A treatment method and a treatment system capable of treating a tumor while checking a degree of destruction of tumor cells due to emission of light and improving a treatment effect. A treatment system configured to irradiate a photosensitive substance accumulated in a tumor cell of breast cancer with excitation light, and includes: an optical device including an optical fiber configured to propagate light between a proximal portion and a distal portion of the optical device, and including, at the distal portion, an irradiation unit configured to emit light outward, and a detection unit configured to detect external light. The distal portion of the optical device is configured to be inserted into a lactiferous duct from a lactiferous duct orifice.

A flexible sheet for neurostimulation has a flexible non-conductive substrate matrix in which electrodes are embedded along a lower surface. Electrically conductive wires extend from the electrodes through the flexible substrate to another exterior surface of the substrate. Methods of making the flexible sheet and making a device using the flexible sheet are also disclosed.

Transducer-based systems and methods may be configured to display a graphical representation of a transducer-based device, the graphical representation including graphical elements corresponding to transducers of the transducer-based device, and also including between graphical elements respectively associated with a set of the transducers and respectively associated with a region of space between the transducers of the transducer-based device. Selection of graphical elements and/or between graphical elements can cause activation of the set of transducers associated with the selected elements. Transducer activation characteristics, such as initiation time, activation duration, activation sequence, and energy delivery characteristics, can vary based on numerous factors. Visual characteristics of graphical elements and between graphical elements can change based on an activation-status of the corresponding transducers. Activation requests for a set of transducers can be denied if it is determined that a transducer in the set of transducers is unacceptable for activation.

An implantable nerve stimulator is implanted in a patient near a nerve target. The implantable nerve stimulator has a plurality of electrodes through which stimulation is provided to the nerve target. The relative location of the nerve target and the electrodes may be determined by applying stimulation to the nerves via each of the electrodes, determining an effect of the stimulation for each of the electrodes, and mapping a location of the nerve relative to the electrodes based on the effect of the stimulation for each of the electrodes.

Numerous aspects of communication devices, methods, and systems are described in this application. One aspect is an apparatus comprising a plurality of energy generators arrangeable on or adjacent skin. Each energy generator of the plurality of energy generators may be operable to output a plurality of different energy types in a signal direction toward the skin. The plurality of energy generators may be operable to communicate with nerves associated with the skin when arranged on or adjacent the skin by outputting an energy signal in the signal direction with one or more energy types of the plurality of different energy types.

Methods, systems, and devices for signal analysis in an implanted cardiac monitoring and treatment device such as an implantable cardioverter defibrillator. In some examples, captured data including detected events is analyzed to identify likely overdetection of cardiac events. In some illustrative examples, when overdetection is identified, data may be modified to correct for overdetection, to reduce the impact of overdetection, or to ignore overdetected data. Several examples emphasize the use of morphology analysis using correlation to static templates and/or inter-event correlation analysis.

The invention comprises an elongated device adapted for insertion, including self-insertion, through the body, especially the skull. The device has at least one effector or sensor and is configured to permit implantation of multiple functional components through a single entry site into the skull by directing the components at different angles. The device may be used to provide electrical, magnetic, and other stimulation therapy to a patient's brain. The lengths of the effectors, sensors, and other components may completely traverse skull thickness (at a diagonal angle) to barely protrude through to the brain's cortex. The components may directly contact the brain's cortex, but from there their signals can be directed to targets deeper within the brain. Effector lengths are directly proportional to their battery size and ability to store charge. Therefore, longer angled electrode effectors not limited by skull thickness permit longer-lasting batteries which expand treatment options.

A system including a sensor interface coupled to a processor. The sensor interface is configured to receive and process an analog electrocardiogram signal of a subject and provide a digitized electrocardiogram signal sampled over a first time period and a second time period that is subsequent to the first time period. The processor is configured to receive the digitized electrocardiogram signal, to analyze a frequency domain transform of the digitized electrocardiogram signal sampled over the first and second time periods and determine first and second metrics indicative of metabolic state of a myocardium of the subject during the first and second time periods, respectively, to compare the first and second metrics to determine whether the metabolic state of the myocardium of the subject is improving, and to indicate administration of an intervention to the subject in response to a determination that the metabolic state is not improving.

An implantable neurostimulator-implemented method for managing tachyarrhythmias through vagus nerve stimulation is provided. An implantable neurostimulator, including a pulse generator, is configured to deliver electrical therapeutic stimulation in a manner that results in creation and propagation (in both afferent and efferent directions) of action potentials within neuronal fibers of a patient's cervical vagus nerve. Operating modes of the pulse generator are stored. A maintenance dose of the electrical therapeutic stimulation is delivered to the vagus nerve via the pulse generator to restore cardiac autonomic balance through continuously-cycling, intermittent and periodic electrical pulses. A restorative dose of the electrical therapeutic stimulation is delivered to prevent initiation of or disrupt tachyarrhythmia through periodic electrical pulses delivered at higher intensity than the maintenance dose. The patient's normative physiology is monitored via a physiological sensor, and upon sensing a condition indicative of tachyarrhythmia, is switched to delivering the restorative dose to the vagus nerve.

A medical ventilator (10) performs a method including: receiving measurements of pressure of air inspired by or expired from a ventilated patient (12) operatively connected with the medical ventilator; receiving measurements of air flow into or out of the ventilated patient operatively connected with the medical ventilator; dividing a breath time interval into a plurality of fitting regions (60); and simultaneously estimating respiratory system's resistance and compliance or elastance, and respiratory muscle pressure in each fitting region by fitting to a time series of pressure and air flow samples in that fitting region. In one approach, the fitting includes parameterizing the respiratory muscle pressure by a continuous differentiable function, such as a polynomial function, over the fitting region. In another approach, the fitting is to an equation of motion of the lungs in each fitting region, while monotonicity constraints and inequalities bounding at least the respiratory muscle pressure P.sub.mus(t) and respiratory system's resistence R and compliance C are applied to the respiratory muscle pressure in each region.