title: Selectivity for specific cardiovascular effects of vagal nerve stimulation with a multi-contact electrode cuff.
abstract: The cardiovascular system can be influenced by electrically stimulating the vagal nerve. Selectivity for specific cardiac fibers may be limited when stimulating at the cervical level. Our objective was to increase effectiveness and selectivity for cardiovascular effects of vagal nerve stimulation by using local bipolar stimulation in one nerve cross section using a multi-contact cuff instead of less localized stimulation using a tripolar ring electrode. Both types of cuff electrodes were compared with respect to their relative effects on R-R interval (RRI), P-Q interval (PQI), left ventricular contractility (LVC), and left ventricular pressure  (P(LV)) in seven pigs. Stimulation using the optimal bipolar configuration on the multi-contact cuff significantly affected RRI, PQI, LVC, and  P(LV), whereas stimulation with the ring electrode only significantly affected RRI and PQI. The cardiovascular parameters that could be significantly influenced varied between the bipolar configurations. These novel findings may be relevant for optimizing electrode configurations for clinical cardiac applications of vagal nerve stimulation.
authors.affiliation: MIRA Institute for Biomedical Technology and Technical Medicine, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands. simone.ordelman@gmail.com
authors.forename: Simone C M A
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Ordelman
authors.forename: Lilian
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kornet
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cornelussen
authors.forename: Hendrik P J
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Buschman
authors.forename: Peter H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Veltink
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D004558:Electric Stimulation / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D058542:Implantable Neurostimulators; D009200:Myocardial Contraction / Q000502:physiology*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013552:Swine; D014630:Vagus Nerve / Q000502:physiology*; D016276:Ventricular Function / Q000502:physiology*