Blood pressure regulating system by substituting native biological regulatory function

• US 8,010,199 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2011
• Issued: 08/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujikin Incorporated, National Cerebral And Cardiovascular Center
• Original Assignee: Fujikin Incorporated, National Cerebral And Cardiovascular Center
• Inventors: Sugimachi, Masaru, Sunagawa, Kenji, Sato, Takayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): KAHELIN, MICHAEL WILLIAM
• Application Number:
  US13/032,923
• Publication Number:
  US 20110144714A1
• Time in Patent Office: 188 Days
• Field of Search: 607/17, 607/44
• US Class Current: 607/44
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36114 Cardiac control, e.g. by vagal stimulation stimulating the heart A61N1/362
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36117 for treating hypertension
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/365 controlled by a physiological parameter, e.g. heart potential evoked response A61N1/371
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36514 controlled by a physiological quantity other than heart potential, e.g. blood pressure controlled by two or more physical parameters A61N1/36585

Abstract

A blood pressure regulating system uses a native regulation rule to estimate at least one nerve activity in response to blood pressure changes, comprising at least one blood pressure sensing means which senses blood pressure and outputs a input blood pressure signal, a calculating means which receives the input blood pressure signal, calculates a transfer function by computing a Fourier transform of a normal blood pressure signal and a normal sympathetic nerve activity from normal cardiovascular system, calculates an impulse response by computing an inverse Fourier transform of the transfer function, calculates a sympathetic nerve stimulation signal using a convolution integral between the input blood pressure signal and the impulse response, and outputs the sympathetic nerve stimulation signal, and a stimulating means which receives the sympathetic nerve stimulation signal, and stimulates the sympathetic nerve innervating vascular beds based on the sympathetic nerve stimulation signal such that blood pressure is regulated.

Claims

1. A blood pressure regulating system, which uses a native regulation rule to estimate at least one nerve activity in response to blood pressure changes, comprising:

a) at least one blood pressure sensing means which senses blood pressure and outputs an input blood pressure signal;

b) a calculating means which receives the input blood pressure signal, calculates a transfer function by computing a Fourier transform of a normal blood pressure signal and a normal sympathetic nerve activity from a normal cardiovascular system, calculates an impulse response by computing an inverse Fourier transform of the transfer function, calculates a sympathetic nerve stimulation signal using a convolution integral between the input blood pressure signal and the impulse response, and outputs the sympathetic nerve stimulation signal; and

c) a stimulating means which receives the sympathetic nerve stimulation signal, and stimulates the sympathetic nerve innervating vascular beds based on the sympathetic nerve stimulation signal such that blood pressure is regulated.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the blood pressure sensing means is a pressure sensor.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein a site for sympathetic nerve stimulation is selected from the group consisting of sympathetic ganglia;

a surface of a spinal cord; and

at least one site in a brain.

4. A method of treating cardiac diseases based on biological activities, comprising the steps of:

a) calculating a transfer function by computing a Fourier transform of a normal blood pressure signal and a normal sympathetic nerve activity from normal cardiovascular system and calculating at least one impulse response by computing an inverse Fourier transform of the transfer function;

b) sensing blood pressure and outputting an input blood pressure signal;

c) calculating a sympathetic nerve stimulation signal for control of blood pressure using a convolution integral between the impulse response and the input blood pressure signal, comprising the substep of discriminating whether the input blood pressure signal is caused by normal cardiovascular activities or by abnormal cardiovascular activities; and

d) outputting the sympathetic nerve stimulation signal for stimulation of the sympathetic nerve only if the input blood pressure signal is determined to be caused by abnormal cardiovascular activities.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising, after step d), the steps of:

e) receiving the sympathetic nerve stimulation signal output in step d); and

f) stimulating the nerve based on the sympathetic nerve stimulation signal output in step d).