Patent ID: 8571663

Claim:
A portable negative pressure ventilation apparatus comprising a monitoring and sensing means operably coupled to a body, for monitoring and sensing a characteristic of the body or bodily function and providing an output signal(s) representative of the sensed characteristic; an electrode patch including a body attachment structure and a multiplicity of electrodes that are mechanically attached to the body attachment structure so as to be in a predetermined orientation, the body attachment being configured and arranged so as to be removably secured to the body; a control device that is operably coupled to each of the sensing means and the electrodes, the control device being configured and arranged to initially and automatically localize the phrenic nerve with respect to a given set of electrodes that is effective, when appropriately energized, for stimulating the phrenic nerve so as to establish negative pressure induced respiration in the body, said determination being based on the output signal(s) from the monitoring and sensing means; the control device being further configured and arranged so as to repetitively output stimulation signals via the given set of electrodes when such a determination is made by the control device, thereby continuously stimulating negative pressure induced respiration in the body.