Patent ID: 8577465

Claim:
A sleep disordered breathing therapy implant unit, comprising: a flexible carrier; at least one pair of modulation electrodes on the flexible carrier; and at least one implantable circuit in electrical communication with the at least one pair of modulation electrodes, wherein the at least one pair of modulation electrodes and the at least one circuit are configured for implantation through derma on an underside of a subject's chin and for location proximate to terminal fibers of the medial branch of the subject's hypoglossal nerve, wherein the implantable circuit and the electrodes are configured to cooperate in order to generate an electric field adapted to modulate one or more of the terminal fibers of the medial branch of the hypoglossal nerve, and wherein the flexible carrier is configured to conform to an exterior surface of the genioglossus muscle such that the at least one pair of electrodes disposed on the flexible carrier reside outside the exterior surface of the genioglossus muscle, and wherein the at least one pair of modulation electrodes is oriented on the flexible carrier to enable selective modulation of terminal fibers of the medial branch of the hypoglossal nerve.