Apparatus for diminishing pain and/or hemorrhage caused by a therapeutic injection, body tissue sampling or injury

• US 20050165459A1
• Filed: 12/22/2004
• Published: 07/28/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Cliniwave Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Cliniwave Incorporated
• Inventors: Coulter, George Gary
• Application Number:
  US11/022,269
• Publication Number:
  US 20050165459A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/46
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/422 Desensitising skin
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0456 Specially adapted for transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation [TENS]
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36021 for treatment of pain

Abstract

A device couples the use of Trans Epithelial Nerve Stimulation with the administration of a therapeutic injection, such as an immunization, or tissue sampling procedure such as deriving a blood sample. By such an arrangement, the discomfort associated with these procedures may be considerably reduced or eliminated, thereby improving compliance with a range of medical procedures.

Claims

1. An apparatus for reducing pain or hemorrhage, the apparatus comprising:

a current generating device configured to generate an electrical output Trans Epithelial Nerve Stimulating (TENS) current; and

an array of electrodes electrically coupled to the current generating device and configured to be placed around an injection location on the skin of a patient, each of said electrodes has a surface area of less than five square millimeters.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each said electrode is no more than two millimeters away from an adjacent one of said electrodes.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the injection location is less than one millimeter from at least one of said electrodes.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the array of electrodes comprises a first array of electrodes, said apparatus further comprising a second array of electrodes, the current generating device being configured to generate a first type of the TENS current for the first array of electrodes and a second type of the TENS current for the second array of electrodes.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said first array of electrodes is adapted to be disposed proximal to and circumscribe the injection location.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein each said electrode of said first array is spaced less than two millimeters away from an adjacent electrode of said second array.

7. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said electrodes of said second array of electrodes substantially surround said electrodes of said first array.

8. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein each of the electrodes of the second array is controlled independently of each of the electrodes of the second array.

9. An apparatus for reducing pain or hemorrhage at an injection location on the skin of a patient, the device comprising:

a current generating device configured to generate first and second types of electrical output Trans Epithelial Nerve Stimulating (TENS) current, the first type of TENS current having a frequency greater than about 15 Hz, the second type of TENS current having a frequency less than about 15 Hz;

an array of electrodes electrically coupled to the current generating device and configured to be placed around the location on the skin of the patient, the electrodes including a first group and a second group, the first group being configured to be disposed closer than the second group to the injection location on the skin of the patient; and

a current applying device configured to;

apply the first type of TENS current to the first group of electrodes; and

apply the second type of TENS current to the second group of electrodes.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the first type of TENS current has a frequency of approximately between 25 and 200 Hz, and the second type of TENS current has a frequency of less than about 10 Hz.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the current applying device is capable of activating the first group of electrodes in a pattern such that the injection location is effectively encircled by the TENS current.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the TENS current is applied in an encircling pattern having a plurality of pulses of varying power and varying duration.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the encircling pattern of the first group of electrodes is different from the encircling pattern of the second group of electrodes.

14. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said current applying device is configured to apply a voltage of greater than 300 volts to at least one of the first group of electrodes and the second group of electrodes.

15. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the first type of TENS current is controlled independently of the second type of TENS current.

16. A method of reducing pain or hemorrhage of a therapeutic injection or a body tissue sampling, the method comprising the steps of:

placing an array of electrodes on the skin of a patient;

applying electrical output Trans Epithelial Nerve Stimulating (TENS) current to the electrodes; and

breaching the skin of the patient at a location within the array of electrodes during said applying step.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein a duration of said applying step is less than 30 seconds.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the array of electrodes includes a first group and a second group, the location of the skin breach being closer to the first group than to the second group.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the applying step includes applying a different type of TENS current to the first group of electrodes than to the second group of electrodes.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the second group of electrodes encircles the first group of electrodes.

21. A method of reducing pain or hemorrhage, the method comprising the steps of:

placing an array of electrodes into a patient'"'"'s wound;

applying electrical current to the array of electrodes.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising breaching a patient'"'"'s skin at a location within the array of electrodes during said applying step.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein a duration of said applying step is less than 30 seconds.

24. The method of claim 21 wherein the array of electrodes includes a first group and a second group, the location of the skin breach being closer to the first group than to the second group.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the applying step includes applying a different type of current to the first group of electrodes than to the second group of electrodes.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein the second group of electrodes encircles the first group of electrodes.