Method and apparatus for facilitating recovery of patients in deep coma

摘要

In a medical procedure to treat a patient in a deep coma, an electrode is implanted on the vagus nerve (tenth cranial nerve) in the patient's neck. A selected pulse train is generated and applied to the electrode as a treatment for the deep coma. The patient's brain waves are collected, amplified and digitized before, during and after the treatment, and compared, using a computer system, against a reference (the patient or/and a normal group) to determine if the treatment is helping the patient.