Contingent cardio-protection for epilepsy patients

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12427317-B2
Application number	US-201916724825-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 23, 2019
Priority date	Jan 25, 2008
Publication date	Sep 30, 2025
Grant date	Sep 30, 2025

Abstract

Disclosed are methods and systems for treating epilepsy by stimulating a main trunk of a vagus nerve, or a left vagus nerve, when the patient has had no seizure or a seizure that is not characterized by cardiac changes such as an increase in heart rate, and stimulating a cardiac branch of a vagus nerve, or a right vagus nerve, when the patient has had a seizure characterized by cardiac changes such as a heart rate increase.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A method of treating a medical condition in a patient using a medical device, the medical device including a first electrode coupled to a first cranial nerve structure and a second electrode coupled to a second cranial nerve structure, where the first cranial nerve structure is a left portion of a cranial nerve and the second cranial nerve structure is a right portion of the cranial nerve, the method comprising:
providing a first electrical signal to the first cranial nerve structure of the patient using a first polarity configuration in which the first electrode functions as a cathode and the second electrode functions as an anode, the first electrical signal is configured to induce action potentials in the first cranial nerve structure, wherein a charge accumulates at the anode and the cathode as a result of the first electrical signal, the first electrical signal utilizing a titrating procedure to reach a target value;
switching from the first polarity configuration to a second polarity configuration upon termination of the first electrical signal where the first electrode functions as the anode and the second electrode functions as the cathode in the second polarity configuration; and
providing a second electrical signal to the second cranial nerve structure in the second polarity configuration, the second electrical signal is configured to induce action potentials in the second cranial nerve structure where at least a portion of the second electrical signal comprises the accumulated charge from the first electrical signal;

wherein a titration time interval is based on a patient's age and is a time associated with an adverse effect not recurring in response to an electrical stimulation using an electrical stimulation value, where the electrical stimulation value had previously elicited the adverse effect, where the electrical stimulation is either the first electrical signal or the second electrical signal.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving an input from the patient where the input obtained from the patient occurs via a magnetic sensor input.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising acquiring data for at least one of a status report, a historical report, and an alert and transmitting the acquired data or the alert to an external device.

4. A method of treating a medical condition in a patient using an implantable medical device, the implantable medical device including a first electrode coupled to a first cranial nerve structure and a second electrode coupled to a second cranial nerve structure, where the first cranial nerve structure is a left portion of a cranial nerve and the second cranial nerve structure is a right portion of the cranial nerve, the method comprising:
providing a first electrical signal to the first cranial nerve structure of the patient using a first polarity configuration in which the first electrode functions as a cathode and the second electrode functions as an anode, the first electrical signal is configured to induce action potentials in the first cranial nerve structure, wherein a charge accumulates at the anode and the cathode as a result of the first electrical signal, the first electrical signal utilizing a titrating procedure to reach a target value;
switching from the first polarity configuration to a second polarity configuration upon termination of the first electrical signal where the first electrode functions as the anode and the second electrode functions as the cathode in the second polarity configuration; and
providing a second electrical signal to the second cranial nerve structure in the second polarity configuration, the second electrical signal is configured to induce action potentials in the second cranial nerve structure where at least a portion of the second electrical signal comprises the accumulated charge from the first electrical signal;
wherein a titration time interval is based on a patient's age and is a time associated with an adverse effect not recurring in response to an electrical stimulation using an electrical stimulation value, where the electrical stimulation value had previously elicited the adverse effect, where the electrical stimulation is either the first electrical signal or the second electrical signal.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein a time of a resumption of a titration process for the first electrical signal is based on at least one of: a patient's age, a patient's health status, a severity of the adverse effects, and a severity of seizures.

Assignees

• Osorio Ivan
• Flint Hills Scient Llc

Inventors

• Osorio Ivan

Classifications

• A61N1/37235

  Aspects of the external programmer · CPC title

• A61N1/36064

  Epilepsy · CPC title

• A61N1/36139

  with automatic adjustment · CPC title

• A61N1/36053

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

• A61N1/37247

  User interfaces, e.g. input or presentation means · CPC title