47 results about "Hypoglossal nerve" patented technology

Devices and methods of use are provided for treating a person having a hypoglossal nerve and an upper airway. In one embodiment, a method may include providing a nerve cuff electrode including a cylindrical cuff body. The method may further include chronically implanting the nerve cuff electrode on a portion of the hypoglossal nerve. The method may also include delivering a stimulus to the hypoglossal nerve via the nerve cuff electrode to mitigate obstruction of the upper airway.

A method of treating a patient, comprising: sensing a biological parameter indicative of respiration; analyzing the biological parameter to identify a respiratory cycle; identifying an inspiratory phase of the respiratory cycle; and delivering stimulation to a hypoglossal nerve of the patient, wherein stimulation is delivered if a duration of the inspiratory phase of the respiratory cycle is greater than a predetermined portion of a duration of the entire respiratory cycle.

A device and method is provided for therapeutic stimulating, augmenting, manipulating and / or controlling breathing, in combination with stimulation of auxiliary respiratory nerves or muscles including the upper airway tract, chest wall muscles or abdominal muscles. Stimulation may be provided, for example, to augment breathing or to prevent closing of the upper airway during therapeutic stimulation. Stimulation may be also provided to the Hypoglossal nerve during exhalation.

A system for controlling a position of a patient's tongue includes attaching at least one electrode to the patient's Hypoglossal nerve and applying an electric signal through the electrode to at least one targeted motor efferent located within the Hypoglossal nerve to stimulate at least one muscle of the tongue. The system may also include the use of more than one contact to target more than one motor efferent and stimulating more than one muscle. The stimulation load to maintain the position of the tongue may be shared by each muscle. The position of the patient's tongue may be controlled in order to prevent obstructive sleep apnea.

A method for controlling a position of a patient's tongue includes attaching at least one electrode to the patient's Hypoglossal nerve and applying an electric signal through the electrode to at least one targeted motor efferent located within the Hypoglossal nerve to stimulate at least one muscle of the tongue. Methods may also include the use of more than one contact to target more than one motor efferent and stimulating more than one muscle. The stimulation load to maintain the position of the tongue may be shared by each muscle. The position of the patient's tongue may be controlled in order to prevent obstructive sleep apnea.

A lead system, coupled to an implantable device, is configured for subcutaneous, non-intrathoracic placement relative to a patient's heart. Cardiac activity detection circuitry is coupled to the lead system and configured to detect cardiac rhythms. Disordered breathing detection circuitry is coupled to the lead system and configured to detect disordered breathing. One or both of cardiac therapy circuitry and disordered breathing therapy circuitry may be coupled to the lead system and configured to delivery therapies to treat disordered breathing. Such therapies include cardiac pacing, diaphragmatic pacing, and hypoglossal nerve stimulation therapies. A patient-external respiratory device, such as a positive airway pressure device, may be configured to deliver a disordered breathing therapy. One or more of a patient-internal drug delivery device, a patient-external drug delivery device, or a gas therapy device may be employed to treat disordered breathing.

The present invention describes an apparatus, a system and a method for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea. The treatment involves monitoring the position of the tongue and / or the force exerted by the tongue and electrical stimulation of the hypoglossal nerve to move the tongue into an anterior position or to maintain the tongue in an anterior position

A system and method of treating sleep apnea by providing a first and a second microstimulator proximate to a first and second hypoglossal nerve (HGN) respectively and stimulating the first and second HGN for a first and second predetermined length of time. The first and second predetermined length of time may occur sequentially or concurrently. Moreover, the stimulation of the first and second HGNs may be at a sub-motor threshold afferent stimulation level or at a motor-threshold stimulation level. The stimulation of the first and second HGN may be performed in an open-loop or a closed-loop manner.

Provided is an implantable RFID-enabled micro-electronic neurostimulator system for treating obstructive sleep apnea, comprising an implant having a top and a bottom layer, the bottom layer serving as an attachment mechanism such that the bottom layer of the implant encompasses the hypoglossal nerve and attaches to the top layer of the implant; a printed circuit board (PCB) attached to the top layer of the implant, the PCB having a first and a second opposing sides; a neural interface attached to the second side of the PCB; a core subsystem (CSS) attached to the first side of the PCB and electrically connected to the neural interface; and a radio frequency (RF) interface attached to the first side of the PCB and electrically connected to the CSS, wherein the implant is powered and controlled by an external programmable controller.

A method of treating a patient, comprising: sensing a biological parameter indicative of respiration; analyzing the biological parameter to identify a respiratory cycle; identifying an inspiratory phase of the respiratory cycle; and delivering stimulation to a hypoglossal nerve of the patient, wherein stimulation is delivered if a duration of the inspiratory phase of the respiratory cycle is greater than a predetermined portion of a duration of the entire respiratory cycle.

A method for controlling a position of a patient's tongue includes attaching at least one electrode to the patient's hypoglossal nerve, applying an electric signal through the electrode to the hypoglossal nerve to stimulate at least one muscle of the tongue at least until the number of obstructive sleep apnea occurrences are reduced from an initial level to a treatment level, and reducing the application of the electric signal while the number of obstructive sleep apnea occurrences remain generally at or below the treatment level.

The present disclosure is directed to a system for the treatment of a sleep disorder through stimulation of the hypoglossal nerve or the geniohyoid muscle of a patient, e.g. a human patient. In general, the system comprises three components, namely a sensing component 50, a stimulation component 100, and a control system 200. In some embodiments, the control system 200 may be embedded within the sensing component 50, or the control system 200 may be embedded within the stimulation component 100.

A method of treating sleep disordered breathing in a patient includes the steps of monitoring the patient for a pre-inspiratory drive signal indicative of the breathing cycle by sensing electroneurogram activity of a hypoglossal nerve of the patient; and electrically stimulating the hypoglossal nerve of the patient following each detection of the pre-inspiratory drive signal. An implantable apparatus for stimulating a hypoglossal nerve of a patient for the treatment of sleep disordered breathing includes an electrode positioned at least partially around the hypoglossal nerve with a monitoring contact and a stimulation contact and a controller operatively coupled to the monitoring contact and the stimulation contact. The monitoring contact monitors the electroneurogram activity of the hypoglossal nerve for a pre-inspiratory drive signal indicative of the onset of inspiration and sends a signal to the controller which in turn causes the stimulating electrode to electrically stimulate the hypoglossal nerve.

A method for titrating a stimulation parameter for one or more electrode contacts in a system for stimulating a hypoglossal nerve of a patient includes activating one of the one or more electrode contacts to stimulate the hypoglossal nerve of the patient, obtaining a first and / or second physiological measurement from the patient, comparing the first and / or second physiological measurement to a first and / or second predetermined target value, adjusting a stimulation parameter for the one of the one or more electrode contacts if the first and / or second physiological measurement differs from the first and / or second predetermined target value.

A system for controlling a position of a patient's tongue includes attaching at least one electrode to the patient's Hypoglossal nerve and applying an electric signal through the electrode to at least one targeted motor efferent located within the Hypoglossal nerve to stimulate at least one muscle of the tongue. The system may also include the use of more than one contact to target more than one motor efferent and stimulating more than one muscle. The stimulation load to maintain the position of the tongue may be shared by each muscle. The position of the patient's tongue may be controlled in order to prevent obstructive sleep apnea.

The invention discloses an apnea detection and early warning device and method based on a smartphone and a nose sticking type respiration sensor and belongs to the technical field of health care equipment. The device comprises the nose sticking type respiration sensor, a smartphone unit and an electrical stimulation early warning module, wherein the nose sticking type respiration sensor is fixed on the nose of a user and provides respiratory rate and apnea time for the smartphone unit; the smartphone unit edits a personalized pulse stimulation sequence according to the apnea time and outputs the sequence to the electrical stimulation early warning module; the electrical stimulation early warning module amplifies a pulse signal and outputs the signal to an electrode, and hypoglossal nerves of the user are stimulated electrically. The adopted breathing nose sticker is comfortable and stable and does not affect normal sleep of a patient; an electrical stimulation signal is sent on the basis of an earphone jack of the smartphone, universality is realized, and a treatment module is simplified; the breathing state of the patient is monitored in real time, and electrical stimulation is performed instantly in case of a disease symptom.

A method for controlling a position of a patient's tongue includes attaching at least one electrode to the patient's hypoglossal nerve, applying an electric signal through the electrode to the hypoglossal nerve to stimulate at least one muscle of the tongue at least until the number of obstructive sleep apnea occurrences are reduced from an initial level to a treatment level, and reducing the application of the electric signal while the number of obstructive sleep apnea occurrences remain generally at or below the treatment level.

A dental appliance apparatus is disclosed herein. In various aspects, the dental appliance may include a body removably attachable to one or more teeth selected from premolars and molars, and a flange extending forth from lingual portions of the body to contact a tongue at one or more locations proximate the premolars and the molars in order to cause a contraction of the genioglossus that positions the tongue anteriorly and downward toward the mandible by stimulation of the hypoglossal nerve. The dental appliance may include a connector connected to the body, and the connector may pass about buccal-labial sides of the anterior teeth. A bumper may be included on a labial side of the connector, and the bumper may contact the lips to promote pursed lips breathing. An anterior flange may extend lingually from the connector to stimulate the hypoglossal nerve proximate a tip of the tongue in order to cause contraction of the genioglossus to position the tongue anteriorly and downward toward the mandible. This Abstract is presented to meet requirements of 37 C.F.R. § 1.72(b) only. This Abstract is not intended to identify key elements of the apparatus and methods disclosed herein or to delineate the scope of this disclosure.

A system and method for the transcutaneous stimulation of various nerves such as the phrenic, hypoglossal, and vagal nerves is provided. The stimulation elicits a corresponding muscle response without reported pain.

A removable oral device is disclosed. The removable oral device comprises a mounting retainer configured to align with a set of teeth. An electrical stimulator is coupled to the mounting retainer. A single lead is employed that has a first and a second end and lacking a mechanical connection to the mounting retainer. A first and a second electrode are positioned along the single lead. The lead is disposed perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of a patient's tongue such that the first electrode is proximate a first hypoglossal nerve and the second electrode is proximate a second hypoglossal nerve.

A dental appliance apparatus is disclosed herein. In various aspects, the dental appliance may include a body removably attachable to one or more teeth selected from premolars and molars, and a flange extending forth from lingual portions of the body to contact a tongue at one or more locations proximate the premolars and the molars in order to cause a contraction of the genioglossus that positions the tongue anteriorly and downward toward the mandible by stimulation of the hypoglossal nerve. The dental appliance may include a connector connected to the body, and the connector may pass about buccal-labial sides of the anterior teeth. A bumper may be included on a labial side of the connector, and the bumper may contact the lips to promote pursed lips breathing. An anterior flange may extend lingually from the connector to stimulate the hypoglossal nerve proximate a tip of the tongue in order to cause contraction of the genioglossus to position the tongue anteriorly and downward toward the mandible. This Abstract is presented to meet requirements of 37 C.F.R. §1.72(b) only. This Abstract is not intended to identify key elements of the apparatus and methods disclosed herein or to delineate the scope of this disclosure.

A removable oral device is disclosed. The removable oral device comprises a mounting retainer configured to align with a set of teeth. An electrical stimulator is coupled to the mounting retainer. A single lead is employed that has a first and a second end and lacks a mechanical connection to the mounting retainer. First and second electrodes are positioned along the single lead. The lead is disposed perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of a patient's tongue such that the first electrode is proximate a first hypoglossal nerve and the second electrode is proximate a second hypoglossal nerve.

The invention relates to the technical field of medical care, in particular to an electric stimulation snore stopper based on smart phone control and working principle and operation mode thereof. Theelectric stimulation snore stopper based on the smart phone control and the working principle and operation mode thereof are characterized in that the snore stopper comprises a smart phone, an application on the smart phone and a snore stopper main part; the snore stopper main part comprises a snore stopper controller and an electrode terminal, wherein the snore stopper controller is capable of being connected to the smart phone, and the electrode terminal is connected with the snore stopper controller; when the application on the smart phone turns on an electric pulse function and set the pulse voltage, an electric pulse output circuit in the snore stopper controller is made to input electric pulse with set voltage strength to the electrode terminal, and the electric pulse with the set voltage strength continuously stimulates hypoglossal nerve through the electrode terminal to make muscles contract and keep breathing smooth, thus achieving the purpose of stopping snore.