Patent classifications
A61N1/025
Dynamic mandibular and lingual repositioning devices, controller station, and methods of treating and/or diagnosing medical disorders
Mandibular repositioning devices have a mandibular piece having a first teeth covering and having a housing proximate each of a left molar portion and a right molar portion, a protrusive flange extending cranially from each housing, and a maxillary piece having a second teeth covering and having a housing proximate each of a left molar portion and a right molar portion. Each housing encloses a power source electrically connected an on-board circuit board and the housings of the maxillary piece further have the power source electrically connected to a motor operatively connected to a drive for anterior and posterior movements of the mandibular piece. The maxillary piece sits on the mandibular piece with the driver operatively engaged with the protrusive flange. The protrusive flange has a concavely-shaped anterior surface mated to a convexly-shaped head of the driver shaped to match the concavely-shaped anterior surface of the protrusive flange.
Circuitry to assist with neural sensing in an implantable stimulator device
Passive tissue biasing circuitry in an Implantable Pulse Generator (IPG) is disclosed to facilitate the sensing of neural responses by holding the voltage of the tissue to a common mode voltage (Vcm). The IPG's conductive case electrode, or any other electrode, is passively biased to Vcm using a capacitor, as opposed to actively driving such electrode to a prescribed voltage using a voltage source. Once Vcm is established, voltages accompanying the production of stimulation pulses will be referenced to Vcm, which eases neural response sensing. An amplifier can be used to set a virtual reference voltage and to limit the amount of current that flows to the case during the production of Vcm. Circuitry can be used to monitor the virtual reference voltage to enable sensing neural responses, and to set a compliance voltage for the current generation circuitry.
Motor function neural control interface for spinal cord injury patients
At least one electrical brain signal is received from a patient and is demultiplexed into an efferent motor intention signal and at least one afferent sensory signal (such as an afferent touch sense signal and/or an afferent proprioception signal). A functional electrical stimulation (FES) device is controlled to apply FES to control a paralyzed portion of the patient that is paralyzed due to a spinal cord injury of the patient. The controlling of the FES device is based on at least the efferent motor intention signal. A demultiplexed afferent touch sense signal may be used to control a haptic device. The afferent sensory signal(s) may be used to adjust the FES control.
METHODS, APPARATUSES, AND SYSTEMS FOR INDUCTIVE HEATING OF FOREIGN METALLIC IMPLANTS
Methods, apparatuses, systems, and implementations for inductive heating of a foreign metallic implant are disclosed. A foreign metallic implant may be heated via AMF pulses to ensure that the surface of the foreign metallic implant heats in a uniform manner. As the surface temperature of the foreign metallic implant rises, acoustic signatures may be detected by acoustic sensors that may indicate that tissue may be heating to an undesirable level approaching a boiling point. Once these acoustic signatures are detected, the AMF pulses may be shut off for a time period to allow the surface temperature of the implant to cool before applying additional AMF pulses. In this manner, the surface temperature of a foreign metallic implant may be uniformly heated to a temperature adequate to treat bacterial biofilm buildup on the surface of the foreign metallic implant without damaging surrounding tissue. The AMF pulse treatment can be combined with an antibacterial/antimicrobial treatment regimen to reduce the time and/or antibacterial dosage amount needed to remove the biofilm from the metallic implant.
WEARABLE CARDIOVERTER DEFIBRILLATOR WITH IMPROVED ECG ELECTRODES
A Wearable Cardioverter Defibrillator (WCD) system comprises an electrode assembly with a permeable ECG electrode and a moisture barrier. In some embodiments, the moisture barrier is configured to reduce drying out of the permeable ECG electrode to improve performance of the WCD system. In a further enhancement, some embodiments of the electrode assembly also include a pillow structure positioned on a non-skin-contacting surface of the electrode assembly to comfortably reduce movement artifact or noise in the received ECG signal.
AUTOMATIC GAIN CONTROL ALGORITHM FOR HEARTBEAT DETECTION
An implantable medical device comprises a control circuit and a memory. The memory is operably coupled to the control circuit. The memory comprises instructions that, when executed by the control circuit, cause the control circuit to monitor an output of at least one comparator, the output of the at least one comparator being responsive to a cardiac signal of a patient. The instructions further cause the control circuit to automatically adjust a gain level applied to the cardiac signal over time based on the monitored output of the at least one comparator.
Pacemaker operational adaptation based on continuous monitoring of cardiac response including during delivery of impulse of pace signal and during response to impulse of pace signal
A pacemaker system includes a drive-sense circuit (DSC) operably coupled to a pacemaker lead. The DSC generates a pace signal including electrical impulses based on a reference signal. The DSC provides the pace signal via the pacemaker lead to an electrically responsive portion of a cardiac conductive system of a subject to facilitate cardiac operation of a cardiovascular system of the subject. The DSC senses, via the pacemaker lead, cardiac electrical activity of the cardiovascular system of the subject that is generated in response to the pace signal and electrically coupled into the pacemaker lead and generates a digital signal that is representative of the cardiac electrical activity of the cardiovascular system of the subject that is sensed via the pacemaker lead. The DSC provides digital information to one or more processing modules that includes and/or is coupled to memory and that provide the reference signal to the DSC.
Pain management system, method and device using analytics driven random electrical stimuli
Systems, methods, and devices for treating chronic pains effectively are disclosed. The system is based on the use of randomly generated non-pulsed waveform between a frequency of 5 Hz to 2 KHz. The waveforms generated have characteristics which are pre-defined or based on the input and feedback provided by the patient and/or by the clinician, at the same time conforming to certain safety rules and precautions ensuring patient safety. This disclosure also describes a novel approach of implementing a secure memory stick which can be used to exchange data securely between one device and another device where device could be the device mentioned earlier, an off-line server, or a PC.
Therapeutic electrical stimulation therapy for patient gait freeze
An implantable medical device (IMD) is described capable of determining whether a patient is susceptible to freezing of gait events during ambulatory movement without the patient demonstrating an episode of freezing of gait. In one example, the IMD senses, via one or more electrodes, a bioelectrical signal of a brain of the patient while the patient performs movement associated with freezing of gait. The IMD determines, based on the bioelectrical signal, whether the patient is susceptible to freezing of gait while the patient is not experiencing an episode of freezing of gait. Further, upon detecting the movement associated with freezing of gait, the IMD delivers electrical stimulation therapy to the patient configured to suppress freezing of gait.
Removal of stimulation artifact in multi-channel neural recordings
Stimulation of nervous system components by electrodes can be used in many applications, including in the operation of brain-machine interfaces, bidirectional neural interfaces, and neuroprosthetics. The optimal operation of such systems requires a means of accurately measuring neural responses to such stimulations. However, currently the measurement of neural responses is difficult due to heavy stimulation artifacts arising from stimulatory pulses. The invention encompasses novel methods of estimating stimulation artifacts in measurements attained by recording electrodes and the effective removal of these artifacts. This provides improved neural recording systems and enables the deployment of closed-loop neural stimulation systems.