Techniques for placing medical leads for electrical stimulation of nerve tissue

Abstract

This disclosure is directed to extra, intra, and transvascular medical lead placement techniques for arranging medical leads and electrical stimulation and/or sensing electrodes proximate nerve tissue within a patient.

1 - 21 . (canceled) 
     
     
         22 . A method of treating a human patient, the method comprising:
 positioning a lead having one or more electrodes adjacent to a target vagal nerve tissue site within the patient,   wherein the lead is electrically coupled to an implantable neurostimulation module; and   delivering electrical stimulation to the target vagal nerve tissue via the one or more electrodes carried by the lead,   wherein electrically stimulating the target vagal nerve tissue therapeutically treats one or more conditions of the patient.   
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22  wherein electrically stimulating the target vagal nerve tissue results in a therapeutically beneficial reduction in obesity of the patient. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 22  wherein electrically stimulating the target vagal nerve tissue therapeutically treats a gastrointestinal condition of the patient. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 22  wherein electrically stimulating the target vagal nerve tissue results in a therapeutically beneficial reduction in clinical symptoms of heart failure in the patient. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 22 , further comprising determining an efficacy of the vagal nerve tissue stimulation. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 26 , further comprising:
 comparing the efficacy of the vagal nerve tissue stimulation to a threshold efficacy; and   repositioning the lead and/or the one or more electrodes relative to the target vagal nerve tissue site if the efficacy of the vagal nerve tissue stimulation does not meet or exceed the threshold efficacy.   
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 22  wherein positioning a lead having one or more electrodes adjacent to a target vagal nerve tissue site comprises intravascularly delivering the lead to the target site within the patient. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 22  wherein positioning a lead having one or more electrodes adjacent to a target vagal nerve tissue site comprises delivering the lead to the target site within the patient using an extravascular technique. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 22  wherein positioning a lead having one or more electrodes adjacent to a target vagal nerve tissue site comprises delivering the lead to the target site within the patient using transvascular placement techniques. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 22  wherein the implantable neurostimulation module includes a processor and one or more therapy programs stored in non-volatile memory, and wherein:
 delivering electrical stimulation to the target vagal nerve tissue via the one or more electrodes comprises delivering stimulation signals from the neurostimulation module to the target vagal nerve tissue according to the one or more therapy programs. 
 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 22  wherein the lead further comprises one or more sensors adapted to detect physiological signals of the patient indicative of the efficacy of the vagal nerve tissue stimulation delivered to the patient via the electrodes. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 32  wherein the one or more sensors comprise pressure sensors, ultrasound sensors, motion sensors, acoustic sensors, heart rate sensors, optical sensors, blood oxygen sensors, posture state sensors, respiration sensors, venous biomarker sensors, and/or temperature sensors. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 22  wherein delivering electrical stimulation to the target vagal nerve tissue via the one or more electrodes comprises delivering intermittent signals to the target vagal nerve tissue. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 22  wherein positioning a lead having one or more electrodes adjacent to a target vagal nerve tissue site comprises positioning the electrodes adjacent to vagus nerves on the vagal nerve trunk in the neck of the patient. 
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 22 , further comprising subcutaneously implanting the neurostimulation module within the patient.