Development of a Closed-Loop Stimulator for Laryngeal Reanimation, Part 1: Devices

Objective:The goal of this work was to create implantable stimulator systems that could be used in animal experiments on laryngeal paralysis, including “closed-loop” stimulation of impaired muscles triggered by electromyographic (EMG) potentials from healthy muscles.Study Design:Iterative device design and testing.Methods:A series of microcontroller-based implantable devices were built that incorporated increasingly sophisticated features for stimulation, EMG recording, and communication across the skin. Specific engineering challenges included minimizing power consumption, achieving charge-balanced and relatively high stimulation capacity, implementing noninvasive communication across the skin, providing real-time processing of EMG signals, and mitigating effects of shock artifacts. Bench testing was used to verify performance.Results:Two prototypes are described in detail. Each system is based on an “implant” and an external “communication adapter” that interfaces both with the implant and with external...