An apparatus for controlling a flow of fluid and/or other bodily matter in a lumen formed by a tissue wall of a patient's organ comprises an implantable constriction device for gently constricting (i.e. without substantially hampering the blood circulation in the tissue wall) at least one portion of the tissue wall to influence the flow in the lumen, and a stimulation device for stimulating the wall portion of the tissue wall. A control device controls the stimulation device to stimulate the wall portion, as the constriction device constricts the wall portion, to cause contraction of the wall portion constricted by the constriction device to further influence the flow in the lumen. The apparatus can be used for restricting or stopping the flow in the lumen, or for actively moving the fluid in the lumen, with a low risk of injuring the organ. Such an organ may be the esophagus, stomach, intestines, urine bladder, urethra, ureter, renal pelvis, aorta, corpus cavernosum, exit veins of erectile tissue, uterine tube, vas deference or bile duct, or a blood vessel.

The present invention provides methods of treating a gastrointestinal condition. In some embodiments, the method generally includes administering a chemical or electrical stimulus to an artery of the gastrointestinal vasculature of the subject, a vein of the gastrointestinal vasculature of the subject, a nerve supplying an artery of the gastrointestinal vasculature of the subject, and/or a nerve supplying a vein of the gastrointestinal vasculature of the subject, wherein the chemical or electrical stimulus is effective for treating a gastrointestinal condition.

A probe system for electro-stimulation and bio-feedback training of muscles in the pelvic floor region, in particular for pelvic floor physiotherapy and diagnosis, includes a probe having a probe body which is insertable into a vagina or a rectum, and a plurality of electrodes which are positioned at several locations along the length and around the circumference on the outer surface of the probe, the probe system further includes a control unit, operationally coupled to the probe, adapted for receiving EMG signals from each of the electrodes and for processing each of the signals for mapping the response of the muscles in the pelvic floor region.

A composite filar has a conductive core, an outer fatigue-resistant metallic layer and a diffusion barrier between the core and the fatigue-resistant layer to prevent intermetallic diffusion between the core and the fatigue-resistant layer.

An implantable electrical stimulation lead for the treatment of biological conditions includes a lead body with an electrical connector at one end and a pair of monopolar branches at the other end. The lead body has a length ranging from 390 mm to 490 mm to allow for implantation from an incision site further removed from the final positioning site of the electrodes. The branches have lengths ranging from 50 mm to 120 mm for the both branches. These lengths facilitate successful laparoscopic implantation at sites with confined anatomy, such as, near the gastroesophageal junction. The branches include needles and sutures at their ends for suturing anchors positioned on the branches to surrounding tissue. The needles have curves designed to facilitate maneuvering in confined anatomy. A separate lead includes a suture loop connecting the ends of the first and second branches rather than needles. The loop is used to pull the lead through the working channel of an endoscope. The anchors on the lead are porous and allow for the ingrowth of surrounding tissue for fixing the branches in place.

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.

Electrotherapeutic systems, devices, and methods are described. In one embodiment, a portion of a hepatic branch of a vagus nerve in a liver is stimulated with a lead implanted in the liver. In another embodiment, a stimulation member is delivered to a location in the gastrointestinal tract and implanted in a target area endoscopically and under ultrasound visualization. In another embodiment, a stimulation device is magnetically coupled to a stimulation member in order to electrically couple stimulation generation circuitry with a lead implanted in a target area.

Systems and methods for implementation of a disposable miniaturized implant for treatment of Post-Operative Ileums (POI), a miniaturized implant for treating chronic GI dysmotility (e.g., dysphagia, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), nausea, functional dyspepsia, blockage of transit, and gastroparesis, inflammatory bowel disease) and obesity, by providing electrical stimulation to the part of bowel going through surgery to expedite the healing process while recording the smooth muscle activities simultaneously, or providing stimulation on a treatment location of the GI tract or the branch of the vagus nerve. Systems and methods are also provided for non-invasive, transcutaneous stimulation of anatomy within the abdomen of the patient.

Techniques for remote monitoring of a patient and corresponding medical device(s) are described. The remote monitoring comprises determining identification data and identifying implantable medical device (IMD) information, initiating an imaging device and determining an imaging program, receiving one or more frames of image data including image(s) of an implantation site, identifying an abnormality at the implantation site, triggering a supplemental image capture mode, receiving one or more supplemental images of the implantation site, and outputting the one or more supplemental images of the implantation site.

Self-righting articles, such as self-righting capsules for administration to a subject, are generally provided. In some embodiments, the self-righting article may be configured such that the article may orient itself relative to a surface. In some embodiments, the self-righting article may have a particular shape and/or distribution of density (or mass) which, for example, enables the self-righting behavior of the article. In some embodiments, the self-righting article may comprise a tissue interfacing component and/or a pharmaceutical agent. In some cases, upon contact of the tissue with the tissue engaging surface of the article, the self-righting article may be configured to release one or more tissue interfacing components. In some cases, the tissue interfacing component may comprise and/or be associated with the pharmaceutical agent.