Augmentation of muscle contractility by biphasic stimulation

• US 6,343,232 B1
• Filed: 10/19/2000
• Issued: 01/29/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/1966
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: MR3 Medical, LLC
• Original Assignee: Mower Family Chf Treatment Irrevocable Trust
• Inventors: Mower, Morton M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jastrzab, Jeffrey R.
• Application Number:
  US09/692,409
• Time in Patent Office: 467 Days
• Field of Search: 607/9-11, 607/13-16, 607/68, 607/70, 607/74, 128/898
• US Class Current: 607/9
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36003 of motor muscles, e.g. for walking assistance
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3615 Intensity
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36167 Timing, e.g. stimulation onset
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3627 for treating a mechanical deficiency of the heart, e.g. congestive heart failure or cardiomyopathy
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36514 controlled by a physiological quantity other than heart potential, e.g. blood pressure controlled by two or more physical parameters A61N1/36585

Abstract

Augmentation of electrical conduction and contractility by biphasic stimulation of muscle tissue. A first stimulation phase has a first phase polarity, amplitude, and duration. The first stimulation phase, which acts as a conditioning mechanism, is administered at no more than a maximum subthreshold amplitude. A second stimulation phase has a second polarity, amplitude, and duration. The two phases are applied sequentially. Contrary to current thought, anodal stimulation is applied as the first stimulation phase, followed by cathodal stimulation as the second stimulation phase. In this fashion, pulse conduction through muscle is improved, together with an increase in contractibility. Furthermore, this mode of biphasic stimulation reduces the electrical energy required to elicit contraction. In addition, the conditioning first stimulation phase decreases the stimulation threshold by reducing the amount of electrical current required for the second stimulation phase to elicit contraction. The muscle tissue encompassed by the present invention includes skeletal (striated) muscle, cardiac muscle, and smooth muscle.

Claims

1. An apparatus for stimulating muscle tissue with biphasic waveforms, comprising:

pulse generation electronics that generate a pulse, the pulse defining a first stimulation phase and defining a second stimulation phase, wherein the first stimulation phase has a first phase polarity, a first phase amplitude, a first phase shape, and a first phase duration for preconditioning the muscle tissue to accept subsequent stimulation, and wherein the second stimulation phase has a polarity opposite to the first phase polarity, a second phase amplitude that is larger in absolute value than the first phase amplitude, a second phase shape, and a second phase duration; and

leads connected to the pulse generation electronics and being adapted to apply the first stimulation phase and the second stimulation phase in sequence to the muscle tissue, wherein the muscle tissue is selected from the group consisting of striated muscle, smooth muscle and mixed muscle;

wherein the first phase amplitude is ramped from a baseline value to a second value.

2. An apparatus for stimulating muscle tissue with biphasic waveforms, comprising:

pulse generation electronics that generate a pulse, the pulse defining a first stimulation phase and defining a second stimulation phase, wherein the first stimulation phase has a first phase polarity, a first phase amplitude, a first phase shape, and a first phase duration for preconditioning the muscle tissue to accept subsequent stimulation, and wherein the second stimulation phase has a polarity opposite to the first phase polarity, a second phase amplitude that is larger in absolute value than the first phase amplitude, a second phase shape, and a second phase duration; and

leads connected to the pulse generation electronics and being adapted to apply the first stimulation phase and the second stimulation phase in sequence to the muscle tissue, wherein the muscle tissue is selected from the group consisting of striated muscle, smooth muscle and mixed muscle;

wherein the first phase amplitude is ramped from a baseline value to a second value, and wherein the absolute value of the second value is equal to the absolute value of the second phase amplitude.

3. An apparatus for stimulating muscle tissue with biphasic waveforms, comprising:

pulse generation electronics that generate a pulse, the pulse defining a first stimulation phase and defining a second stimulation phase, wherein the first stimulation phase has a first phase polarity, a first phase amplitude, a first phase shape, and a first phase duration for preconditioning the muscle tissue to accept subsequent stimulation, and wherein the second stimulation phase has a polarity opposite to the first phase polarity, a second phase amplitude that is larger in absolute value than the first phase amplitude, a second phase shape, and a second phase duration; and

leads connected to the pulse generation electronics and being adapted to apply the first stimulation phase and the second stimulation phase in sequence to the muscle tissue, wherein the muscle tissue is selected from the group consisting of striated muscle, smooth muscle and mixed muscle;

wherein the first stimulation phase further comprises a series of stimulating pulses of a predetermined amplitude, polarity, and duration.

4. An apparatus for stimulating muscle tissue with biphasic waveforms, comprising:

pulse generation electronics that generate a pulse, the pulse defining a first stimulation phase and defining a second stimulation phase, wherein the first stimulation phase has a first phase polarity, a first phase amplitude, a first phase shape, and a first phase duration for preconditioning the muscle tissue to accept subsequent stimulation, and wherein the second stimulation phase has a polarity opposite to the first phase polarity, a second phase amplitude that is larger in absolute value than the first phase amplitude, a second phase shape, and a second phase duration; and

leads connected to the pulse generation electronics and being adapted to apply the first stimulation phase and the second stimulation phase in sequence to the muscle tissue, wherein the muscle tissue is selected from the group consisting of striated muscle, smooth muscle and mixed muscle;

wherein the first phase polarity is positive and the maximum subthreshold amplitude is about 0.5 to 3.5 volts.

5. An apparatus for stimulating muscle tissue with biphasic waveforms, comprising:

pulse generation electronics that generate a pulse, the pulse defining a first stimulation phase and defining a second stimulation phase, wherein the first stimulation phase has a first phase polarity, a first phase amplitude, a first phase shape, and a first phase duration for preconditioning the muscle tissue to accept subsequent stimulation, and wherein the second stimulation phase has a polarity opposite to the first phase polarity, a second phase amplitude that is larger in absolute value than the first phase amplitude, a second phase shape, and a second phase duration; and

leads connected to the pulse generation electronics and being adapted to apply the first stimulation phase and the second stimulation phase in sequence to the muscle tissue, wherein the muscle tissue is selected from the group consisting of striated muscle, smooth muscle and mixed muscle;

wherein the first phase duration is at least as long as the second phase duration and the first phase duration is about one to nine milliseconds.

6. An apparatus for stimulating muscle tissue with biphasic waveforms, comprising:

pulse generation electronics that generate a pulse, the pulse defining a first stimulation phase and defining a second stimulation phase, wherein the first stimulation phase has a first phase polarity, a first phase amplitude, a first phase shape, and a first phase duration for preconditioning the muscle tissue to accept subsequent stimulation, and wherein the second stimulation phase has a polarity opposite to the first phase polarity, a second phase amplitude that is larger in absolute value than the first phase amplitude, a second phase shape, and a second phase duration; and

leads connected to the pulse generation electronics and being adapted to apply the first stimulation phase and the second stimulation phase in sequence to the muscle tissue, wherein the muscle tissue is selected from the group consisting of striated muscle, smooth muscle and mixed muscle;

wherein the first phase duration is at least as long as the second phase duration and the second phase duration is about 0.2 to 0.9 millisecond.

7. An apparatus for stimulating muscle tissue with biphasic waveforms, comprising:

pulse generation electronics that generate a pulse, the pulse defining a first stimulation phase and defining a second stimulation phase, wherein the first stimulation phase has a first phase polarity, a first phase amplitude, a first phase shape, and a first phase duration for preconditioning the muscle tissue to accept subsequent stimulation, and wherein the second stimulation phase has a polarity opposite to the first phase polarity, a second phase amplitude that is larger in absolute value than the first phase amplitude, a second phase shape, and a second phase duration; and

leads connected to the pulse generation electronics and being adapted to apply the first stimulation phase and the second stimulation phase in sequence to the muscle tissue, wherein the muscle tissue is selected from the group consisting of striated muscle, smooth muscle and mixed muscle;

wherein the second phase amplitude is about two volts to twenty volts.

8. An apparatus for stimulating muscle tissue with biphasic waveforms, comprising:

pulse generation electronics that generate a pulse, the pulse defining a first stimulation phase and defining a second stimulation phase, wherein the first stimulation phase has a first phase polarity, a first phase amplitude, a first phase shape, and a first phase duration for preconditioning the muscle tissue to accept subsequent stimulation, and wherein the second stimulation phase has a polarity opposite to the first phase polarity, a second phase amplitude that is larger in absolute value than the first phase amplitude, a second phase shape, and a second phase duration; and

leads connected to the pulse generation electronics and being adapted to apply the first stimulation phase and the second stimulation phase in sequence to the muscle tissue, wherein the muscle tissue is selected from the group consisting of striated muscle, smooth muscle and mixed muscle;

wherein the second phase duration is less than 0.3 milliseconds and the second phase amplitude is greater than twenty volts.

9. An apparatus for stimulating muscle tissue with biphasic waveforms, comprising:

pulse generation electronics that generate a pulse, the pulse defining a first stimulation phase and defining a second stimulation phase, wherein the first stimulation phase has a first phase polarity, a first phase amplitude, a first phase shape, and a first phase duration for preconditioning the muscle tissue to accept subsequent stimulation, and wherein the second stimulation phase has a polarity opposite to the first phase polarity, a second phase amplitude that is larger in absolute value than the first phase amplitude, a second phase shape, and a second phase duration; and

leads connected to the pulse generation electronics and being adapted to apply the first stimulation phase and the second stimulation phase in sequence to the muscle tissue, wherein the muscle tissue is selected from the group consisting of striated muscle, smooth muscle and mixed muscle;

wherein the stimulation to the muscle is selected from the group consisting of direct stimulation to the muscle and indirect stimulation to the muscle; and

wherein the indirect stimulation is administered through skin.

10. An apparatus for stimulating muscle tissue with biphasic waveforms, comprising:

pulse generation electronics that generate a pulse, the pulse defining a first stimulation phase and defining a second stimulation phase;

wherein the first stimulation phase has a positive polarity, a first phase amplitude, a first phase shape, and a first phase duration, where the first phase amplitude is about 0.5 to 3.5 volts, and the first phase duration is about one to nine milliseconds; and

wherein the second stimulation phase has a negative polarity, a second phase amplitude that is larger in absolute value than the first phase amplitude, a second phase shape, and a second phase duration, where the second phase amplitude is about two volts to twenty volts, and the second phase duration is about 0.2 to 0.9 millisecond; and

leads connected to the pulse generation electronics and being adapted to apply the first stimulation phase and the second stimulation phase in sequence to the muscle tissue, wherein the muscle tissue is selected from the group consisting of striated muscle, smooth muscle and mixed muscle, and wherein the stimulation to the muscle is selected from the group consisting of direct stimulation to the muscle and indirect stimulation to the muscle.