Fencing of cardiac muscles

• US 6,415,178 B1
• Filed: 03/12/1999
• Issued: 07/02/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Impulse Dynamics NV
• Original Assignee: Impulse Dynamics NV
• Inventors: Ben-Haim, Shlomo, Darvish, Nissim, Mika, Yuval, Fenster, Maier
• Primary Examiner(s): Jastrzab, Jeffrey R.
• Application Number:
  US09/254,903
• Time in Patent Office: 1,208 Days
• Field of Search: 607/4, 607/5, 607/9, 607/25, 607/71, 607/70
• US Class Current: 607/5
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00243 cardiac
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/0243 for immobilizing local areas of the heart, e.g. while it beats trocars attached to inner organs or inner body tissue A61B2017/3488
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/32 alternating or intermittent currents applying electric fields by inductive or capacitive coupling A61N1/40; microwave apparatus A61N5/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3621 for treating or preventing abnormally high heart rate
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36557 controlled by chemical substances in blood
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36564 controlled by blood pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/368 comprising more than one electrode co-operating with different heart regions A61N1/3622, A61N1/3627 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3956 Implantable devices for applying electric shocks to the heart, e.g. for cardioversion

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.

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.

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.

4. A method according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the heart surgery is a bypass operation.

8. A method according to any of claims 2 and 3, 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.

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.

5. A method according to claim 3 wherein the heart surgery is a minimal invasive cardiac operation.

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.

10. Defibrillating apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the signal delivery means comprise one or more electrodes.

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.