electrodes nearest to a branch of the vagus nerve to apply an electrical stimulation signal with improved efficiency.
136 Citations
25 Claims
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1. A system for treating an eating disorder by electrical stimulation of a vagus nerve of the patient in a manner to induce an afferent action potential on the nerve, comprising:
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an implantable gastric band having an inner periphery for contacting at least a portion of the patient'"'"'s gastrointestinal tract innervated by said vagus nerve, said gastric band comprising a plurality of electrodes for electrical communication with said at least a portion of the gastrointestinal tract and said vagus nerve, wherein said plurality of electrodes is used for both sensing and inducing afferent action potentials; and a pulse generator coupled to said plurality of electrodes and configured to generate a test electrical signal to be applied to said plurality of electrodes, and also configured to select which of said electrode(s) are to be used to induce said action potentials based on detection of an afferent action potential in said nerve induced by said test electrical signal and sensed by at least one said electrode, and further configured to provide an electrical stimulation signal to at least said selected electrode sufficient to induce an exogenous afferent action potential on said vagus nerve of the patient while permitting transmission of native action potentials on said nerve. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method of treating an eating disorder by electrical stimulation of a vagus nerve of the patient to induce afferent action potentials on said nerve, comprising:
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surgically coupling an implantable gastric band to at least a portion of the patient'"'"'s gastrointestinal tract innervated by said vagus nerve, wherein said implantable gastric band comprises a plurality of electrodes; generating an electrical test signal and applying said electrical test signal to at least two of said plurality of electrodes; identifying at least a first electrode of said plurality of electrodes that senses a test action potential or is nearest to an electrode that senses said test action potential on said vagus nerve induced by said electrical test signal; generating an electrical stimulation signal configured to induce an exogenous afferent action potential on said vagus nerve of the patient without blocking native action potentials on said nerve; applying said electrical stimulation signal to said identified first electrode to induce said exogenous afferent action potential on said nerve while permitting transmission of native action potentials on said nerve, to treat said eating disorder comprising obesity, bulimia or anorexia nervosa. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification