I was thinking about this the other day. We all have tried various meds to control our frequency - with varying success. What if there were a device that could be implanted that would pace peristalsis for us so that we could be assured of the frequency we desired?

So... I googled it and found the following patents for just such a thing. The first is a link for a "pacemaker" designed for those with gastroparesis (delayed emptying of the stomach). However, the authors of the patent (filed in 2001, issued in 2005) believe electrical pacing can be used to speed up or slow down peristalsis. The second is a patent for a device to slow things down, but I would assume it would be very similar:

http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/6895279-description.html

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/5690691.html

I even sent the following e-mail to Dr. Loeb:

"Dear Dr. Loeb,

My name is Steve and I currently live in Kansas City. In 2006, I underwent surgery due to chronic Ulcerative Colitis which required total colectomy and subsequent construction of an ileal j-pouch. I was thinking the other day how nice it would be for those of us with ileal-anal (with and without pouches) and ileal-rectal pouches to have a "peristalsis pacemaker" to pace peristalsis and slow the frequency of bowel movements.

Most research has shown that us j-pouchers average around 5-7 bowel movements / day (+/- 2) and average 1 BM at night. Frequency is a real contributor to quality of life for us.

So, I did a search and found your patent (6895279 - Method and apparatus to treat disorders of gastrointestinal peristalsis). I see that it was approved in 2005, and was curious as to the progress of your research with this device. Also, it would be wonderful to see any clinical trials of the device include patients with j-pouches.

Thank you for your time."

Well, this makes sense for the stomach or for a portion of the small bowel that has issues of inertia. Pacing the entire 20 feet of small bowel is more problematic. For those of us with too fast transit, the issue seldom is due to the stomach.

However, I can see this as a possible use in the area of the pouch, slowing things down as it approaches the pouch. The pouch itself is supposed to have a zero net forward peristalsis, since one side contracts down and the other contracts up.

Jan "_

Thanks for the feedback Jan.

I heard back from Dr. Loeb:

"Thank you for your interest in our research. We have been conducting several pilot clinical studies of other applications for the BION implants, but none yet on gastrointestinal function. I continue to think that this is a promising application but it will require a fair amount of fundamental research in a field in which it is difficult to find qualified and interested researchers. We are starting to work with industrial partners to commercialize this technology, but the first clinical products will almost certainly address simpler problems afflicting larger numbers of patients. Experience has shown that eventually new technologies wind up being applied broadly, but this tends to take several years. I am familiar with the nature of your problem and I wish I had something more immediate to offer.

Sincerely,

Gerald E. Loeb, M.D.
Professor of Biomedical Engineering
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA 90089-1112

office tel: 213-821-1112; cell tel.: 213-944-2283
email: gloeb@usc.edu"
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My wife did tell me that they had a patient at her hospital transferred here to KU Med for implantation of a gastro pacemaker (stomach not moving things), so perhaps this research has been applied here by someone else. It will be interesting to see if this ends up with application for us.

Steve