Active implantable devices have been used for years to treat chronic conditions with minimal side effects: pacemakers and defibrillators (cardiac rhythm management), cochlear implants (deafness), deep brains stimulation (Parkinson), spinal cord stimulation (chronic pain) etc.
Recently the interest in nerve stimulation has surged because it has been found that mild vagal nerve stimulation can be used as a complementary, or even replacement treatment for (chronic) autoimmune diseases such as, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, colitis, congestive heart failure, psoriasis, multiple sclerosis, asthma, Alzheimer, Parkinson etc.
To make bioelectronic medicines a practical reality, the next generation of smart implantable devices will need to be high miniaturized and autonomous and cost effective so that they can be implanted on the selected nerve with a simple minimally invasive procedure.