Non-invasive treatment of bronchial constriction
View Patent ↗Devices, systems and methods for treating bronchial constriction related to asthma, anaphylaxis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease include non-invasive nerve stimulators. The treatment comprises transmitting impulses of energy non-invasively to selected nerve fibers that are responsible for smooth muscle dilation. The transmitted energy impulses, comprising magnetic and/or electrical, mechanical and/or acoustic, and optical and/or thermal energy, stimulate the selected nerve fibers.
1. A method of treating bronchial constriction in a patient comprising:
positioning one or more magnetic coils within a container of a conducting fluid such that the one or more magnetic coils are surrounded by the conducting fluid;
positioning a surface of the container against an outer skin surface of a neck of the patient; and
applying a magnetic field to the one or more magnetic coils to induce one or more electrical impulses at or near a vagus nerve of the patient, wherein the one or more electrical impulses are sufficient to stimulate activity of afferent nerve fibers within the vagus nerve such that a magnitude of constriction of bronchial smooth muscle is decreased.
2. The method set forth in claim 1 wherein the one or more electrical impulses are induced by a time-varying magnetic field, and wherein the magnetic field is transmitted non-invasively.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the bronchial constriction is associated with asthma.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the bronchial constriction is associated with anaphylaxis.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the bronchial constriction is associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein applying the one or more electrical impulses is carried out without substantially stimulating a set of nerve fibers within the vagus nerve that are responsible for increasing the magnitude of constriction of smooth muscle.
7. The method of claims 6 wherein the set of nerve fibers comprises parasympathetic cholinergic nerve fibers.
8. The method of claim 6 wherein the set of nerve fibers compriseefferent fibers of the vagus nerve.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more electrical impulses have a frequency between 15 Hz to 50 Hz.
10. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more electrical impulses have a pulsed on-time of between 50 to 500 microseconds.
11. The method of claim 1 wherein the conducting fluid is a conducting gel.
12. The method of claim 1 wherein the conducting fluid contains ferromagnetic particles.
13. The method of claim 1 wherein the conducting fluid is a magnetorheological fluid.
14. The method of claim 1 wherein the conducting fluid is a combination of a magnetorheological fluid and a ferrofluid.