Fencing of cardiac muscles
First Claim
Patent Images
1. Apparatus for performing heart surgery, comprisingcircuitry for creating a long non-excitatory electric potential between at least two points located in the vicinity of the cardiac muscle, of a magnitude and at a timing at which it is unable to generate a propagating action potential, wherein the non-excitatory electric signal is a DC electric signal;
- and signal generation circuitry for superimposing on the DC signal one or more waveforms of given frequency and amplitude, thereby to generate a complex signal.
10 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus for blocking the electric activity of an area of tissue, comprises circuitry (S) for creating a long non-excitatory electric signal between at least two points (R1, R2) located in the vicinity of a muscle.
-
Citations
13 Claims
-
1. Apparatus for performing heart surgery, comprising
circuitry for creating a long non-excitatory electric potential between at least two points located in the vicinity of the cardiac muscle, of a magnitude and at a timing at which it is unable to generate a propagating action potential, wherein the non-excitatory electric signal is a DC electric signal; - and
signal generation circuitry for superimposing on the DC signal one or more waveforms of given frequency and amplitude, thereby to generate a complex signal.
- and
- 2. A method for performing heart surgery, comprising blocking the electric activity of a treated area of the cardiac muscle, by creating a long non-excitatory electric potential between at least two points located in the vicinity of the muscle, and controlling one or more of the parameters consisting of start time, duration, magnitude and polarity of the long non-excitatory electric potential created between said at least two points, thereby to obtain the desired blocking of the electric activity of the cardiac muscle at the treated heart area and thereafter performing surgery thereon.
- 3. A method for performing heart surgery, comprising blocking the electric activity of a treated area of the cardiac muscle, by causing a long non-excitatory electric current to flow between at least two points located in the vicinity of the muscle, and controlling one or more of the parameters consisting of start time, duration, magnitude and polarity of the long non-excitatory electric current flowing between said at least two points, thereby to obtain the desired blocking of the electric activity of the cardiac muscle at the treated heart area and thereafter performing surgery thereon.
-
6. A method of treating a condition induced by electric activity of cells, comprising treating a patient in need thereof with the application of a long non-excitatory signal of a magnitude and at a timing at which it is unable to generate a propagating action potential consisting of an electric current flowing between at least two points located in the vicinity of the affected cells, such that the total duration of the long non-excitatory electric signal exceeds the threshold value at which the electric activity of the tissue is blocked, wherein the condition is epilepsy.
-
7. A method of treating a condition induced by electric activity of cells, comprising treating a patient in need thereof with the application of a long non-excitatory signal of a magnitude and at a timing at which it is unable to generate a propagating action potential consisting of an electric current flowing between at least two points located in the vicinity of the affected cells, such that the total duration of the long non-excitatory electric signal exceeds the threshold value at which the electric activity of the tissue is blocked, wherein the condition is fibrillation.
-
9. Defibrillating apparatus comprising circuitry for creating a long non-excitatory electric potential between at least two points located in the vicinity of a muscle, for the localized and selective defibrillation at one or more locations of a heart, comprising for each of said one or more locations:
-
a) sensing means for sensing a change in electric activity of the heart or of a portion thereof;
b) analyzing circuitry, for analyzing said change in electric activity;
c) logic circuitry, for deciding on the appropriate therapy to be delivered to the sensed area or to the area of the heart which is responsible for the change in electric activity, said appropriate therapy comprising the application to the affected area of a long non-excitatory signal of a suitable magnitude, start time, duration and frequency;
d) signal delivery means, for delivering said long non-excitatory signal to said area of the heart; and
e) control means, for controlling the delivery of said long non-excitatory signals to each affected area, and for timing the delivery of different signals to two or more different affected areas of the heart. - View Dependent Claims (10)
-
-
11. A method for carrying out the localized and selective defibrillation in a patient in need thereof, at one or more locations of a heart, comprising for each of said one or more locations:
-
a) providing sensing means for sensing a change in electric activity of the heart or of a portion thereof;
b) analyzing said change in electric activity;
c) providing logic circuitry, for deciding on the appropriate therapy to be delivered to the sensed area or to the area of the heart which is responsible for the change in electric activity, said appropriate therapy comprising the application to the affected area of a long non-excitatory signal of a suitable magnitude, start time, duration and frequency;
d) delivering said long non-excitatory signal to said area of the heart; and
e) controlling the delivery of said long non-excitatory signals to each affected area, and timing the delivery of different signals to two or more different affected areas of the heart.
-
-
12. A method for performing heart surgery, the method comprising the steps of:
blocking the electric activity of a treated area of the cardiac muscle, by creating a long non-excitatory electric potential between at least two points located in the vicinity of the muscle, and controlling one or more of the parameters consisting of start time, duration, magnitude and polarity of the long non-excitatory electric potential created between said at least two points, thereby to obtain the desired blocking of the electric activity of the cardiac muscle at the treated heart area and thereafter performing surgery thereon, wherein the means for controlling the start time, duration and magnitude of the electric current flowing between said at least two points located in the vicinity of an area of the tissue comprise pulse generating means for generating a plurality of pulses, with a given frequency, and wherein the timing of said pulses is adapted to the activity of the tissue, the total duration of said series of pulses constituting the duration of the long non-excitatory signal.
-
13. A method for performing heart surgery, the method comprisi of:
blocking the electric activity of a treated area of the cardiac muscle, by causing a long non-excitatory electric current to flow between at least two points located in the vicinity of the muscle, and controlling one or more of the parameters consisting of start time, duration, magnitude and polarity of the long non-excitatory electric current flowing between said at least two points, thereby to obtain the desired blocking of the electric activity of the cardiac muscle at the treated heart area and thereafter performing surgery thereon, wherein the means for controlling the start time, duration and magnitude of the electric current flowing between said at least two points located in the vicinity of an area of the tissue comprise pulse generating means for generating a plurality of pulses, with a given frequency, and wherein the timing of said pulses is adapted to the activity of the tissue, the total duration of said series of pulses constituting the duration of the long non-excitatory signal.
Specification