Stimulation for treating sleep disordered breathing
A device for treating sleep disordered breathing includes a stimulation element to stimulate an airway patency related nerve.
1. A device for treating obstructive sleep disordered breathing, comprising:
a means for stimulating a hypoglossal nerve, according to a first stimulation therapy protocol including alternating periods of stimulation and non-stimulation in which a timing of the stimulation periods is implemented without a sensing element for timing stimulation,
wherein a duration of each respective stimulation period is greater than a duration of each respective non-stimulation period, wherein the duration of each respective stimulation period is based on a reference respiration-related parameter, and
wherein the means for stimulating comprises an implantable electrode and/or an implantable pulse generator electrically connectable to the implantable electrode.
2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the timing of the stimulation periods being implemented without a sensing element for timing stimulation comprises the timing of the stimulation being implemented without a sensing element for synchronization relative to sensed respiratory information.
3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the reference respiration-related parameter comprises a reference breathing pattern.
4. The device of claim 3 , wherein a duration of each respective stimulation period is greater than a duration of an inspiratory phase of the reference breathing pattern.
5. The device of claim 1 , wherein the reference respiration-related parameter is based on stable respiration.
6. The device of claim 1 , wherein each stimulation period comprises continuous pulsed stimulation, and wherein a combined duration of each respective stimulation period and of each respective non-stimulation period is less than the reference respiration-related parameter, which comprises a duration of a reference breath.
7. The device of claim 1 , wherein the combined duration of a respective one of the stimulation periods and of a respective one of the non-stimulation periods is no greater than a duration of a reference breath.
8. The device of claim 1 , wherein the duration of the respective stimulation periods remain uniform.
9. The device of claim 1 , wherein the first stimulation therapy protocol is to deliver multiple stimulation periods within a duration of an inspiratory phase of a reference breathing pattern.
10. The device of claim 1 , wherein the combined duration of a respective one of the stimulation periods and of a respective one of the non-stimulation periods is less than 30 percent of duration of a reference breathing pattern.
11. The device of claim 10 , wherein the combined duration of a respective one of the stimulation periods and of a respective one of the non-stimulation periods is less than 20 percent of duration of the reference breathing pattern.
12. The device of claim 1 , wherein a respective one of the stimulation periods and a respective one of the non-stimulation periods are in a proportion of at least 1.5 to 1.
13. The device of claim 1 , wherein a duration of a respective one of the stimulation periods exceeds the duration of a respective one of the non-stimulation periods by a factor of 3.
14. The device of claim 1 , wherein a respective one of the stimulation periods and a respective one of the non-stimulation periods comprises a stimulation cycle, and wherein a duration of the respective one of the stimulation periods comprises at least 80 percent of a duration of the stimulation cycle.
15. The device of claim 1 , wherein each respective stimulation period comprises continuous pulsed stimulation.
16. The device of claim 1 , comprising:
a processor; and
a non-volatile computer readable medium storing instructions, executable on the processor, to implement the first stimulation therapy protocol.
17. The device of claim 1 , wherein the reference breathing pattern comprises at least one of:
a historical patient-specific reference breathing pattern; or
a multiple patient reference breathing pattern.
18. A device for treating obstructive sleep disordered breathing, comprising:
means for stimulating a hypoglossal nerve, according to a first stimulation therapy protocol including alternating periods of stimulation and non-stimulation in which a timing of the stimulation periods in implemented without a sensing element for timing stimulation, wherein a duration of each respective stimulation period is greater than a duration of each respective non-stimulation period, wherein each stimulation period comprises continuous pulsed stimulation, and wherein the first stimulation therapy protocol is to deliver multiple stimulation periods within a duration of a reference breath of a reference breathing pattern, and wherein the means for stimulating comprises an implantable electrode and/or an implantable pulse generator electrically connectable to the implantable electrode.
19. The device of claim 18 , wherein the reference breathing pattern comprises at least one of:
a historical patient-specific reference breathing pattern; or
a multiple patient reference breathing pattern.
20. A device for treating obstructive sleep disordered breathing, comprising:
means for stimulating a hypoglossal nerve, according to a first stimulation therapy protocol including alternating periods of stimulation and non-stimulation in which a timing of the stimulation periods is implemented without a sensing element for timing stimulation, wherein a duration of each respective stimulation period is greater than a duration of each respective non-stimulation period, and wherein the combined duration of a respective one of the stimulation periods and of a respective one of the non-stimulation periods comprises a duration of a stimulation cycle, which is greater than a duration of a reference breath of a reference breathing pattern, and wherein the means for stimulating comprises an implantable electrode and/or an implantable pulse generator electrically connectable to the implantable electrode.
21. The device of claim 20 , wherein the reference breathing pattern comprises at least one of:
a historical patient-specific reference breathing pattern; or
a multiple patient reference breathing pattern.