Medical electrode

• US 7,346,380 B2
• Filed: 06/16/2006
• Issued: 03/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Axelgaard Manufacturing Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Axelgaard Manufacturing Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Axelgaard, Jens, Perrault, James J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cohen; Lee S.
• Application Number:
  US11/454,725
• Publication Number:
  US 20070293751A1
• Time in Patent Office: 641 Days
• Field of Search: 600/391
• US Class Current: 600/391
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/259 using conductive adhesive means, e.g. gels
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/274 using snap or button fasteners
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0496 characterised by using specific chemical compositions, e.g. hydrogel compositions, adhesives

Abstract

An electrode providing electrical contact with a patient'"'"'s skin includes a conductive member adapted for connection to an external electrical apparatus and a non-liquid film for electrically interfacing to said patient'"'"'s skin, the liquid film being electrically and mechanically connected to said conductive member. The non-liquid film includes an electrically conductive organic polymer plasticized with a polyhydric alcohol with said organic polymer being derived from a monomeric mixture comprising from about 15 to 30 pph acrylic acid, 0.5 to 30 pph N-vinylpyrrolidone and 0.01 to 2 pph of a crosslinking agent. The monomeric mixture may further comprise from about 0.5 to 8 pph of a thickening agent selected from the group consisting of N-vinylpyrrolidone/acrylic acid copolymers, N-vinylpyrrolidone/vinylacetate copolymers, and N-vinylpyrrolidone/vinylimidazole copolymers.

Claims

1. An electrode providing electrical contact with a patient'"'"'s skin comprising:

a conductive member including means for connection to an external electrical apparatus; and

means for electrically interfacing to said patient'"'"'s skin being electrically and mechanically connected to said conductive member, said interfacing means being a non-liquid film and which comprises an electrically conductive organic polymer plasticized with a polyhydric alcohol with said organic polymer being derived from a monomeric mixture comprising from about 15 to 30 pph acrylic acid, 0.5 to 30 pph N-vinylpyrrolidone and 0.01 to 2 pph of a crosslinking agent and from about 0.5 to 8 pph of thickening agent comprising N-vinylpyrrolidone/vinylimidazole copolymers.

2. The electrode of claim 1 wherein said polyhydric alcohol is glycerol.

3. The electrode of claim 2 wherein said crosslinking agent is selected from the group consisting of methylene bis-acrylamide and polyethylene glycol acrylates and diacrylates having a molecular weight from about 200 to about 600.

4. The electrode of claim 3 wherein said monomeric mixture further comprises from about 0.1 to 9 pph of a sulfonic acid-containing comonomer.

5. The electrode of claim 3 wherein said monomeric mixture further comprising from about 0.5 to 3 pph hydroxybutyl vinyl ether.

6. The electrode of claim 5 comprising from 0.5 to 3 pph of vinylimidazole and from 0.03 to 0.1 pph methylene bis-acrylamide.

7. The electrode of claim 5 wherein said monomeric mixture further comprises from about 40 to 60 pph of glycerol.

8. The electrode of claim 7 wherein said sulfonic-acid-containing comonomer is 2-acrylamido propane sulfonic acid.

9. The electrode of claim 1 wherein said monomeric mixture further comprises from 0.05 to 3 pph of an ultraviolet sensitive curing agent.

10. The electrode of claim 9 wherein said ultraviolet sensitive curing agent is selected from the group consisting of 2-hydroxy-2-methyl-1-phenylpropan-2-one 4-(2-hydroxyethoxy)phenyl(2-hydroxy-2-phenyl-2-hydroxy-2-propyl)ketone or 2,2-dimethoxy-2-phenyl-acetophenone and mixtures thereof.

11. The electrode of claim 1 wherein said monomeric mixture comprises from about 0.8 to 8 pph of a thickening agent comprising a N-vinylpyrrolidone/vinylimidazole copolymer.

12. The electrode of claim 1 wherein said monomeric mixture comprises from about 1.0 to 7.0 pph of a thickening agent comprising a N-vinylpyrrolidone/vinylimidazole copolymer.

13. The electrode of claim 1 wherein said mixture comprises from about 2.5 to 7.0 pph of a thickening agent comprising a N-vinylpyrrolidone/vinylimidazole copolymer.

14. The electrode of claim 1 wherein said N-vinylpyrrolidone/vinylimidazole copolymer is selected from the group consisting of copolymers having a vinylpyrrolidone/vinylimidazole ratio of 50:

50 and copolymers having a vinlypyrrolidone/vinylimidazole ratio of 40;

60.

15. The electrode of claim 1 wherein said monomeric N-vinylpyrrolidone/vinylimidazole copolymer comprises from about 40 to 50 pph N-vinylpyrrolidone and from about 50 to 60 pph vinylimidazole.