Stage and state monitoring automated external defibrillator

• US 5,700,281 A
• Filed: 06/17/1996
• Issued: 12/23/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Zoll Medical Corporation (Asahi Kasei Corporation)
• Original Assignee: SurVivaLink Corporation (Cardica Incorporated)
• Inventors: Brewer, James E., Olson, Kenneth F., Stendahl, Gary B., Utke, Nora J., Stolte, John F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kamm, William E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LAYNO, CARL HERNANDZ
• Application Number:
  US08/668,117
• Time in Patent Office: 554 Days
• Field of Search: 607/5, 607/8, 607/142, 607/152
• US Class Current: 607/5
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/04 Electrodes electrosurgical electrodes A61B18/14
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3931 Protecting, e.g. back-up systems

Abstract

A circuit detectable arrangement of a plurality of medical electrodes is provided with each electrode having an electrically nonconductive backing layer, a layer of electrically conductive adhesive disposed on the backing layer and a lead wire extending therefrom and electrically connected with the conductive adhesive. More specifically, a first electrode is disposed on an electrically nonconductive liner, a second electrode is disposed on an electrically nonconductive liner, and an electrical connector is provided between the first and second electrodes for electrically completing a circuit connecting the lead wire of the first electrode to the lead wire of the second electrode. Preferably, the backing layers of the first and second electrodes each include a conductor portion, and the electrical connector is connected between the conductor portion of the backing layer of the first electrode and the conductor portion of the backing layer of the second electrode. The electrical connector preferably comprises a strip of flexible and electrically conductive material and may include a nonconductive tear resistant strip. Utilizing the electrode packaging above, the present invention monitors the state of the AED and the stage of a rescue. In particular, at least five stages of a rescue are monitored. These include: 1) rescue initiated; 2) preparing victim; 3) applying electrodes; 4) AED in use; and 5) rescue completed.

Claims

1. An automated external defibrillator (AED) having a packaged pair of electrodes electrically connected together, wherein the AED is capable of monitoring the state it is in, the AED comprising:

a case;

an electrode terminal mounted to the case;

a high voltage circuit contained in the case and electrically connected to the electrode terminal; and

a control system coupled to the electrode terminal and the high voltage circuit wherein the control system includes state detection means for determining the state of the AED, said states being (1) the AED is being used for a rescue and (2) the AED is not being used for a rescue.

2. The AED of claim 1, the AED being capable of performing a cardiac arrest rescue procedure on a patient, the rescue procedure having a plurality of rescue stages, wherein the control system further comprises impedance monitoring means for monitoring the specific stages of a cardiac arrest rescue procedure.

3. The AED of claim 1, the AED being capable of performing a cardiac arrest rescue procedure on a patient, the rescue procedure having a plurality of rescue stages, wherein the control system further comprises rescue stage monitoring means for monitoring the specific stages of a cardiac arrest rescue procedure.

4. The AED of claim 3 wherein the packaged pair of electrodes comprises a package of flexible material defining a pouch having an interior cavity including first and second medical electrodes within an electrode receiving space of said interior cavity, each electrode comprising an electrically non-conductive flexible backing layer, a layer of electrically conductive adhesive disposed on said flexible backing layer and a lead wire extending therefrom and electrically connected with said conductive adhesive, wherein said first and second electrodes are each disposed on an electrically non-conductive liner, and an electrical connector is provided between said first and second electrodes for electrically completing a circuit connecting the lead wire of said first electrode to the lead wire of said second electrode.

5. The AED of claim 4, wherein the lead wires from said first and second electrodes extend through an opening provided through said package to the outside of said package.

6. The AED of claim 5, further including a tear line along which the package is to be opened and which divides the interior cavity of the package into said electrode receiving space and an interior portion.

7. The AED of claim 4 wherein the liners of the first and second electrodes have a plurality of holes formed therein.

8. An automated external defibrillator (AED) having a packaged pair of electrodes electrically connected together, wherein the AED is capable of monitoring the state it is in, the AED comprising:

a case;

an electrode terminal mounted to the case;

a high voltage circuit contained in the case and electrically connected to the electrode terminal; and

a control system coupled to the electrode terminal and the high voltage circuit wherein the control system includes state detection means for determining the state of the AED and further includes rescue stage monitoring means for monitoring the stage of a rescue

the packaged pair of electrodes having a package of flexible material defining a pouch having an interior cavity including first and second medical electrodes within an electrode receiving space of said interior cavity, the package including a tear line along which the package is to be opened and which divides the interior cavity of the package into said electrode receiving space and an interior portion, each electrode comprising an electrically non-conductive flexible backing layer, a layer of electrically conductive adhesive disposed on said flexible backing layer and a lead wire extending therefrom and electrically connected with said conductive adhesive, wherein said first and second electrodes are each disposed on an electrically non-conductive liner, and an electrical connector is provided between said first and second electrodes for electrically completing a circuit connecting the lead wire of said first electrode to the lead wire of said second electrode, the lead wires from said first and second electrodes extending through an opening provided through said package to the outside of said package.

9. The AED of claim 8 wherein said electrical connector comprises a flexible conductive strip, and said first and second electrodes are provided adjacent to one another in said package with their backing layers generally parallel to one another and with a loop formed in the electrical connector, said loop extending across said tear line and into said interior portion of said package from said electrodes within said electrode receiving space so that by opening the package along said tear line, the electrical connector can be broken, said first electrode being provided on a separate liner than the liner of said second electrode.

10. The AED of claim 8, wherein said electrical connector comprises a flexible conductive strip, and said first and second electrodes are provided adjacent to one another in said package with their backing layers generally parallel to one another and with a loop formed in the electrical connector, said loop extending across said tear line and into said interior portion of said package from said electrodes within said electrode receiving space so that by opening the package along said tear line, the electrical connector can be broken.

11. The AED of claim 10, further including a strip of tear resistant material connected to said electrical connector and positioned within said interior portion.

12. The AED of claim 11, wherein said strip of tear resistant material extends through an opening of said package to provide a gripping means to facilitate easy opening of said package.

13. The AED of claim 10, wherein said flexible conductive strip includes a portion extending transverse from said loop and which extends through an opening of said package to provide a gripping means to facilitate easy opening of said package.

14. The AED of claim 10, wherein at least one of said lead wires is disposed within said package through said loop and within said interior portion so as to pass through the material of said package from said interior portion.

15. The AED of claim 10, wherein said first electrode is provided on a separate liner than the liner of said second electrode.

16. The AED of claim 10, wherein the backing layers of said first and second electrodes each include a conductor portion, and said electrical connector is connected between the conductor portion of the backing layer of said first electrode and the conductor portion of the backing layer of said second electrode.

17. The AED of claim 16, wherein the lead wire of each electrode extends partially within the electrode between the backing layer and the conductive adhesive, and a terminal is provided to electrically connect the lead wire within the electrode to the conductor portion of the backing layer.

18. The AED of claim 8, wherein said electrical connector comprises a flexible conductive strip, and said first and second electrodes are provided adjacent to one another in said package with their backing layers generally parallel to one another and with a loop formed in the electrical connector, said loop extending across said tear line and into said interior portion of said package from said electrodes within said electrode receiving space so that by opening the package along said tear line, the electrical connector can be broken, at least one of said lead wires being disposed within said package through said loop and within said interior portion so as to pass through the material of said package from said interior portion.

19. An automated external defibrillator (AED) having a packaged pair of electrodes electrically connected together, the AED being capable of performing a cardiac arrest rescue procedure on a patient, the rescue procedure having a plurality, of rescue stages, the AED comprising:

a case;

an electrode terminal mounted to the case;

a high voltage circuit contained in the case and electrically connected to the electrode terminal; and

a control system coupled to the electrode terminal and the high voltage circuit wherein the control system includes stage monitoring means for monitoring the specific stages of a cardiac arrest rescue procedure.

20. The AED of claim 19 wherein the control system further comprises state detection means for determining the state of the AED, said states being (1) the AED is being used for a rescue and (2) the AED is not being used for a rescue.

21. The AED of claim 20 wherein the packaged pair of electrodes comprises a package of flexible material defining a pouch having an interior cavity including first and second medical electrodes within an electrode receiving space of said interior cavity, each electrode comprising an electrically non-conductive flexible backing layer, a layer of electrically conductive adhesive disposed on said flexible backing layer and a lead wire extending therefrom and electrically connected with said conductive adhesive, wherein said first and second electrodes are each disposed on an electrically non-conductive liner, and an electrical connector is provided between said first and second electrodes for electrically completing a circuit connecting the lead wire of said first electrode to the lead wire of said second electrode.

22. The AED of claim 19 wherein the control system monitors at least the rescue stages of (1) rescue initiated, (2) preparing victim, (3) applying electrodes, (4) AED in use, and (5) rescue completed.

23. The AED of claim 22 wherein the rescue stages monitored correspond to sensed impedances as follows:

(1) rescue initiated being less than about ten ohms, (2) preparing victim being greater than about two hundred-fifty ohms and less than about one thousand ohms, (3) applying electrodes being greater than ten kilo ohms, (4) AED in use being between about twenty-five ohms and two hundred ohms, and (5) rescue completed being greater than ten kilo ohms.

24. An automated external defibrillator (AED) having a packaged pair of electrodes electrically connected together, wherein the AED is capable of monitoring the state it is in, the AED comprising:

a case;

an electrode terminal mounted to the case;

a high voltage circuit contained in the case and electrically connected to the electrode terminal; and

a control system coupled to the electrode terminal and the high voltage circuit wherein the control system includes an AED power on/AED power off detection portion.

25. The AED of claim 24 wherein the control system further comprises a rescue stage identifying and monitoring portion.

26. An automated external defibrillator (AED) having a packaged pair of electrodes electrically connected together, wherein the AED is capable of monitoring the state it is in, the AED comprising:

a case;

an electrode terminal mounted to the case;

a high voltage circuit contained in the case and electrically connected to the electrode terminal; and

a control system coupled to the electrode terminal and the high voltage circuit wherein the control system includes a rescue stage identifying and monitoring portion and an AED power on/AED power off detection portion.

27. A method of monitoring the stage of a rescue procedure utilizing an automated external defibrillator (AED) having rescue stage monitoring means wherein the AED has a case, an electrode terminal mounted to the case, a high voltage circuit contained in the case and electrically connected to the electrode terminal, and a control system coupled to the electrode terminal and the high voltage circuit wherein the control system includes the stage monitoring means, and wherein the control system contains an internal clock and memory means, the method including the steps of:

(a) polling the AED to determine if the AED is on;

(b) using the internal clock to identify when the AED is turned on;

(c) storing in the memory means the time from the internal clock when the AED is turned on;

(d) measuring the resistance at the electrode terminal;

(e) determining a rescue stage from the measured resistance;

(f) identifying the time the rescue stage began with the internal clock; and

(g) recording in the memory means the time of the rescue stage.

28. The method of claim 27 further including the step of:

(h) repeating steps (c) through (g) until the rescue is completed.

29. An automated external defibrillator (AED) having a packaged pair of electrodes electrically connected together, wherein the AED is capable of monitoring the state it is in, the AED comprising:

a case;

an electrode terminal mounted to the case;

a high voltage circuit contained in the case and electrically connected to the electrode terminal; and

a control system coupled to the electrode terminal and the high voltage circuit wherein the control system includes an AED power on/AED power off detection portion and further includes a rescue stage identifying and monitoring portion.

30. An automated external defibrillator (AED) having a packaged pair of electrodes electrically connected together, the AED being capable of performing a cardiac arrest rescue procedure on a patient, the rescue procedure having a plurality of rescue stages, the AED comprising:

a case;

an electrode terminal mounted to the case;

a high voltage circuit contained in the case and electrically connected to the electrode terminal; and

a control system coupled to the electrode terminal and the high voltage circuit wherein the control system includes impedance monitoring means for monitoring the specific stages of a cardiac arrest rescue procedure.

31. The AED of claim 30 wherein the control system further comprises state detection means for determining the state of the AED, said states being (1) the AED is being used for a rescue and (2) the AED is not being used for a rescue.