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Cardiovascular conditioning and therapeutic system

  • US 4,860,763 A
  • Filed: 07/29/1987
  • Issued: 08/29/1989
  • Est. Priority Date: 07/29/1987
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A programmable cardiac rehabilitation system which allows flexible setting of prescribed exertion level or levels for rehabilitation for a patient, and which requires the patient to reach the prescribed level or levels of exertion and remain in a target range defining the prescribed level or levels of exertion, while at the same time being protected from dangerous or damaging exertion, so that the system automatically prevents both underexertion and overexertion comprising:

  • a treadmill which is electrically controlled;

    a transducer means connected to the patient, said transducer means being in communication with a heart rate monitor whereby the heart rate of said patient is converted to an electrical signal;

    a computer system in communication with said monitor and said treadmill;

    an input/output card means electrically connected to said treadmill, said monitor, and said computer system, whereby said card means electrically interfaces between said treadmill, monitor, and said computer system and whereby said card means electrically communicates said electrical signal from said monitor to said computer system and allows electrical instructions to be transmitted from said computer system to said treadmill;

    a software system loaded into said computer system providing instructions to said computer system, said computer system receiving signals from said monitor and sending signals to said treadmill, said software system providing an exercise program comprising a warm-up period having slow incremental increases in any of the treadmill operational factors in the set comprising elevation and speed of said treadmill, until a pre-selected target heart rate of said patient is achieved, a work period maintaining said target heart rate of said patient for a pre-selected length of time by controlling the treadmill operational factors and preventing either underexertion and overexertion, and a cool-down period decreasing said heart rate of said patient at slow increments by controlling the treadmill operational factors;

    the exercise program having predetermined parameters selected for the particular patient, based on factors such as age, physical condition, medical criteria, and intended exercise purpose, including but not limited to target heart rate and length of work period;

    means for recursive comparison of heart rate of the patient and the target heart rate including warm-up, work, and cool-down periods;

    clock means for automatic timing of the work period, the clock means beginning timing upon completion of the warm-up period, and upon completion of the work period signalling the beginning of the cool-down period; and

    automatic shut-down means for monitoring extreme variations in the heart rate of the patient and causing the treadmill to stop.

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