Experimental Gastric Stimulator for Refractory Obesity Treatment

Abstract

Morbid obesity and overweight have alarmingly increased their incidence around the world. They have become a disabling disease with major repercussions. A new and promising method to treat refractory cases of obesity has emerged in the last years. It uses electrical stimulation on vagus nerves to diminish gastric motility producing an early satiety sensation. In this work an experimental gastric stimulator is presented, intended to determine optimal values of intensity, and pulse width as well as better sites of stimulation and electrode-nerve attaching techniques. This device was designed considering a wide range in values to test the feasibility of the technique in vivo and in situ conditions. The device was submitted to a laboratory evaluation, as a first phase, but an implantable gastric pacemaker is pretended