Patent ID: 8150508
Filing Date: 2012-04-03
Classification: A61B,A61N

Abstract:
1. A method of treating a medical condition in a patient having a brain, a vagus nerve, and a heart that generates a cardiac signal having a QRS wave portion, the method comprising: identifying a select portion of the QRS wave portion of the patient's cardiac signal; after identifying the select portion of the QRS wave portion and before identifying a select portion of a next sequential QRS wave portion, generating a plurality of microbursts, each microburst of the plurality of microbursts being patterned and comprising 2 to 20 electrical pulses, adjacent ones of the electrical pulses being separated from one another by an interpulse interval of less than about 40 milliseconds; and delivering the plurality of microbursts directly to a selected location on the vagus nerve of the patient, the plurality of microbursts delivered to the vagus nerve evoking a response in the brain of the patient, wherein sequential microbursts of the plurality of microbursts are separated by at least 100 milliseconds.