Devices and methods for nerve stimulation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11123545-B2
Application number	US-202016837818-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 1, 2020
Priority date	Aug 19, 2010
Publication date	Sep 21, 2021
Grant date	Sep 21, 2021

Abstract

Methods and devices for stimulating a nerve in a patient include emitting an electrical signal near a target nerve within the patient. The electrical signal comprises bursts of about 2 to about 20 pulses and the pulses oscillate between a positive voltage and a negative voltage within each burst.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
generating an electrical signal within a housing having a lead extending therefrom, wherein the electrical signal generated within the housing comprises bursts of pulses, wherein each burst of pulses comprises a burst period and a constant period, wherein the signal includes 2 pulses to 20 pulses within each burst period, wherein the signal includes zero pulses within each constant period, wherein each burst period and constant period together have a combined frequency from about 15 Hz to about 50 Hz, and, wherein the pulses alternate between a positive voltage and a negative voltage within each of the burst periods;
positioning the lead near, or in operational proximity to, a spinal nerve within a patient; and
emitting the electrical signal via the lead towards the spinal nerve such that the patient experiences at least some pain relief.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pulses comprise a full sinusoidal wave.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pulses are not emitted during the constant periods.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising suspending the pulses during the constant periods.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the lead includes an electrode, and further comprising positioning the electrode near, or in operational proximity to, the spinal nerve and applying a voltage to the electrode such that an electric field is created at or near the spinal nerve.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising varying the voltage such that a charge of the electric field emitted during each of the burst period alternates between positive and negative.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the electric field emitted during the constant periods has a magnitude of zero.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the pulses has a duration of about 50 microseconds to about 1,000 microseconds.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the pulses has a duration of about 100 to about 400 microseconds.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the burst periods each comprise 4 pulses to 10 pulses.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein emitting an electrical signal comprises positioning an electrode in operational proximity to the spinal nerve, and delivering a sufficient amount of the electrical signal such that the patient experiences at least some pain relief.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the burst periods each have a duration of less than about 20,000 microseconds.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the burst periods each have a duration of less than about 2,000 microseconds.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the burst periods each have a duration of about 1,000 microseconds.

15. A device comprising:
a housing;
a lead extending from the housing, wherein the lead is configured to be positioned near, or in operational proximity to, a spinal nerve;
a source of energy positioned within the housing, wherein the source of energy is operably coupled to the lead; and
a signal generator configured for generating an electrical signal comprising burst of pulses, wherein each burst of pulses comprises a burst period and a constant period, wherein the signal includes 2 pulses to 20 pulses within each burst period, wherein the signal includes zero pulses within each constant period, wherein each burst period and constant period together have a combined frequency from about 15 Hz to about 50 Hz and wherein the source of energy alternates the pulses between a positive voltage and a negative voltage within each of the burst periods; and
wherein the source of energy is configured to emit the electrical signal via the lead towards a target area of the spinal nerve such that a patient experiences at least some pain relief.

16. The device of claim 15 , wherein the pulses are not emitted during the constant periods.

17. The device of claim 15 , wherein the lead includes an electrode, wherein the source of energy applies a voltage to the electrodes such that an electric field is created at or near the spinal nerve.

18. The device of claim 17 , wherein the source of energy varies the voltage such that a charge of the electric field emitted during each of the burst periods alternates between positive and negative.

19. The device of claim 18 , wherein the electric field emitted during each constant period has a magnitude of zero.

20. The device of claim 18 , wherein each of the pulses has a duration of about 50 microseconds to about 1,000 microseconds.

21. The device of claim 15 , wherein the lead includes an electrode, wherein the electrode is configured to be positioned in operational proximity to the spinal nerve, and the source of energy delivers a sufficient amount of the electrical signal such that the patient experiences at least some pain relief.

Assignees

• Electrocore Inc

Inventors

• Simon Bruce J
• Errico Joseph P
• Raffle John T

Classifications

• A61N1/40

  Applying electric fields by inductive or capacitive coupling (microwave apparatus A61N5/00); {Applying radio-frequency signals} · CPC title

• A61N1/36034

  specified by the stimulation parameters · CPC title

• A61N1/36053

  adapted for vagal stimulation (A61N1/36114 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A61N1/36014

  External stimulators, e.g. with patch electrodes (external pacemakers A61N1/3625) · CPC title

• A61N1/0456 Primary

  Specially adapted for transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation [TENS] · CPC title