An ASIC System for Closed-Loop Blood Pressure Modulation Through Right Cervical Vagus Nerve Stimulation

Objective:
Heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. Hypertension is an important precursor and the most common risk factor to heart failure. While some patients can control their high blood pressure with pharmaceuticals, many suffer from resistant hypertension, where antihypertensive medications do not achieve the desired outcome. Electrical stimulation is an emerging therapy to modulate blood pressure and integrating it with closed-loop feedback can improve blood pressure control.
Methods:
We design and fabricate two application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) for stimulation and pressure sensing using TSMC's 180 nm MS RF G process. We create a closed-loop system by integrating the ASICs with a microscale pressure sensor and a custom-built Python script and test the full system in six Long Evans rats using vagus nerve stimulation.
Results:
After calibration and benchtop verification, we prove the functionality of the system in lowering, and maintaining a desired blood pressure
in vivo
. The system effectively monitors pressure and stimulates when that pressure exceeds the user-determined threshold.
Conclusion:
By combining this stimulation therapy with a pressure sensor, we present a novel closed-loop, electroceutical system that has the potential to monitor and modulate blood pressure.
Significance:
We present a drug-free, potentially side-effect-free electroceutical therapeutic for managing resistant hypertension.