THERAPY DEVICE AND METHOD FOR TREATING UNDERLYING TISSUE USING ELECTRICAL AND ACOUSTIC ENERGIES

• US 20110196438A1
• Filed: 02/10/2011
• Published: 08/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Lukas Mnozil, Tomas Schwarz
• Original Assignee: Lukas Mnozil, Tomas Schwarz
• Inventors: Mnozil, Lukas, Schwarz, Tomas
• Application Number:
  US13/024,458
• Publication Number:
  US 20110196438A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/3
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/14 Probes or electrodes therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00084 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00023 closed, i.e. without wound contact by the fluid
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00452 Skin
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00994 combining two or more different kinds of non-mechanical energy or combining one or more non-mechanical energies with ultrasound
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 7/00 Ultrasound therapy lithotripsy A61B17/22, A61B17/225; massage using supersonic vibration A61H23/00 ; using ultrasound for introducing media into the body A61M37/0092

Abstract

A device for subcutaneous adipose tissue skin treatment applies both radio frequency energy (RF) and ultrasound energy (US) into the skin from a single electrode. The electrode may be cooled via a chilled liquid cooling system, thereby indirectly also cooling the skin. An infrared thermometer on the device may measure skin temperature. A passive electrode may be placed on the patient'"'"'s skin in a location remote from the treatment site.

Claims

1. A therapy device comprising:

a housing having a head attached to a handle;

a radio frequency energy source and an ultrasonic energy source in the housing;

an electrode on the head of the housing, with the electrode connected to the radio frequency energy source and to the ultrasonic energy source, and with the electrode adapted to provide both radio frequency and ultrasonic stimulation to the skin of a patient; and

a cooling unit associated with the electrode.

2. The device of claim 1 with the cooling unit adapted to cool the electrode and thereby the skin surface.

3. The device according to claim 2 further comprising a refrigeration unit for cooling a fluid, and tubes connecting the refrigeration unit to the cooling unit, to provide a flow of cooling fluid to or adjacent to the electrode.

4. The device according to claim 1 further comprising a thermometer on the housing for measuring a skin surface temperature.

5. The device according to claim 4 wherein the thermometer comprises an infrared thermometer.

6. The device according to claim 4 further comprising an electrical power supply connected to the radio frequency energy source and to the ultrasonic energy source in the housing, and a passive electrode outside Of the housing electrically connected to the power supply.

7. The device according to claim 1 further comprising a digital display and buttons on the housing for selecting treatment parameters and displaying a measured skin surface temperature, respectively.

8. The device according to claim 1 further including a controller for controlling one or more of therapy time, RF frequency, RF energy, RF power, cooling temperature of the fluid, and duty factor of the RF energy.

9. The device according to claim 8 with the controller further controlling US energy, US duty factor and US intensity.

10. The device according to claim 1 wherein the RF energy source provides RF energy at a frequency of from about 300 kHz to about 4 MHz, using an output power from about 1 to about 120 W, and the US energy source provides US energy at a frequency of about 2 MHz and an intensity of from about 0 to about 3 W.

11. A method, comprising:

locating a treatment site on the skin of a human patient;

placing a passive electrode opposite to the treatment site;

applying a conductive gel onto the treatment site;

placing an electrode of an applicator onto the treatment site; and

applying RF energy and US energy simultaneously into the treatment site via the electrode.

12. The method according to claim 11 wherein the energies are applied after pressing the applicator trigger.

13. The method according to claim 11 further comprising cooling the skin by cooling the electrode before, after, or during the therapy.

14. The method according to claim 11 further comprising measuring of skin surface temperature by infrared thermometer

15. The method according to claim 11 wherein output power of the RF energy is from about 1 to about 120 W.

16. The method according to claim 11 wherein output power of the US energy is from about 1 to about 3 W.

17. The method according to claim 11 further comprising deactivating a subcutaneous adipose tissue via the application of the RF and US energy

18. The method of claim 11 further comprising applying the RF and US energy in a time repeating cycle.