Systems and methods for delivering vagal nerve stimulation
AssigneeCardiac Pacemakers, Inc.
InventorsWeiying Zhao, Quan Ni, Stephen B. Ruble, Jason J. Hamann
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Abstract
According to various method embodiments, a person is indicated for a therapy to treat a cardiovascular disease, and the therapy is delivered to the person to treat the cardiovascular disease. Delivering the therapy includes delivering a vagal stimulation therapy (VST) to a vagus nerve of the person at a therapeutically-effective intensity for the cardiovascular disease that is below an upper boundary at which upper boundary the VST would lower an intrinsic heart rate during the VST.
Claims20
A vagus nerve neurostimulator for treating a chronic cardiac condition, comprising:
- a pulse generator, wherein the pulse generator generates a pulsed electrical signal having a duty cycle defined by a signal ON time and a signal OFF time;
- a lead;
- an electrode electrically connected to the pulse generator via the lead, wherein application of the pulsed electrical signal to a vagus nerve propagates action potentials in both afferent and efferent directions along the vagus nerve;
- and
- a leadless heart rate sensor configured to sense and record a patient's heart rate, wherein the vagus nerve stimulator is configured to change the pulsed electrical signal when the sensed heart rate is not acceptable.
A method, comprising:
- providing an implantable neurostimulator comprising a pulse generator configured to deliver electrical therapeutic stimulation to a vagus nerve of a patient and at least one sensor configured for use to detect exercise activity;
- delivering a first dose to the vagus nerve;
- monitoring the at least one sensor to detect a change;
- and
- delivering a second dose to the vagus nerve based on the detected change in exercise activity.
A neurostimulation system, comprising:
- at least one electrode;
- a neurostimulator coupled to the at least one electrode to deliver a stimulation signal to a patient;
- a sensor configured to acquire a physiological signal from the patient;
- and
- a processor coupled to the neurostimulator and the sensor, wherein the processor is configured to:
- deliver the stimulation signal with an initial stimulation parameter set that causes at least one of a side effect level below a side effect zone boundary or a target physiological response;
- and
- adjust the frequency, pulse width and amplitude of the stimulation signal when the side effect level is above the side effect boundary to provide a revised stimulation parameter set.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.