ElectroCore, Inc.

Vagal nerve stimulation devices and methods are provided herein. A device comprises one or more electrodes having a contact surface for contacting an outer skin surface of a patient and an energy source coupled to the electrodes. The energy source generates one or more electrical impulses and transmits the electrical impulses to the electrodes and transcutaneously through the outer skin surface of the patient at or near a vagus nerve. The one or more electrical pulses comprise bursts of 2 to 20 pulses within each burst with each burst having a frequency of about 5 Hz to about 100 Hz.

Devices and methods for the non-invasive stimulation of nerves, such as the vagus nerve, include a housing and an electrode coupled to the housing. The electrode is configured to be positioned adjacent to, or in contact with, an outer skin surface of a patient. A source of energy is coupled to the housing and operably coupled to the electrode. The source of energy emits an electrical signal to the electrode such that the electrical signal passes through the outer skin surface of the user to a nerve at a target region in the patient sufficient to modulate the nerve. The electrical impulse comprises burst periods and constant periods and each burst period includes a plurality of pulses. The pulses have a frequency of about 1 kHz to about 20 kHz and alternate between a positive voltage and a negative voltage within each burst period.

Systems and methods are provided for treating blood clots associated with a replicating pathogen, such as a virus in the coronaviridae family. The systems and methods include applying an electrical impulse transcutaneously through the outer skin surface of the patient to a cervical branch of the vagus nerve of the patient. The electrical impulse is sufficient to reduce a number of antibodies associated with blood clotting to reduce a level of blood clotting in the patient. The systems and methods are particularly useful for treating post-COVID conditions or post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 that develop in “long-haul” or COVID patients.

Systems, devices and methods are provided for stimulating one or more nerves within a user. A system comprises a stimulator comprising an electrode configured for contacting the outer skin surface and an energy source coupled to the stimulator and configured to generate a plurality of positive voltage waves. The stimulator further comprises a bridge circuit configured to convert the positive voltage waves into alternating positive and negative voltage waves. The stimulator transmits the alternating positive and negative voltage waves transcutaneously from the electrode through the outer skin surface of the user to a selected nerve in the user adjacent to, or near, the target location. This allows the energy source to drive a full AC sine wave to the electrode using a single positive voltage rail, which reduces the complexity of the overall circuit, thereby reducing its overall size or footprint within the stimulation and its manufacturing cost.

Systems, devices and methods are provided for stimulating one or more cranial nerve(s) of a user. The systems and methods combine an electrical stimulation signal with an audio signal, such as music, white noise, ambient sound, filtered music, and the like. The combination of the nerve stimulation and the audio signal may be specifically designed to treat various diseases or disorders and/or for non-medical purposes, such as improving the general well-being of the user, reducing stress and the like. In certain embodiments, the electrical impulses comprise a burst stimulation and a tonic stimulation. The burst stimulation may comprise a burst of pulses. The bursts and/or the pulses may have frequencies that vary throughout the duration of the treatment.

Devices, systems and methods are disclosed that allow a patient to self-treat a medical condition, such as a headache, by electrical non-invasive stimulation of a nerve. A system comprises one or more electrodes configured for contacting an outer skin surface of a patient and a stimulator coupled to the one or more electrodes. The stimulator is configured to transmit an electrical impulse from the electrodes through the outer skin surface to a target site within a patient. The stimulator is configured for coupling to a computer readable media comprising non-transitory computer executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, adjusts a parameter of the electrical impulse.

Devices, systems and methods are disclosed that allow a patient to self-treat a medical condition, such as migraine headache, by electrical non-invasive stimulation of a nerve, such as the trigeminal nerve. A system comprises one or more electrodes configured for contacting an outer skin surface of a patient and a stimulator coupled to the one or more electrodes. The stimulator is configured to transmit an electrical impulse from the electrodes through the outer skin surface to a target site within a patient. A software application coupled to the stimulator. The software application may, for example, be downloadable onto a mobile device and may allow the user to transmit data to and from the stimulator and/or control operation of the stimulator.

Systems, methods and devices are provided for delivering a combination of electrical impulses (and/or fields) and various stimuli to bodily tissues for various purposes. The combined therapy increases the brain's capacity to clear metabolic and neurotoxic material (waste removal), facilitates neuroplasticity to affect brain network optimization (learning and memory consolidation), and restores brain energy and neurotransmitter levels (neurometabolic restoration). In certain aspects, the systems and methods are particularly useful for enhancing sleep quantity, quality, and/or efficiency to promote more effective sleep, including more efficient waste clearance, memory consolidation, neurotransmitter rebalancing, and maintenance of energy homeostasis, leading to enhanced neurological health and reduced required sleep duration. The systems and methods may also be useful for improving a cognitive performance of the user by maintaining cognitive function during sleep deprivation and/or temporarily or permanently improving intelligence, learning capacity, memory retention, recall, mood and/or alertness.

Systems and methods are provided for treating blood clots associated with a replicating pathogen, such as a virus in the coronaviridae family. The methods include emitting an electrical impulse near a vagus nerve within the patient sufficient to inhibit or reduce an inflammatory or allergic response in the patient, provide relief for bronchoconstriction that results in the tightening of airways and the inability to breath without ventilator support and/or lessen the abnormal blot clotting that develops in some patients. The systems and methods are particularly useful for treating post-COVID conditions or post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 that develop in “long-haul” or COVID patients.