Devices and methods for non-invasive capacitive electrical stimulation and their use for vagus nerve stimulation on the neck of a patient
First Claim
1. A method for treating a medical disorder of a patient, the method comprising:
- generating one or more electrical impulses, wherein each of the one or more electrical impulses comprises bursts of pulses;
transmitting the one or more electrical impulses through an outer skin surface of the patient to a nerve at a target region within the patient such that the one or more electrical impulses modulate the nerve to treat the medical disorder; and
pairing the one or more electrical impulses with a time-varying sensory stimulation.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A non-invasive electrical stimulator shapes an elongated electric field of effect that can be oriented parallel to a long nerve, such as a vagus nerve in a patient'"'"'s neck, producing a desired physiological response in the patient. The stimulator comprises a source of electrical power, at least one electrode and a continuous electrically conducting medium in contact with the electrodes. The conducting medium is also in contact with an interface element that may conform to the contour of a target body surface of the patient when the interface element is applied to that surface. When the interface element is made of insulating (dielectric) material, and disclosed stimulation waveforms are used, the power source need not supply high voltage, in order to capacitively stimulate the target nerve. The stimulator produces a peak pulse that is sufficient to produce a physiologically effective electric field in the vicinity of a target nerve.
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Citations
36 Claims
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1. A method for treating a medical disorder of a patient, the method comprising:
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generating one or more electrical impulses, wherein each of the one or more electrical impulses comprises bursts of pulses; transmitting the one or more electrical impulses through an outer skin surface of the patient to a nerve at a target region within the patient such that the one or more electrical impulses modulate the nerve to treat the medical disorder; and pairing the one or more electrical impulses with a time-varying sensory stimulation. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A method for treating a medical disorder of a patient, the method comprising:
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positioning an interface of a handheld device against an outer skin surface of the patient; generating an electrical impulse at one or more electrodes within the handheld device; transmitting the electrical impulse from the one or more electrodes through a conduction medium to the interface, through the interface, and transcutaneously, through the outer skin surface of the patient to a nerve at a target region below the outer skin surface to treat the medical disorder; and pairing the electrical impulse with a time-varying sensory stimulation. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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Specification