Conditional Gastrointestinal Stimulation for Improved Motility

Abstract

Systems and methods for gastrointestinal electrical stimulation to treat abnormalities in gastrointestinal motility are provided. In some embodiments, a system for relieving ileus includes an intraluminal catheter comprising: a catheter body having a proximal tip and a distal tip and a duodenal portion proximal to the distal tip of the catheter; and at least one electrode pair disposed along the duodenal portion of the intraluminal catheter, the at least one electrode pair being configured to detect a sensing information indicative of myoelectric activity of a patient and to provide stimulation energy; a sensing system in communication with the at least one electrode pair to receive the sensing information; and an energy delivery system in communication with the at least one electrode pair and the sensing system, the electrical energy delivery system being configured to delivery energy to the patient through the at least one second electrode pair based on the sensing information from the sensing system.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system for relieving ileus comprising:
 one or more capsules, wherein the one or more capsules include at least one electrode pair;   a sensing system in communication with the at least one electrode pair to receive a sensing information; and   an energy delivery system in communication with the at least one electrode pair and the sensing system, the energy delivery system being configured to deliver energy to a patient through the at least one electrode pair based on the sensing information from the sensing system.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the sensing system and the energy delivery system are embedded in the one or more capsules. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1  further comprising an external controller. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 3  wherein the one or more capsules include Bluetooth communication circuitry for communication with the external controller. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 3  wherein the one or more capsules includes an antenna for communication with the external controller. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the one or more capsules include an attachment mechanism to attach the one or more capsules to a duodenum of the patient. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 6  wherein the attachment mechanism is selected from the group consisting of a barb, a staple, and an adhesive. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the energy delivery system is configured to deliver a single pulse of 100 msec at 4 mA in phase with natural electrical activity. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the energy delivery system is configured to deliver a pulse train of 20 hz at 1-10 mA in phase with natural electrical activity, with a pulse width of 2 msec and duration of 500 msec. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the energy delivery system is configured to deliver between 12 to 30 pulses per minute out of phase with natural electrical activity, the pulses being of 20 Hz at 4 mA, with a pulse width of 2 msec and duration of 500 msec. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 1  where the at least one electrode pair comprises at least one first electrode pair configured to detect the sensing information and at least one second electrode pair configured to provide stimulation energy. 
     
     
         12 . A method for treatment of gastric motility issues comprising:
 placing one or more capsules along a duodenum of a patient, wherein the one or more capsules include one or more electrode pairs;
 sensing information about motility of a patient from the one or more electrode pairs; 
 determining a type of motility the patient has based on the sensed information; and 
 based on the determined type of motility, communicating with the one or more electrode pairs in the duodenum of the patient to deliver an electrical modulation energy to the patient, wherein a synchronous electrical modulation is applied if hypomotility is detected and an inhibitory electrical modulation is applied if uncoordinated hypermotility is detected. 
   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12  wherein the one or more capsules include Bluetooth communication circuitry for communication with an external controller. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 12  wherein a sensing system for sensing information and an energy system for delivering energy are embedded in the one or more capsules. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 12  further comprising an external controller. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 12  wherein the step of communicating comprises delivering a single pulse of  100 msec at  4 mA in phase with natural electrical activity. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 12  wherein the step of communicating comprises delivering a pulse train of 20 hz at 1-10 mA in phase with natural electrical activity, with a pulse width of 2 msec and duration of 500 msec. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 12  wherein the step of communicating comprises delivering between 12 to 30 pulses per minute out of phase with natural electrical activity, the pulses being of 20 Hz at 4 mA, with a pulse width of 2 msec and duration of 500 msec. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 12  wherein the one or more capsules comprises a plurality of capsules placed along the duodenum of the patient. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 12  further comprising a step of securing the one or more capsules to the duodenum of the patient.