In some examples, an electromechanical disassociation state (EMD) of a heart of a patient can be treated by delivering electrical stimulation to a tissue site to at least one of modulate afferent nerve activity or inhibit efferent nerve activity upon determining that the heart is in an electromechanical dissociation state, where the tissue site comprises at least one of a nonmyocardial tissue site or a nonvascular cardiac tissue site. The delivery of electrical stimulation may effectively treat the EMD state of the heart, e.g., by enabling effective mechanical contraction of the heart. In another example, an electromechanical disassociation state of a heart of a patient can be treated by determining autonomic nervous system activity associated with a detected EMD state of the heart of a patient, and delivering electrical stimulation therapy to the patient based on the determined autonomic nervous system activity of the patient associated with the EMD state.

Systems and methods are provided for delivering vagus nerve stimulation and cardioversion/defibrillation therapies to patients for treating chronic heart failure. The vagus nerve stimulation and cardioversion/defibrillation therapies may be provided using a single implantable pulse generator, which can coordinate delivery of the therapies to provide an acute vagus nerve stimulation therapy in advance of delivering cardioversion-defibrillation energy.

Methods, agents, and devices to treat medical conditions through local chemical neuromodulation of the autonomic nervous system are described. Drug formulations may be injected at or near ganglia, nerve plexi, ganglionated plexi, and nerves to treat different diseases. Target sites for the treatment of cardiac and other disease conditions may include extrinsic stellate (cervicothoracic) and cervical ganglia of the sympathetic chain, and intrinsic cardiac nerves and ganglionated plexi innervating the myocardium.

The device includes a cardiac therapy circuit with a first terminal, and a peripheral therapy circuit with a second terminal. These terminals can either receive a cardiac detection/stimulation lead or a peripheral detection/stimulation lead of an organ. The device is configured to recognize the leads and automatically configure the connection terminals according to the type of lead received by the terminal. This includes discrimination methods for identifying the terminal on which a cardiac signal is detected, and selectively activating the cardiac therapy circuit and the peripheral therapy circuit based on the detection of the cardiac signal on a lead.

Electrical stimulation of neural activity in the neural innervation of the spleen that is associated with neurovascular bundles provides a useful way to treat acute medical conditions, such as trauma, hemorrhaging, shock, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), severe respiratory distress syndrome (SARS), and coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19).

A neuromodulation catheter is positionable in a blood vessel having a wall for use in delivering therapeutic energy to targets external to the blood vessel. An electrically insulative substrate such as an elongate finger is carried at a distal end of the catheter body. The substrate has a first face carrying a plurality of electrodes, and a second face on an opposite side of the substrate from the first face. The finger is biased such that when expanded within the blood vessel, it forms a spiral configuration with the first face facing outwardly to bias the electrodes in contact with the blood vessel wall.

Described herein are methods for treating a subject suffering from or at risk for a condition mediated by an inflammatory cytokine cascade, by electrically or mechanically stimulating vagus nerve activity in an amount sufficient to inhibit the inflammatory cytokine cascade.

This document provides methods and materials for modulating afferent nerve signals to treat medical conditions such as CHF, CHF respiration, dyspnea, peripheral vascular disease (e.g., peripheral arterial disease or venous insufficiency), hypertension (e.g., age-associated hypertension, resistant hypertension, or chronic refractory hypertension), COPD, sleep apnea, and chronic forms of lung disease where muscle dysfunction is a part of the disease pathophysiology. For example, methods and materials involved in using electrical and/or chemical techniques to block or reduce afferent nerve signals (e.g., nerve signals of group III and/or IV afferents coming from skeletal muscle and/or the kidneys) are provided.

A system and methods utilizing electrical stimulation to achieve a desired therapeutic effect are provided. In one aspect, a method for controlling nerve activity in a subject is provided. The method includes receiving input indicating a desired therapeutic effect for at least one neural structure of a subject, and selecting, based on the input received, an electrical stimulation configured to achieve the desired therapeutic effect. The method also includes controlling a sympathetic nerve activity in the subject by delivering the electrical stimulation using electrodes positioned proximate to nerves innervating the subject's skin.

Devices, systems and methods are disclosed for treating one or more symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a patient. A method includes positioning a contact surface of a device in contact with an outer skin surface of patient and applying an electrical impulse transcutaneously from the device through the outer skin surface of the patient to a vagus nerve in the patient for about 90 seconds to about 3 minutes. The electrical impulse is sufficient to modify the vagus nerve such that the symptoms of PTSD are reduced. For chronic treatment of PTSD, a stimulation protocol is provided that includes two or more doses administered per day for a period of time sufficient to relieve the symptoms.