Stimulation of the Cervical Sympathetic Ganglion for Treatment of Asthma

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways characterized by shortness of breath, wheezing, cough, and fatigue. Some people suffer from sudden worsening of asthma symptoms despite being treated with medications. When people have asthma attacks the muscle tissue in the airway contracts causing the airway to narrow and decreasing the ability for the person to breathe. Neurological pacemakers are FDA approved devices that stimulate nerves in the body and have been used for the treatment of many disorders such as Parkinson's, epilepsy, chronic pain and urinary incontinence. Recent animal studies have shown that stimulating (activating a nerve) the carotid sheath area (located in the neck) can cause the rapid relaxation of the muscles which contract during an asthma attack. This approach has also been successfully used in patients at an emergency room when they came in with a severe asthma attack.