Mobile phone for treating a patient with seizures
AssigneeElectroCore, Inc.
InventorsJoseph P. Errico, Steven Mendez, Bruce J. Simon
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Devices, systems and methods are disclosed that allow a patient to self-treat epileptic seizures by electrical noninvasive stimulation of a vagus nerve. The system comprises a handheld stimulator that is applied to the surface of the patient's neck, wherein the stimulator comprises or is joined to a smartphone. A camera of the smartphone may be used to position and reposition the stimulator to a particular location on the patient's neck. The system may also comprise a base station that is used to meter the charging of a rechargeable battery within the stimulator. The base station and stimulator transmit data to one another regarding the status of a stimulation session.
Claims18
A method for treating a patient with seizures, the method comprising:
- generating an electrical stimulation signal via a signal generator coupled to an energy source, wherein the electrical stimulation signal has a frequency of about 1 Hz to about 100 Hz;
- wirelessly transmitting the electrical stimulation signal to a mobile phone remote from the signal generator;
- contacting an outer surface of a skin of the patient with a contact surface of the mobile phone;
- and
- applying, as the contact surface contacts the outer surface, the electrical stimulation signal, from the contact surface to the outer surface such that the electrical stimulation signal passes through the skin to a nerve at a target location within a body of the patient, wherein the electrical stimulation signal is sufficient to modulate the nerve and thereby ameliorate the seizures.
A method comprising:
- wirelessly receiving an electrical stimulation signal via a mobile phone, wherein the electrical stimulation signal has a frequency of about 1 Hz to about 100 Hz;
- and
- applying, as a contact surface contacts an outer surface of a skin of a patient diagnosed with seizures, the electrical stimulation signal from the contact surface to the outer surface such that the electrical stimulation signal (1) passes through the skin to a nerve within a body of the patient, (2) modulates the nerve, and (3) ameliorates the seizures, wherein
- the electrical stimulation signal is generated by a device remote from the mobile phone.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.