Electrical muscle controller

摘要

A method of modifying the force of contraction of at least a portion of a heart chamber, including providing a subject having a heart, comprising at least a portion having an activation, and applying a non-excitatory electric field having a given duration, at a delay after the activation, to the portion, which causes the force of contraction to be increased by at least 5%.

主权项

1. Heart control apparatus, comprising:
a plurality of sensors including
a plurality of electrical sensors of local activation times anda mechanical sensor of a parameter of cardiac activity; a circuitry receiving input from said plurality of sensors and determining a local activation time of a first portion of the heart and generating at least two different non-excitatory stimuli in response to said input from said plurality of sensors; said stimuli maintaining said parameter within a desired range; a first stimulus of said stimuli generated at a time less than 70 msec after said local activation time of said first portion of the heart; and a plurality of stimulus application devices for applying to a heart or to a portion thereof said non-excitatory stimuli; wherein a first one of said devices delivers said first stimulus to said first portion of the heart, using first delivery parameters, said first one of said devices including
a first electrode located at a first site on said first portion,a second electrode located at a second site on said first portion anda first sensor of said plurality of electrical sensors located between said first site and said second site; said first sensor configured for sensing said local activation time of said first portion, and wherein a second one of said devices delivers a second non-excitatory stimulus to a second portion of the heart using second delivery parameters, wherein said first non-excitatory stimulus is delivered at a time less than 70 msec after said local activation time and second non-excitatory stimulus is delivered to simultaneously control the first and second portions of the heart, wherein said first delivery parameters are different from said second delivery parameters and the first delivery parameters cause a first effect on said first portion and the second delivery parameters cause a different effect on said second portion, and wherein said first and second stimuli are non-excitatory to the tissue to which they are applied.