Electrode for evaluating cardiac functions via esophagus
First Claim
1. An electrode useful for generating or receiving electrical signals, the electrode comprising:
- a base having an outer circumference;
a protuberance unitarily arranged on said base, wherein said protuberance has a radius of curvature in the range of 0.050″
to 0.090″
; and
a gold-plated layer configured on an outer surface of said protuberance and said base.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An electrode useful for generating or receiving electrical signals generally comprises a base and more than one dome-like protuberance on an exterior surface of the base. The electrodes can be utilized in connection with various probe applications. For example, the electrodes can be utilized with an esophageal probe for invasively monitoring cardiac functions, including the ECG or cardiac output of a patient. To further minimize the differences in voltage potential as may be caused by electrolytes present at the point of contact, a gold-plated layer may be provided on the outer surface of the electrodes. An exemplary probe generally comprises a chassis with an electrical cable extending from the proximal end of the chassis and with the cable terminating at an electrical plug configured for connection to a cardiac monitor. The probe also includes an electrode assembly comprising the dome-like protuberances and configured to generate or receive electrical signals that are indicative of the cardiac functions of the patient. The probe may further include a deployment device attached to the chassis for stabilizing the probe within the esophagus. The probe may also be configured to include other sensing devices, for example, a temperature measuring device and an acoustic monitor.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. An electrode useful for generating or receiving electrical signals, the electrode comprising:
-
a base having an outer circumference;
a protuberance unitarily arranged on said base, wherein said protuberance has a radius of curvature in the range of 0.050″
to 0.090″
; and
a gold-plated layer configured on an outer surface of said protuberance and said base. - View Dependent Claims (2)
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3. An electrode useful for generating or receiving electrical signals, the electrode comprising:
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an annular ring base having an exterior surface and an interior aperture;
a dome-like protuberance arranged on said exterior surface of said annular ring base, said dome-like protuberance having a radius of curvature in the range of 0.050″
to 0.090″
; and
a gold-plated layer configured on said exterior surface of said annular ring base and on said dome-like protuberance. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An electrode for evaluating cardiac functions, the electrode comprising:
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an annular ring base having a first connector, a second connector, an exterior surface and an interior aperture, wherein said first and said second connectors are configured to enable attachment of said electrode to a tube-like probe;
a dome-like protuberance unitarily arranged on said exterior surface of said annular ring base; and
a gold-plated layer covering said exterior surface of said annular ring base and said dome-like protuberance. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11)
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12. An electrode useful for generating or receiving electrical signals, the electrode comprising:
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a band having an outside surface;
a dome-like protuberance unitarily mounted on said outside surface, said dome-like protuberance having a radius of curvature in the range of 0.050″
to 0.090″
; and
a gold-plated layer configured on said band and said dome-like protuberance. - View Dependent Claims (13)
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14. An esophageal probe useful for invasively monitoring cardiac functions in the esophagus of a patient, the probe comprising:
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a chassis having a proximal end and a distal end; and
at least one electrode configured on said chassis between said proximal end and said distal end, wherein said electrode comprises an annular ring and more than one dome unitarily arranged on said annular ring and configured for facilitating contact with a tissue wall of the esophagus of a patient. - View Dependent Claims (15)
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16. An electrode for receiving electrical signals for cardiac measurement, said electrode comprising:
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a base portion having an exterior surface, said base portion being adapted to connect to a probe device; and
a protruding member unitarily arranged on said exterior surface of said base portion, wherein said protruding member is configured substantially around an outer circumference of said base portion; and
wherein each of said exterior surface of said base portion and said protruding member comprises a gold-plated layer adapted to reduce the difference in voltage potential between said electrode and another electrode. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19)
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20. An esophageal probe useful for invasively monitoring cardiac functions in the esophagus of a patient, the probe comprising:
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a chassis having a proximal end and a distal end; and
at least one electrode, wherein said at least one electrode comprises, an annular base having an exterior surface, and a protruding member having a radius of curvature in the range of 0.050″
to 0.090″
;
wherein said exterior surface and said protruding member comprise a gold-plated layer adapted to reduce the difference in voltage potential between said at least one electrode and any other electrode configured on said chassis. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23)
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Specification