NIH-Funded Closed-Loop Device Controls Blood Pressure In Emergencies
Scientists from the University of Texas in Arlington (UTA) have received a $440,670 National Institute of Health (NIH) grant for the continued development of a “closed-loop” blood pressure neurostimulation device for the cardiac care environment. Targeted electrical stimulation, said the researchers, could aggressively control a hypertensive crisis without the risk of potentially dangerous side effects associated with antihypertensive medication.
If not correctly managed, a hypertensive crisis damages blood vessels and can escalate to stroke or permanent organ damage. Traditional treatments include oral or intravenous medications to help bring the pressure down, but many patients experience side effects, including swelling, respiratory distress, and severe headache. If doctors administer too much medication, blood pressure can dip to dangerously low levels.
According to UTA researchers, electrical stimulation could offer clinicians a more precise approach to blood pressure modulation, especially in emergency environments, where there isn’t time to assess potential risks of medications and aggressive dosages could be dangerous. The Flexible Micro-Channel Electrode Array (FMCEA) targets the sciatic nerve and its branches, found to “reliably control the neuronal activities” that reduce blood pressure with fewer side effects, according to Young-Tae Kim, an associate professor of bioengineering at UTA.
Moving forward, Kim — who is collaborating with UTA Professor Khosrow Behbehani and Muthu Wijesundara from the UTA Research Institute — plans to fine tune the electrical stimulation parameters and develop the technology into a closed-loop system that can use real-time blood pressure measurements to instantly respond to changes by adjusting stimulation. Researchers noted that the system would take the guess-work out of hypertension management during emergency interventions, and could potentially reduce healthcare costs associated with drug-induced side effects.
“This is an exciting project which we hope will lead to further developments in the field of using nerve stimulation as therapy to modulate organ system function, not just for hypertension control, but a much wider range of conditions such as diabetes, sleep apnea, chronic pain and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorders,” said Wijiesundara, in a press release.
The Star Tribune reported in 2014 that several top medtechs were in the process of developing a drug-free device alternative for the treatment of hypertension. Valencia Technologies, a startup based in California, is currently testing a “coin-sized” device that is implanted in a patient’s arm and controls blood pressure by stimulating the median nerve. The technology platform, which was developed by a former Medtronic engineer, recently won the Patrick Soon-Shiong Innovation award.
Last year, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) launched the first seven research projects of their Electrical Prescriptions (ElectRX) program, which has been allotted $78.9 million to develop nanoscale devices to modulate the peripheral nervous system’s response to sickness or trauma.
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), a British pharmaceutical company, recently renewed their commitment to developing bioelectrical therapies for chronic illness. Clinical trials, slated by GSK to begin in 2017, will investigate the effectiveness of electrical implants in the treatment of several conditions, including at least one auto-immune disorder and one metabolic disease.