Patent ID: 6978787

Claim:
A method of treating dysphagia after administering general anesthesia to a human or animal utilizing electrical stimulation of a vagus nerve, a recurrent laryngeal nerve or both which comprises: a. performing a tracheotomy; b. identifying a vagus nerve or a recurrent laryngeal nerve or both by electrically stimulating said vagus nerve or said recurrent laryngeal nerve or both with a hand held electrical stimulator; c. dissecting the soft tissue overlying said vagus nerve, or said recurrent laryngeal nerve, or both; d. verifying glottic fold adduction by inserting a transnasal flexible fiberoptic laryngoscope; e. wrapping a perineural electrode around said vagus nerve or recurrent laryngeal nerve or both; f. inducing said glottic fold adduction by electrically stimulating said vagus nerve or said recurrent laryngeal nerve or both with a hand held electrical stimulator; g. verifying glottic fold adduction by means of said transnasal flexible fiberoptic laryngoscope; h. attaching said perineural electrode to neighboring soft tissue of the neck; i. making an incision on the side of said perineural electrode placement over said human's chest approximately 5 centimeters below human's clavicle; j. dissecting a subcutaneous pocket over said human's facia of the pectoralis major muscle; k. creating surgically a path between the upper aspect of said subcutaneous pocket over said clavicle into said cervical field for electric wires of said perineural electrode; l. implanting a receiver stimulator in said subcutaneous pocket; m. passing said electric wires from said perineural electrode through said path to said receiver stimulator; n. creating a looped section of said electrical wire to avoid any tension; o. wrapping said perineural electrode around said vagus nerve, or said recurrent laryngeal nerve, or both; p. inducing motion of said glottic folds by means of an external transmitter applied transcutaneously over the implanted receiver stimulator for verification of glottic fold motion prior to closing said incisions; q. closing said incisions at the subcutaneous pocket with absorbable sutures and adhesive strips; and r. confirming glottic fold motion by applying said electrical stimulation to said vagus nerve, said recurrent laryngeal nerve or both.