A Gastrointestinal Electrical Stimulation System Based on Transcutaneous Power Transmission Technology

Abstract

Electrical stimulation has been suggested as a possible treatment for various functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGID). This paper presents a transcutaneous power supplied implantable electrical stimulation system. This technology solves the problem of supplying extended power to an implanted electrical stimulator. After implantation, the stimulation parameters can be reprogrammed by the external controller and then transmitted to the implanted stimulator. This would enable parametric studies to investigate the efficacy of various stimulation parameters in promoting gastrointestinal contractions. A pressure detector in the internal stimulator can provide real-time feedback about variations in the gastrointestinal tract. An optimal stimulation protocol leading to cecal contractions has been proposed: stimulation bursts of 3 ms pulse width, 10 V amplitude, 40 Hz frequency, and 20 s duration. The animal experiment demonstrated the functionality of the system and validated the effects of different stimulation parameters on cecal contractions.

A Wireless Implant for Gastrointestinal Motility Disorders

“…Other works adopting functional electrical stimulation have also been shown as a potential treatment, including lower esophageal sphincter stimulation for GERD [ 4 ], gastric stimulation for obesity [ 5 ], intestinal stimulation for post-operative ileus management [ 6 ], and colon stimulation to control the movement of solid content using a multichannel stimulator [ 7 ]. Nonetheless, the clinical effectiveness and applicability of implantable GI electrical stimulation is somehow limited by the capabilities of existing implantable GI stimulators, including (1) limited programmability: it has been shown that a wide range of parameters (e.g., 0.2–100 ms, 10–50 mA, and 3–1670 Hz) can be used to induce GI contraction [ 8 ], but no existing implantable stimulator can produce stimulus with >2 ms pulse width and stimulation with long pulse width might create tissue damage [ 9 , 10 ], (2) no GI implant is capable of sensing GI motility [ 11 , 12 , 13 ], and (3) bulky device size which increases surgical invasiveness.…”

Robotic Setup Promises Consistent Effects of Multilocular Gastrointestinal Electrical Stimulation: First Results of a Porcine Study

“…Furthermore, a first individual motility evaluation would take place in a more physiological environment. Together with recent advances in wireless GI device developments [33, 35, 36], even the scenario of robotic placement of multiple theranostic devices distributed along the GI tract appears reasonable.…”

Colonic electrical stimulation promotes colonic motility through regeneration of myenteric plexus neurons in slow transit constipation beagles

“…The first study regarding the CES to modulate colonic motility was performed by Hughes et al [37]. Since then, many researchers employed short-pulse CES in canine descending colon or pig cecum [20,21,38]. Researchers also applied long-pulse CES to stimulate the colon of human or animals [39].…”