Neural tourniquet
View Patent ↗Disclosed is a method of reducing bleed time in a subject by activation of the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway in said subject. The cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway can be activated by direct or indirect stimulation of the vagus nerve. The cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway can also be activated by administering an effective amount of cholinergic agonist or acetylcholinesterase inhibitor to the subject.
1. A method of reducing bleed time in a subject suffering bleeding, the method comprising activating the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway by stimulating the vagus nerve with a signal current of less than 10 mA; and reducing bleed time of the bleeding by at least 20%.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the subject is a human.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway is activated by stimulating the vagus nerve in the brain.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the vagus nerve is indirectly stimulated.
5. The method of claim 4 wherein the vagus nerve is indirectly stimulated with a transdermal or trans-esophageal device.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the vagus nerve is directly stimulated.
7. The method of claim 6 wherein the vagus nerve is stimulated electrically.
8. The method of claim 6 wherein the efferent vagus nerve is stimulated.
9. The method of claim 8 wherein the efferent vagus nerve is stimulated electrically.
10. The method of claim 6 wherein the vagus nerve is directly stimulated with an implanted device.
11. The method of claim 1 wherein the subject suffers from a condition of hemophilia.
12. The method of claim 1 wherein the subject is suffering from a clotting disorder other than hemophilia.
13. The method of claim 1 wherein the subject is suffering bleeding caused by a wound.
14. The method of claim 1 wherein the subject is undergoing surgery.
15. A method of reducing bleed time in a subject expected to suffer bleeding during a surgical procedure, the method comprising activating the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway by stimulating the vagus nerve with a signal current of less than 10 mA, wherein the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway is stimulated prior to the surgical procedure; performing the surgical procedure; and reducing bleeding that resulted from the surgical procedure by at least 20%.
16. A method of reducing bleed time in a subject suffering bleeding, the method comprising activating the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway by stimulating the vagus nerve with a constant voltage of between about 0.01V to 10V; and reducing bleed time of the bleeding by at least 20%.
17. The method of claim 16 wherein the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway is activated by stimulating the vagus nerve with a constant voltage of between about 0.01V to 1V.
18. The method of claim 16 wherein the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway is activated by stimulating the vagus nerve with a constant voltage of between about 0.01V to 0.1V.
19. The method of claim 16 wherein the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway is activated by stimulating the vagus nerve with a constant voltage of between about 0.01V to 0.05V.
20. A method of reducing bleed time in a subject suffering bleeding, the method comprising activating the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway by stimulating the vagus nerve without decreasing the heart rate of the subject; and reducing bleed time of the bleeding by at least 20%.
21. A method of reducing bleed time in a subject in need of such treatment, the method comprising activating the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway by stimulating the vagus nerve; and reducing bleed time of the bleeding by at least 20%, wherein the subject is suffering bleeding caused by a wound.
22. The method of claim 1 wherein the activating includes stimulating for about 20 minutes or less.
23. The method of claim 1 wherein the activating includes stimulating for about 1 to about 120 seconds.
24. The method of claim 1 , wherein the bleed time is reduced by at least 70% over non-treated controls.