Patent ID: 7742818
Filing Date: 2010-06-22
Classification: A61N

Abstract:
1. A method for at least one of increasing the acidity of gastric acid secretion in a stomach of a human patient and increasing an amount of the gastric acid secretion produced in the human patient's stomach, comprising: providing a hermetically sealed implantable electrical pulse generator configured to provide at least one electrical stimulation pulse regime effective to at least one of decrease the pH of gastric acid secretion and increase the amount of the gastric acid secretion produced in the human patient's stomach; providing at least a first implantable medical electrical lead configured for implantation adjacent, around or in a selected electrode stimulation site, the electrode stimulation site comprising at least one of a stomach, a plexus on an anterior superior and/or anterior inferior pancreaticoduodenal arteries, a plexus on a inferior pancreaticoduodenal artery, a plexus on a jejunal artery, a superior mesenteric artery and plexus, a plexus on a gastroepiploic arteries, a celiac ganglia and plexus, a splenic artery and plexus, a left lesser thoracic splanchic nerve, a left greater thoracic splanchic nerve, a principal anterior gastric branch of an anterior vagal trunk, a left gastric artery and plexus, a celiac branch of the anterior vagal trunk, a hepatic branch of the anterior vagal trunk, a right and/or left inferior phrenic arteries and plexus, an anterior posterior layers of a lesser omenium, a branch from a hepatic plexus to a cardia via the lesser omenium, the right greater thoracic splanchic nerve, a vagal branch from the hepatic plexus to a pylorus, and a right gastric artery and plexus, and the first lead comprising proximal and distal ends and at least one electrode; implanting the first lead in tissue of the human patient adjacent, around or in the selected electrode stimulation site; operably connecting the proximal end of the at least first lead to the implantable pulse generator; implanting the implantable pulse generator within the human patient; and delivering electrical stimulation pulses from the implantable pulse generator to the selected electrode stimulation site through the at least first lead and electrode, wherein the human patient suffers from at least one of gastric hypoacidity and inadequate gastric acid production and the pulses are provided in accordance with the electrical stimulation pulse regime to at least one of increase the acidity of the gastric acid secretion and increase the amount of the gastric acid secretion produced by the human patient's stomach.