Implantable electroacupuncture device and method for reducing hypertension

A method for treating hypertension in a patient comprising the steps of:

• (a) implanting a coin-sized, leadless, self-contained electroacupuncture (EA) device in the patient below the patient's skin at at least one specified acupoint, the coin-sized, leadless, self-contained EA device comprising (i) a hermetically sealed housing having a nominal diameter no more than 25 mm and a thickness no greater than 2.5 mm, (ii) pulse generation circuitry housed within the hermetically sealed housing, (iii) a thin coin-cell battery also housed within the hermetically sealed housing having an impedance of at least 5 ohms, (iv) a smooth electrode configuration integrated into an outside surface of the hermetically sealed housing, and (v) at least one feed-through pin that provides electrical contact between the circuitry and battery housed inside of the hermetically sealed housing and the electrode configuration integrated into an outside surface of the hermetically sealed housing;
• (b) enabling the EA device to generate stimulation sessions at a duty cycle that is less than 0.05, each stimulation session comprising a series of stimulation pulses, wherein the duty cycle is the ratio of T3/T4, where T3 is the duration in minutes of each stimulation session, and T4 is the time in minutes between stimulation sessions;
• and
• (c) delivering the stimulation pulses of each stimulation session to the at least one specified acupoint through the electrode configuration integrated into an outside surface of the EA device.