Stimulus dose system and method for electroconvulsive therapy

• US 20080188905A1
• Filed: 02/02/2007
• Published: 08/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Somatics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Somatics Incorporated
• Inventors: Swartz, Conrad M.
• Application Number:
  US11/670,589
• Publication Number:
  US 20080188905A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/45
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36025 for treating a mental or cerebral condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/38 for producing shock effects

Abstract

A method of treating a patient includes administering an electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) stimulus to the patient. The current is greater than about 0.9 ampere or 1.0 ampere, or is between about 1.0 and about 2 amperes. The energy delivered is about 100 Joules or less across an impedance of 200 ohms. The stimulus may have a pulsewidth between about 0.5 and about 2.0 msec and/or a frequency in the range of about 10 to about 180 Hz, or the stimulus may have a pulsewidth between about 0.2 and about 0.499 msec and/or a frequency in the range of about 15 to about 300 Hz. An apparatus for ECT comprises a generator adapted to deliver such an electroconvulsive therapy stimulus to a patient. A method of calculating ECT dose comprises multiplying a charge to be delivered by the current (or voltage) to an exponential power between 2 and 4.

Claims

1. A method of treating a patient, the method comprising administering an electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) stimulus to the patient, wherein the current is greater than about 0.9 ampere.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the current is greater than about 1 ampere.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the current is between about 1.0 and about 2.0 amperes.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the energy delivered is less than or equal to about 100 Joules across an impedance of 200 ohms.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the current varies by 0.1 ampere or less.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the stimulus comprises pulse stimuli having a pulsewidth between about 0.5 and about 2.0 msec.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the pulse stimuli have a frequency in the range of about 10 to about 180 Hz.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the stimulus comprises pulse stimuli having a pulsewidth between about 0.2 and about 0.499 msec.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the pulse stimuli have a frequency in the range of about 15 to about 300 Hz.

10. An apparatus for electroconvulsive therapy comprising an electroconvulsive therapy stimulus generator, wherein the generator is adapted to deliver an electroconvulsive therapy stimulus to the patient, the stimulus comprising a current greater than about 0.9 ampere.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the generator is adapted to deliver a stimulus comprising a current greater than about 1 ampere.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the generator is adapted to deliver a stimulus comprising a current between about 1.0 and about 2.0 amperes.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the generator is further adapted to deliver a stimulus with an energy less than or equal to about 100 Joules across an impedance of 200 ohms.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the generator is adapted to deliver a current that varies by 0.1 ampere or less.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the apparatus is adapted to deliver a pulse stimuli having a pulsewidth in the range of about 0.5 to about 2.0 msec and having a frequency in the range of about 10 to about 180 Hz.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the apparatus is adapted to deliver a pulse stimuli having a pulsewidth in the range of about 0.2 to about 0.499 msec and having a frequency in the range of about 15 to about 300 Hz.

21. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the generator is adapted to deliver a stimulus and to calculate the stimulus as time-averaged n^th exponential power of voltage multiplied by the time-averaged m^th exponential power of current multiplied by charge, where the sum of the numbers n and m is between about 2 and about 4.

22. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the generator is adapted to deliver a voltage in the range of about 220 to about 500 volts, and results from the calculation of a current range of 1 A to 2 multiplied by a dynamic impedance in the range of about 150 ohms to about 300 ohms.

17. A method of calculating the dose of an electroconvulsive therapy stimulus to be delivered to a patient, the method comprising multiplying a charge to be delivered by the current to an exponential power, wherein the exponential power is between about 2 and about 4.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the exponential power is between about 2 and about 3.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the exponential power is about 3.

20. A method of calculating the dose of an electroconvulsive therapy stimulus to be delivered to a patient, the method comprising multiplying the charge to be delivered by the voltage to an exponential power, wherein this exponential power is between about 2 and about 4.