Systems and methods for testing neural stimulation sites

摘要

Various system embodiments comprise a medical device, comprising a flexible tether, a neural stimulation circuit, and a controller. The flexible tether is adapted to be fed into a patient's throat. The flexible tether includes a plurality of electrodes. The neural stimulation circuit is adapted to deliver neural stimulation. The controller is adapted to control the neural stimulation circuit to provide a neural stimulation therapy using at least one electrode from the plurality of electrodes, and to implement a neural stimulation test routine. The neural stimulation test routine is adapted to assess neural stimulation efficacy for electrode subsets of the plurality of electrodes to identify a desired electrode subset for use in delivering the neural stimulation therapy to elicit a desired response.

主权项

1. A system for testing neural stimulation sites in a patient, the system comprising:
a flexible tether adapted to be fed into a throat of the patient to position stimulation electrodes within the throat of the patient in at least one of a pharynx, a larynx, a trachea, or an esophagus of the patient, wherein the pharynx, the larynx, the trachea, and the esophagus are anatomical parts of the throat, and the stimulation electrodes within the throat provide available electrode subsets for use to stimulate the neural stimulation sites such that each of the available electrode subsets includes at least one stimulation electrode from the stimulation electrodes within the throat; a neural stimulation circuit adapted to deliver neural stimulation; a sensor configured to sense a parasympathetic response; and a controller configured to implement a neural stimulation test routine to:
deliver neural stimulation through each of the available electrode subsets to stimulate, using at least one stimulation electrode from the stimulation electrodes within the throat, each of the neural stimulation sites during the test routine;sense the parasympathetic response, using the sensor, when each of the neural stimulation sites is stimulated during the test routine; andidentify one of the neural stimulation sites as having a largest parasympathetic response to the neural stimulation delivered using at least one stimulation electrode from the stimulation electrodes within the throat, including using the sensed parasympathetic response when each of the neural stimulation sites is stimulated during the test routine.