An electro-therapy device that generates a mixed electrical signal through electrodes, wherein the mixed electrical signal is a combination of at least two different frequencies, a first frequency having a first minimum and maximum microamp range and a second frequency having a different second minimum and maximum microamp range. The higher of the two frequencies is superimposed on the lower frequency, creating a current intensity window as an envelope along a profile of the lower frequency. The mixed electrical signal is automatically applied for a pre-determined period of time, and amplitude and/or duration and/or frequencies is varied according to a pre-set schedule.

The present invention relates to a surgical method of treating a patient. The method involves cutting the patient's skin and abdominal wall, dissecting an area of the patient's intestine, cutting the patient's intestine so as to form an intestinal wall of a reservoir, implanting at least a pump as part of a flow control device so as to permanently reside inside the patient's body and to act on said intestinal wall so as to reduce the reservoir's volume in order to empty intestinal contents from the reservoir to outside the patient's body, and thereafter, permanently closing the abdominal wall and skin.

According to an embodiment, a medical device is disclosed. The medical device includes an external unit and an implantable unit. The external unit includes an electronic unit operationally coupled to a transmitter coil that is configured transmit power and/or data signal over a wireless transcutaneous link, a coil unit comprising a loop structure with the transmitter coil being wound around and along at least a part of length of the loop structure, and a fixation unit configured to attach the loop structure to a user's body i) proximal to an implantable receiver coil that is configured to be implanted within a body part, and ii) around a body part of a user such that a part of the body part is positioned in a hollow section of the loop structure. The implantable unit includes the implantable receiver coil configured to receive the power and/or data signal over the wireless transcutaneous link, a processing unit configured to i) process the received data signal to control functionalities of at least one of the components of the implantable unit, and/or ii) utilize the received power for operation of at least one of the components of the implantable unit. The wireless transcutaneous link includes a coupling between the transmitter coil and the receiver coil, and when the loop structure is attached using the fixation unit, at least a substantial number of magnetic field lines generated in response to excitation of the transmitter coil passes through the implantable receiver coil.

A surgical method of treating a patient is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of: cutting the patient's skin and abdominal wall; dissecting an area of the patient's intestine; and dissecting a portion of the dissected intestinal area such that intestinal mesentery connected thereto is opened in such a way that supply of blood through the mesentery to the dissected intestinal area is maintained as much as possible on both sides of the dissected portion. The method further comprises the steps of dividing the patient's intestine in the dissected portion so as to create an upstream part of the intestine with a first intestinal opening and a downstream part of the intestine with a second intestinal opening with the mesentery still maintaining a tissue connection between the upstream and downstream intestine parts.

A gastrointestinal administration device comprising an elongated tube or track, an anchor and a channel, which allows the proximal end of the tube or track to be wholly secured inside the mouth from where it passes down the lateral oropharynx to the desired site in the gastrointestinal tract. This system may be used to administer nutrients, fluids, medications, nutraceuticals, dietary supplements and/or non-nutrient gastrointestinal stimulants or other therapies directly to a desired site in the gastrointestinal tract in humans and animals for a variety of purposes including novel applications such as weight and glucose control, local administration of medication and storage of a deposit of a therapeutic agent. It may also be used for monitoring of processes inside the gastrointestinal tract.

A gastrointestinal stimulation devices including a random stimulation delivery mechanism(s), configured to provide stimuli to a bodily tissue in a vicinity of the stimulation capsule, the provided random stimuli being characterized by a stimulation parameter, and a control circuitry in communication with said physical stimulation delivery mechanism, and configured to set and alter the stimulation parameter non-systematically, thereby altering the characterization of the stimuli provided to the bodily tissue. The algorithm may be patient tailored, and may have a learning machinery which responds to data being received from the patient.

Methods, systems, and apparatus for electrically stimulating a smooth muscle. The method includes generating a continuous pulse train signal having pulses and pulse intervals between the pulses, the pulses and the pulse intervals being generated at a pulse frequency. The method also includes modulating the continuous pulse train signal at a modulation frequency to match dynamics of intracellular calcium ion oscillations in the smooth muscle. The method also includes entraining a group of cells of the smooth muscle by applying the modulated continuous pulse train signal to the group of cells of the smooth muscle to increase an oscillation frequency of the calcium ion oscillations.

Systems and methods for treating a gastrointestinal condition of a patient includes minimally invasively implanting a modular stimulator system in a patient's treatment site. The modular stimulator system comprises a microstimulator module, a small power source module and a macrostimulator module that are detachably attachable to each other. For the first phase of treatment, the microstimulator module and power source are implanted with a stimulating electrode proximate a target tissue. Electrical stimulation is provided for a short period of time and treatment efficacy is evaluated through clinical results and patient reporting. If therapy is not effective, stimulation parameters can be changed and/or the implantation site can be moved. If therapy is effective, portions of the microstimulator module and/or small power source are replaced with the macrostimulator module for long term therapy of the second phase of treatment.

Embodiments of the invention provide apparatus and methods for stimulating L cells in the intestinal tract to produce incretins for the treatment of conditions including diabetes and obesity. Many embodiments provide a method and apparatus for the treatment of diabetes by electrically stimulating L-cells to secrete incretins to stimulate or otherwise modulate the production of insulin. Particular embodiments provide a swallowable capsule for stimulating L-cells in the intestinal tract as the capsule moves through the tract. The capsule can include two or more electrodes for providing electrical stimulation to L-cells, a power source for powering one or more components of the capsule, a sensor for sensing the location of the capsule in the intestinal tract; a controller and a waveform generator for generating the electrical signals emitted by the electrodes to stimulate the L-cells to secrete incretins such as GLP-1 to stimulate insulin production for glucose regulation of diabetic conditions.

A system for designing a therapy or for treating a gastrointestinal disorder or a condition associated with excess weight in a subject comprising at least one electrode configured to be implanted within a body of the patient and placed at a vagus nerve, the electrode also configured to apply therapy to the vagus nerve upon application of a therapy cycle to the electrode; an implantable neuroregulator for placement in the body of the patient beneath the skin layer, the implantable neuroregulator being configured to generate a therapy cycle, wherein the therapy cycle comprises an on time during which an electrical signal is delivered, the electrical signal comprising: a) a set of pulses applied at a first selected frequency of about 150-10,000 Hz, wherein each pulse of the set of pulses has a pulse width of at least 0.01 milliseconds and less than the period of the first selected frequency.