Patent ID: 8577466
Filing Date: 2013-11-05
Classification: A61B,A61F,A61N,F04C

Abstract:
1. A sleep disordered breathing therapy implant unit configured for implantation proximal to a tongue of a subject, the implant unit comprising: an antenna configured to receive a signal; a carrier; and at least one pair of modulation electrodes disposed on the carrier; wherein the carrier is configured to conform to an exterior surface of the subject's genioglossus muscle in the vicinity of a hypoglossal nerve, such that the at least one pair of modulation electrodes resides outside of the genioglossus muscle, and wherein the at least one pair of modulation electrodes is configured to receive an applied electric signal in response to the signal received by the antenna and generate an electrical field, and the at least one pair of modulation electrodes is oriented on the carrier such that generation of the electrical field enables selective modulation of terminal fibers of the medial branch of the subject's hypoglossal nerve from a position where the electrodes of the at least one pair of modulation electrodes are spaced apart from the terminal fibers of the medial branch of the hypoglossal nerve.