A trial stimulation system includes a trial electrical stimulator. Additionally, systems for securing a disposable trial stimulator to the body of a patient are described, which may function to improve the durability of the system during the trial period and reduce the risk of damage or malfunction to the system due to lead/electrode dislocation and/or off-label uses like showering or bathing with the trial stimulator still secured to the body.

A method and apparatus for treatment of heart failure by increasing secretion of endogenous naturetic hormones ANP and BNP such as by stimulation of the heart atria. Heart pacing is done at an atrial contraction rate that is increased and can be higher than the ventricular contraction rate. Pacing may include mechanical distension of the right atrial appendage. An implantable device is used to periodically cyclically stretch the walls of the appendage with an implanted balloon.

A method (of treating a patient who has tinnitus) includes: providing to the patient a series of tones including at least a single tone which is at least a half-octave outside a tinnitus frequency of the patient; and applying vagus nerve stimulation to the patient to induce a period of plasticity in a cortex of the patient that is transitory and that represents a transitory opportunity for learning to occur; and wherein the at least a single tone occurs during the transitory opportunity for learning.

Systems and methods for cardiac pacing during a procedure are disclosed and may include an external pulse generator (EPG) for connecting to a lead. A remote-control module (RCM) wirelessly connected to the EPG may include user inputs to control the EPG. A central processing unit (CPU) with a memory unit for storing code and a processor for executing the code may be included where the CPU is connected to the EPG and RCM. The code may control the EPG in response to user input from the RCM. The CPU may be disposed in the EPG or the RCM, or an interface module (IM) configured to communicate between an otherwise conventional EPG and the RCM. The executable code may perform a continuity test (CT) routine, a capture check (CC) routine, rapid pacing (RP) routine, and/or a back-up pacing (BP) routine, in response to user input from the RCM.

Techniques for modeling therapy fields for therapy delivered by medical devices are described. Each therapy field model is based on a set of therapy parameters and represents where therapy will propagate from the therapy system delivering therapy according to the set of therapy parameters. Therapy field models may be useful in guiding the modification of therapy parameters. As one example, a processor compares an algorithmic model of a therapy field to a reference therapy field and adjusts at least one therapy parameter based on the comparison. As another example, a processor adjusts at least one therapy parameter to increase an operating efficiency of the therapy system while substantially maintaining the modeled therapy field.

A trans mucosal neuromuscular electrical stimulation device including a mouthpiece, electrodes associated with the mouthpiece. The device and/or mouthpiece incorporates electrical circuitry operatively connecting to the electrodes to a power source and is configured to provide, in use, electrical stimulation to one or more palate and/or tongue muscles via the electrodes through the oral mucosa. The treatment regime, including the location of stimulation and the parameters used, is designed to increase resting muscle tone and/or muscle tone during sleep.

An implantable medical device for stimulating a human/animal heart having a stimulation unit which stimulates the His bundle and a detection unit which detects an electrical signal at the His bundle. The device performs: a) determining a first value of a parameter of a first measuring pulse measured between a first electrode pole and a housing; b) determining a second value of the same parameter of a second measuring pulse measured between the first electrode pole and a second electrode pole; c) comparing the first and second values; d) determining, based on the comparing step, whether the first or second measuring pulses enables a higher available level control range of the analog-to-digital converter; e) measuring an impedance in a unipolar manner between the first electrode pole and the housing or in a bipolar manner between the first electrode pole and the second electrode pole depending on the determining step.

A method and apparatus for treatment of heart failure by increasing secretion of endogenous naturetic hormones ANP and BNP such as by stimulation of the heart atria. Heart pacing is done at an atrial contraction rate that is increased and can be higher than the ventricular contraction rate. Pacing may include mechanical distension of the right atrial appendage. An implantable device is used to periodically cyclically stretch the walls of the appendage with an implanted balloon.

Embodiments described herein relate to implantable medical devices (IMDs) and methods for use therewith. Such a method includes using an accelerometer of an IMD (e.g., a leadless pacemaker) to produce one or more accelerometer outputs indicative of the orientation of the IMD. The method can also include the IMD using an accelerometer to identify when the orientation of the IMD is such that the IMD will likely be able to successfully communicate with another IMD via one or more communication pulses sent from the IMD to the other IMD. The method also includes the IMD sending of the one or more communication pulses, that are used to communicate with the other IMD, when the orientation of the IMD is such that the IMD will likely be able to successfully communicate with the other IMD via one or more communication pulses sent from the IMD to the other IMD.

The invention discloses a device for collection of tiny charges in the Nano-Coulomb-range and below, comprising at least one capacitor stack build by n capacitors and 2n switches (nϵN), at least one further capacitor outside the capacitor stack as buffer capacity, at least two additional switches and a DC input source. The n capacitors are dedicated to be sequentially charged by the DC input source one after the other, wherein the 2n switches in the capacitor stack couple the n capacitors sequentially to the DC input source. The at least one further capacitor is dedicated to be charged from the n capacitors of the capacitor stack at once. Furthermore, the invention discloses a method for small charge collection, comprising the steps of sequentially charging the n capacitors of the at least one capacitor stack by coupling one capacitor after the other to the DC input source by selectively closing the switches and discharging the n capacitors of the capacitor stack into at least one further capacitor outside the capacitor stack (nϵN). Additionally, the usage of the device or the method according to the invention to collect charges from sources with electrical potentials of a few millivolts is disclosed.