Methods and apparatuses for treating a tissue with an electric treatment by rotating a pattern of electrodes partway through a treatment is disclosed. Also described herein are methods and apparatuses to treat tissue, including treating skin disorders, by selectively de-nucleating epidermal cells without provoking a significant inflammatory response, e.g., without increasing the density of leukocytes in the treated skin, and without affecting the non-cellular components of the dermis.

The present disclosure is directed to a system and method for selectively and reversibly modulating targeted neural and non-neural tissue of a nervous system for the treatment of pain. An electrical stimulation is delivered to the treatment site that selectively and reversibly modulates the targeted neural- and non-neural tissue of the nervous structure, inhibiting the perception of pain while preserving other sensory and motor function, and proprioception.

An electrical stimulation system includes at least one electrical stimulation lead, each of the at least one electrical stimulation lead including a plurality of stimulation electrodes; and a processor coupled to the lead and configured to perform actions, including: directing delivery of at least one electrical pulse through at least one of the stimulation electrodes of the at least one electrical stimulation lead to tissue of a patient; and directing discrete or intermittent measurement of an electrical characteristic of the tissue using at least one of the stimulation electrodes of the at least one electrical stimulation lead during, and after, delivery of the at least one electrical pulse to the tissue of the patient.

The present invention provides improved methods for positioning of an implantable lead in a patient with an integrated EMG and stimulation clinician programmer. The integrated clinician programmer is coupled to the implantable lead, wherein the implantable lead comprises at least four electrodes, and to at least one EMG sensing electrode minimally invasively positioned on a skin surface or within the patient. The method comprises delivering a test stimulation at a stimulation amplitude level from the integrated clinician programmer to a nerve tissue of the patient with a principal electrode of the implantable lead. Test stimulations are delivered at a same stimulation amplitude level for a same period of time sequentially to each of the four electrodes of the implantable lead. A stimulation-induced EMG motor response is recorded with the integrated clinician programmer for each test stimulation on each electrode of the implantable lead via the at least one pair of EMG sensing electrodes so as to facilitate initial positioning of the implantable lead at a target stimulation region.

Systems and methods for treating a cognitive disease or disorder are provided. A treatment method comprises: selecting a target volume of brain tissue to be stimulated; identifying at least one avoidance volume of brain tissue; selecting a first stimulation lead comprising at least one stimulation element; identifying at least one proposed trajectory for placement of the first stimulation lead based on the target volume and the at least one avoidance volume; placing the first stimulation lead along a placement trajectory selected from the at least one proposed trajectory; attaching the first stimulation lead to a stimulator; and stimulating the target volume with the first stimulation lead at least one stimulation element to treat at least one of a cognitive disease or a cognitive disorder. Systems include a stimulator with one or more stimulation leads and an image analyzer for identifying a proposed trajectory for placing the stimulation leads.

A power control circuit for use with devices that will be placed in a flammable sterilizing gas includes a bi-stable switch that is configured to produce an output to place the circuitry of a connected device in a run state or a sleep state. The bi-stable switch controls one or more transistors to drain energy from energy storage devices in the circuitry of the connected device to a level below an ignition level of a sterilizing gas. A remotely actuatable switch can be actuated from outside of a packaging in which the power control circuit is placed to cause the bi-stable switch to produce an output that puts the circuitry in the run state without removing the power control circuit from the packaging.

Flexible catheters adapted to be inserted into a body to deliver high-voltage, fast (e.g., microsecond, sub-microsecond, nanosecond, picosecond, etc.) electrical energy to target tissue may include a plurality of conductive layers, that may be coaxial. These catheters and method of using them to treat tissue are configured to reduce or avoid arcing.

Methods and systems for providing stimulation to a patient's brain using one or more electrode leads implanted in the patient's brain are described. The methods and systems help a clinician determine locations upon the lead where stimulation is expected to provide the best therapeutic benefit and the least side effects. Different locations upon the lead are used to provide stimulation and for each stimulation location evoked potentials are recorded. The evoked potentials are associated with likely beneficial therapeutic stimulation. Signals indicative of unwanted motor activity in the patient are also recorded for each of the stimulation locations. The recorded evoked potential signals and motor signals are used to determine stimulation locations that provide therapeutic benefit with minimal side effects. They can also be used to determine therapeutic windows for the potential stimulation locations.

When treating a subject using alternating electric fields (e.g., using TTFields to treat a tumor), some subjects experience an electrosensation effect when the alternating electric field switches direction. This application describes a variety of approaches for reducing or eliminating this electrosensation. More specifically, during the course of treatment using alternating electric fields, additional electrical signals that reduce the subject's sensation are applied during each of a plurality of time intervals, and these additional electrical signals interact with the relevant nerve cells to reduce the sensations.

Disclosed is a medical assembly, according to various embodiments, for providing a therapy to a subject. The assembly is operable to be held relative to a subject for a trial period. The holder may allow for connections and/or passage of connections from the medical device to allow for appropriate or a selected operation of the medical device.