VAGAL STIMULATION

摘要

The disclosure herein relates generally to methods for treating heart conditions using vagal stimulation, and further to systems and devices for performing such treatment. Such methods may include monitoring physiological parameters of a patient, detecting cardiac conditions, and delivering vagal stimulation (e.g., electrical stimulation to the vagus nerve or neurons having parasympathetic function) to the patient to treat the detected cardiac conditions.

主权项

1. A device for use in treating a patient using vagal stimulation comprising:
monitoring apparatus configured to monitor physiological parameters of a patient, wherein the monitoring apparatus comprises at least one electrode to monitor the electrical activity of the patient's heart; a sensing module coupled to the monitoring apparatus and configured to receive the monitored physiological parameters; a therapy delivery module configured to deliver electrical stimulation to the patient's vagus nerve; and a control module coupled to the sensing module and to the therapy delivery module and configured to: detect acute myocardial infarction or myocardial ischemia using the monitored physiological parameters, initiate delivery of therapeutic electrical stimulation to the patient's vagus nerve upon detecting the acute myocardial infarction or myocardial ischemia to decrease at least one of workload and inflammation of the patient's heart, analyze the monitored physiological parameters after the delivery of therapeutic electrical stimulation to the patient's vagus nerve to at least determine whether the electrical activity of the patient's heart indicates cessation of progression of the acute myocardial infarction or myocardial ischemia, terminate the delivery of therapeutic electrical stimulation to the patient's vagus nerve if the electrical activity of the patient's heart indicates cessation of the progression of the acute myocardial infarction or myocardial ischemia, and initiate delivery of preventative electrical stimulation to the patient's vagus nerve after terminating the delivery of therapeutic electrical stimulation to the patient's vagus nerve, wherein the preventative electrical stimulation is scheduled to be delivered at one or more selected times to the patient's vagus nerve to decrease at least one of workload and inflammation of the patient's heart.