Patent ID: 7966072

Claim:
A method of treating a subject for obesity-hypoventilation syndrome (OHS), said method comprising: providing a subject diagnosed with OHS, wherein the subject has persistence of hypercapnic respiratory failure with a PCO 2 >47 mmHg for at least three months, a body mass index greater than 33, an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) measured from a complete polysomnographic study of less than 20 events per hour, and a forced expiratory volume/forced vital capacity (FEV 1 /FVC ratio above 0.65; and treating said subject for OHS by applying an electrical stimulus to: a diaphragm target site, wherein the stimulus enhances diaphragm contraction during expiration and the stimulus enhances diaphragm relaxation during inspiration; and a chest wall target site, wherein the stimulus enhances chest cavity capacity during inspiration and reduces chest cavity capacity during expiration.