Medical plaster

• US 8,105,248 B2
• Filed: 10/15/2001
• Issued: 01/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Birger Orten
• Original Assignee: ORGA Sense AS
• Inventors: Orten, Birger
• Primary Examiner(s): Casler, Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shahrestani, Nasir
• Application Number:
  US10/398,849
• Publication Number:
  US 20040030267A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,760 Days
• Field of Search: 601/2, 601/3, 601/4, 607/2, 607/46, 607/48, 607/50, 128/907, 600/554
• US Class Current: 601/2
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00734 battery operated
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/00051 Accessories for dressings
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/023 wound covering film layers without a fluid retention layer
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/0028 applying of mechanical pressure; passive massage
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0452 Specially adapted for transcutaneous muscle stimulation [TMS]
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0468 Specially adapted for promoting wound healing
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0476 Array electrodes (including any electrode arrangement with more than one electrode for at least one of the polarities)
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0492 Patch electrodes A61N1/0412, A61N1/0428 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/326 for promoting growth of cells, e.g. bone cells
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 7/00 Ultrasound therapy lithotripsy A61B17/22, A61B17/225; massage using supersonic vibration A61H23/00 ; using ultrasound for introducing media into the body A61M37/0092

Abstract

A piezoelectric unit (4), preferably a piezoelectric foil, is arranged in a medical plaster unit (13) for therapeutic or stimulating influence of body tissue in an area underneath the plaster unit. The plaster unit may be equipped with a battery (11) and a microcircuit (2) for delivering voltage pulses or oscillations to the piezo unit (4). The plaster unit (13) can possibly be used as part of a system of several plaster units (13) that are activated synchronously to influence one and the same tissues area.

Claims

1. A medical plaster system configured to deliver mechanical vibration energy to body tissue from the outside of the skin, the medical plaster system comprising:

a flexible backing layer and an adhesive layer;

at least one piezoelectric unit configured to emit tissue-influencing mechanical pulses or vibrations into tissue, located in or on said backing layer;

an energizing unit for said at least one piezoelectric unit, said energizing unit comprising electronics configured to deliver electric pulses or oscillations in the range 80 Hz-3MHz, superposed on a slower oscillation to said at least one piezoelectric unit, said energizing circuit being attached to said backing layer or said adhesive layer; and

a backing mass disposed between the flexible backing layer and the at least one piezoelectric unit, wherein the backing mass being more dense than the piezoelectric unit, the backing mass being at least ten times thicker than the at least one piezoelectric unit.

2. The medical plaster system of claim 1, wherein said energizing unit is situated on the medical plaster system, and is configured to control and/or energy supply from another, superior energizing circuit on another similar medical plaster system.

3. The medical plaster system of claim 1, wherein said energizing circuit is situated on the medical plaster system, and is configured to control and/or energy supply to other subordinate energizing circuits on other similar medical plaster systems.

4. The medical plaster system of claim 1, wherein said energizing circuit has its own battery.

5. The medical plaster system of claim 1, wherein said energizing circuit is situated on the medical plaster system, and is configured to receive control signals and/or power from an external operating unit, via wire or in a wireless manner.

6. The medical plaster system of claim 1, wherein said at least one piezoelectric unit is a piezoelectric foil.

16. The medical plaster system of claim 1, wherein said energizing circuit is separate and linked to said medical plaster system via a wire connection.

7. A medical plaster system configured to emit tissue-influencing mechanical energy from the outside of a patient'"'"'s skin, comprising:

a number of plaster units each comprising a flexible backing layer and an adhesive layer, wherein every plaster unit has at least one piezoelectric unit configured to emit mechanical pulses or vibrations, located in or on said backing layer;

a backing mass configured to radiate a larger part of the emitted energy from the piezoelectric unit into the patient'"'"'s skin, the backing mass being disposed between the flexible backing layer and the at least one piezoelectric unit, wherein the backing mass being more dense than the piezoelectric unit, the backing mass being at least ten times thicker than the at least one piezoelectric unit,

wherein the medical plaster system has at least one energizing circuit for the at least one piezoelectric unit, comprising electronics configured to deliver electric pulses or oscillations in the range 80 Hz-3 MHz, superposed on a slower oscillation, to said at least one piezoelectric unit; and

wherein connecting means are provided between the plaster units configured to transmit control signals regarding interactive piezoelectric activity.

8. The medical plaster system of claim 7, wherein at least one of said plaster units of the system has its own energizing circuit attached to the backing layer or the adhesive layer.

9. The medical plaster system of claim 7, wherein said connecting means are wires between respective energizing circuits.

10. The medical plaster system of claim 9, wherein only one plaster unit has a battery, whereby the connecting wires are configured to transmit control signals and power.

11. The plaster system of claim 8, in which every medical plaster unit has its own energizing circuit and its own battery, wherein said connecting means are wireless connections configured to transfer control signals from one of said medical plaster units to remaining medical plaster units of the medical plaster system.

12. The medical plaster system of claim 11, wherein said main unit is connected regarding control and/or power, to an external operating unit, via wire or in a wireless manner.

13. The medical plaster system of claim 7, further comprising one single separate energizing circuit, connected by wire to the piezoelectric unit of every plaster unit.

14. The medical plaster system of claim 7, wherein the at least one piezoelectric unit is a piezoelectric foil.

15. The medical plaster system of claim 7, further comprising a positioning template for predetermined, grouped arrangement of the plaster units of the system in a given geometrical structure.

17. The medical plaster system of claim 7, wherein said connecting means transfer power.

18. The medical plaster system of claim 9, wherein said connecting means connect the energizing circuit on one medical plaster unit and the piezoelectric unit on another medical plaster unit.

19. The medical plaster system of claim 15, wherein the geometrical structure of the positioning template is made relative to a particular tissue area.