Automated External Defibrillator Pad System

• US 20120265265A1
• Filed: 04/12/2012
• Published: 10/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Texas Heart Institute
• Original Assignee: Texas Heart Institute
• Inventors: Razavi, Mehdi, Ramos, Renata F., Nathan, Joanna Christabel, Otto, Bradley John, Jiang, Lingxiao, Nelson, Carl J., Lin, Justin
• Application Number:
  US13/445,429
• Publication Number:
  US 20120265265A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/7
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/046 Specially adapted for shock therapy, e.g. defibrillation
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0476 Array electrodes (including any electrode arrangement with more than one electrode for at least one of the polarities)
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3918 characterised by shock pathway, e.g. by electrode configuration
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3925 Monitoring; Protecting

Abstract

An embodiment includes a cardiac resuscitation system with first and second electrodes in a source electrode pad and a return electrode in a return electrode pad. After the source and return electrode pads are applied to a patient the layperson may put a switch in a first position to create a first electrical path to communicate a first shock between the first and return electrodes via a first vector. If the first shock fails the user may move the switch to a second position to create a second electrical path to communicate a second shock between the second and return electrodes via a second vector. As a result, the system allows a layperson to easily flip a switch to produce a first shock via a first vector and a second shock via a second vector thereby improving therapy outcomes. Other embodiments are described herein.

Claims

1. A cardiac resuscitation system comprising:

first and second surface electrodes included in a single contiguous source electrode pad and a return electrode included in a return electrode pad;

a single electronic coupler to electrically couple the first and second electrodes to a shared single therapeutic energy output of an external cardiac resuscitation device; and

a switch, coupled to the first and second electrodes, including first and second positions;

wherein when the source and return electrode pads are applied to a patient and the switch is in (a) the first position a first electrical path is operable to communicate therapeutic energy through and between the first and return electrodes, via a first vector, without being communicated through the second electrode, and (b) the second position a second electrical path is operable to communicate therapeutic energy through and between the second and return electrodes, via a second vector, without being communicated through the first electrode.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second electrodes are permanently and fixedly located at least 2 inches from one another within the source electrode pad.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein:

the first vector includes a first direction and a first magnitude;

the second vector includes a second direction and a second magnitude; and

the first direction is unequal to the second direction.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the first direction is unequal to the second direction by at least 3 degrees.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the first direction is unequal to the second direction by at least 3 degrees when the first and second electrodes are located on the patient'"'"'s chest and in a single axial plane and the return electrode is located on the patient'"'"'s side.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the source electrode pad includes an electrical insulator electrically insulating the first electrode from the second electrode.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the switch includes a third position; and

when the switch is in the third position the first and second electrical paths are simultaneously operable to communicate therapeutic energy through and between the first and return electrodes via the first vector and through and between the second and return electrodes via the second vector.

8. The system of claim 1 comprising the external cardiac resuscitation device, wherein the external cardiac resuscitation device includes one of an automated external defibrillator (AED), an external defibrillator, and an electrocardiogram monitoring system.

9. The system of claim 8 comprising at least one non-transitory machine readable medium comprising instructions that when executed on a processor, which is included in the external cardiac resuscitation device, cause the external cardiac resuscitation device to perform a method comprising:

delivering first therapeutic energy to the patient through and between the first and return electrodes;

determining the patient has an abnormal heart rhythm after delivering the first therapeutic energy to the patient;

based on determining the patient has an abnormal heart rhythm after delivering the first therapeutic energy to the patient, (i) automatically switching the switch from the first position to the second position, and then (ii) delivering second therapeutic energy to the patient through and between the second and return electrodes.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the source electrode pad includes a third electrode;

when the switch is in the first position therapeutic energy is to be simultaneously communicated (c)(i) through and between the first and return electrodes via the first vector, (ii) through and between the third and return electrodes via a third vector, and (iii) without being supplied through the second electrode; and

when the switch is in the second position therapeutic energy is to be simultaneously communicated (d)(i) through and between the second and return electrodes via the second vector, (ii) through and between the third and return electrodes via the third vector, and (iii) without being supplied through the first electrode.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein when the switch is in the first position therapeutic energy is to be unevenly communicated through and between the first and return electrodes and the third and return electrodes.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the switch is manually switchable, by a user, between the first and second positions.

13. A cardiac resuscitation system comprising:

first and second surface electrodes;

a single electronic coupler to electrically couple the first and second electrodes to a shared single therapeutic energy output of an external cardiac resuscitation device; and

a switch, coupled to the first and second electrodes, including first and second positions;

wherein when the first and second surface electrodes are applied to a patient and the switch is in (a) the first position a first electrical path is operable to communicate therapeutic energy through and between the first electrode and a return electrode, via a first vector, without being communicated through the second electrode, and (b) the second position a second electrical path is operable to communicate therapeutic energy through and between the second and return electrodes, via a second vector, without being communicated through the first electrode.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein:

the switch includes a third position; and

when the switch is in the third position the first and second electrical paths are simultaneously operable to communicate therapeutic energy through and between the first and return electrodes via the first vector and through and between the second and return electrodes via the second vector.

15. The system of claim 13, comprising the external cardiac resuscitation device and at least one non-transitory machine readable medium comprising instructions that when executed on a processor, which is included in the external cardiac resuscitation device, cause the external cardiac resuscitation device to perform a method comprising:

delivering first therapeutic energy to the patient through and between the first and return electrodes;

determining the patient has an abnormal heart rhythm after delivering the first therapeutic energy to the patient;

based on determining the patient has an abnormal heart rhythm after delivering the first therapeutic energy to the patient, (i) automatically switching the switch from the first position to the second position, and then (ii) delivering second therapeutic energy to the patient through and between the second and return electrodes.

16. The system of claim 13, comprising a source electrode pad that includes a third electrode and the first and second electrodes;

wherein;

when the switch is in the first position therapeutic energy is to be simultaneously communicated (c)(i) through and between the first and return electrodes via the first vector, (ii) through and between the third and return electrodes via a third vector, and (iii) without being supplied through the second electrode; and

when the switch is in the second position therapeutic energy is to be simultaneously communicated (d)(i) through and between the second and return electrodes via the second vector, (ii) through and between the third and return electrodes via the third vector, and (iii) without being supplied through the first electrode.

17. At least one machine readable medium comprising instructions that when executed on a computing device cause the computing device to perform a method comprising:

delivering first therapeutic energy to a patient through and between a first surface electrode and a return electrode along a first vector;

determining the patient has an abnormal heart rhythm after delivering the first therapeutic energy to the patient;

based on determining the patient has an abnormal heart rhythm after delivering the first therapeutic energy to the patient, (i) automatically switching a switch from a first position to a second position, and then (ii) delivering second therapeutic energy to the patient through and between a second surface electrode and the return electrode along a second vector;

wherein the first and second surface electrodes are included in a single contiguous source electrode pad and the return electrode is included in a return electrode pad.

18. The at least one medium of claim 17, wherein the first and second electrodes are permanently and fixedly located at least 2 inches from one another within the source electrode pad.

19. The at least one medium of claim 17, wherein:

the switch includes a third position; and

the method comprises when the switch is in the third position simultaneously communicating therapeutic energy through and between the first and return electrodes via the first vector and through and between the second and return electrodes via the second vector.