When a virus– such as SARS-CoV-2– sets off an inflammatory response in the body, this information is sent to the brain via the sensory worried system. To bring back the balance in between the initially protective inflammatory action and the regenerative processes, aVNS systems can be used.
The healing success of aVNS also increases by adapting the system. If an aVNS system constantly sends electrical impulses, this can lead to side impacts such as discomfort. The power consumption is likewise significantly higher compared to when the system reacts individually to the client and sends out targeted stimuli.
When the virus assaults the body, the inflammatory reaction and healing procedure can end up being out of balance. The inflammatory response of the body then causes more damage than the virus itself. This balance should be brought back– for instance, by utilizing an aVNS system. “The electrostimulation of the auricular vagus nerve was not just able to stop the inflammatory response in Covid-19 patients, it was even able to combat it,” Eugenijus Kaniusas, professor at the Institute for Biomedical Electronics at Vienna University of Technology, highlights the outcome.
Individualised auricular vagus nerve stimulation at the correct time and with the best strength. Credit: Vienna University of Technology
Stimulating at the precise correct time
The healing success of aVNS also increases by adapting the system. This can lead to side results such as pain if an aVNS system constantly sends electrical impulses. The power usage is also substantially higher compared to when the system responds individually to the patient and sends targeted stimuli. To understand this, the scientists around PhD student Babak Dabiri have actually incorporated a closed-loop control. Eugenijus Kaniusas describes: “This permits us to promote the Vagus nerve precisely when the brain is listening. This holds true when the heart is contracting and blood is flowing into the vessels or when the individual is exhaling.” In this method, over- and under-stimulation can be prevented, which typically arises from persistent aVNS.
While easy measurements refer solely to the past, Kaniusas and his team worked with predictions: “In the research study, we had the ability to show that predictive stimulation works and results in the preferred outcome. This was possible due to a feedback function of the system, by means of which the aVNS system can constructively hinder the parasympathetic system,” the electrical engineer Kaniusas states.
” The aVNS system listens to the measured biosignals and sends its stimulus at exactly the ideal time, like an intelligent electrical pill,” he lastly draws a comparison. This is an important step in the direction of customization, through which the research study team likewise expects much better healing success and more acceptance by users.
References:
” Auricular vagus nerve stimulator for closed-loop biofeedback-based operation” by Babak Dabiri, Klaus Zeiner, Arnaud Nativel and Eugenijus Kaniusas, 10 May 2022, Analog Integrated Circuits and Signal Processing.DOI: 10.1007/ s10470-022-02037-8.
” Non-invasive Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation as a Potential Treatment for Covid19-Originated Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome” by Eugenijus Kaniusas, Jozsef C. Szeles, Stefan Kampusch, Nuria Alfageme-Lopez, Daniela Yucuma-Conde, Xie Li, Julio Mayol, Christoph Neumayer, Michele Papa and Fivos Panetsos, 28 July 2020, Frontiers in Physiology.DOI: 10.3389/ fphys.2020.00890.
COVID-19 is an infectious illness brought on by the SARS-CoV-2 infection
Triggering the auricular vagus nerve supplies anti-inflammatory results in severe Covid-19 cases.
A system out of balance
When an infection– such as SARS-CoV-2– activates an inflammatory action in the body, this information is transferred to the brain via the sensory anxious system. To restore the balance in between the at first protective inflammatory action and the regenerative processes, aVNS systems can be used.
Vienna University of Technology researchers collaborated carefully with the Hospital Favoriten, the Medical University of Vienna, the Health Service Centre of the Vienna Private Clinic, the Sigmund Freud Private University Vienna, and the Immunological Day Clinic Vienna to evaluate their hypothesis that aVNS likewise helps in the recovery procedure in serious Covid-19 cases.
From delegated right: Eugenijus Kaniusas, Babak Dabiri, and Andreas Dickinger. Credit: Vienna University of Technology
aVNS in severe Corona courses
The research study group had the ability to demonstrate in its most recent study that the positive impact that Vagus nerve stimulation has on the course of extreme Corona diseases, which was anticipated in 2020– at the start of the pandemic– actually exists. The researchers studied the usage of aVNS on individuals who were severely ill with Corona and were about to get mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
