Patent ID: 8712530

Claim:
A system for increasing pressure of a patient's lower esophageal sphincter (LES), comprising: at least one electrode configured to contact the LES; a waveform generator coupled to the electrodes; and a controller configured to electrically stimulate the LES to increase the pressure of the LES, and maintain an average pressure of the LES above a pressure level which reduces at least one of a frequency of occurrence or an intensity of transient lower esophageal sphincter relaxation (tLESR) symptoms in the patient both during and after stimulation by controlling the waveform generator to repeatedly: a) generate and apply an electrical pulse train to the LES through the electrodes for a stimulation period, and b) terminate the electrical pulse train for a rest period, wherein at least one of an amplitude, frequency, or duration of said pulse train is defined such that pressure of the LES normalizes after at least five minutes from when stimulation is initiated.