Electrical nerve stimulation device
First Claim
1. A method of monitoring patient compliance for implementation with an electrical nerve stimulation device, the method comprising the steps of:
- generating an output treatment signal to at least one output channel having at least one lead wire with an electrode for attachment to the skin tissue of a patient;
monitoring at a controller the actual delivery of the generated output treatment signal to the patient by polling the at least one output channel for an open lead condition; and
storing selected data representing patient compliance at non-volatile memory, wherein the data includes a plurality of compliance data including compliance data dependant upon sensed changes in the actual delivery of the output treatment signal to the patient.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The electrical nerve stimulation unit in accordance with the present invention generally includes a housing, an input panel, a display panel, a controller, a first channel output, a second channel output, and a power system. While the device is generally described in terms of use as a TENS unit, it must be noted that other nerve stimulation applications for the device are envisioned as well. The myriad of intelligent and proactive programmable software functions and features of the present invention are executed on the controller'"'"'s microprocessor. For instance, open lead monitoring, soft recovery implementation, compliance monitoring, and enhanced power management are all controlled and monitored through the interfacing of the processor with the various devices and hardware on the unit'"'"'s hardware platform.
54 Citations
16 Claims
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1. A method of monitoring patient compliance for implementation with an electrical nerve stimulation device, the method comprising the steps of:
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generating an output treatment signal to at least one output channel having at least one lead wire with an electrode for attachment to the skin tissue of a patient; monitoring at a controller the actual delivery of the generated output treatment signal to the patient by polling the at least one output channel for an open lead condition; and storing selected data representing patient compliance at non-volatile memory, wherein the data includes a plurality of compliance data including compliance data dependant upon sensed changes in the actual delivery of the output treatment signal to the patient. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. A method of using an electrical nerve stimulation device, comprising the steps of:
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inputting at least one operating parameter into the nerve stimulation device at a keypad; processing the at least one inputted operating parameter to generate an output pulse signal at an at least one output channel; and monitoring changes in the actual delivery of the generated output signal to a user through polling of the at least one output channel. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method of monitoring a high voltage level circuit in a nerve stimulation device to conserve battery power, the method comprising the steps of:
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processing data, including inputted treatment parameters, to calculate a required electrical treatment output; processing the calculated electrical treatment output to further calculate an ideal voltage level needed at a high voltage circuit to obtain the required electrical output; generating the required electrical output for communication through at least one output channel; periodically monitoring the ideal voltage level at the high voltage circuit; and substantially maintaining the ideal voltage level at the high voltage circuit if it measurably deviates to reduce overcharging of the high voltage circuit. - View Dependent Claims (13)
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14. A method of operation for an electrical nerve stimulation device, comprising the steps of:
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inputting at least one operating parameter into the nerve stimulation device; processing the at least one inputted operating parameter to generate an output pulse signal at an at least one output channel; monitoring changes in the delivery of the generated output signal to a user'"'"'s skin through polling of the at least one output channel; initiating a low polling signal to replace the generated output signal upon detecting an open lead condition at the at least one channel; and performing a soft recovery ramp up of the output signal when the open lead condition is removed such that the low polling signal is set to approximately zero and the output signal is ramped up to a level substantially equal to the output signal generated prior to the open lead condition. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16)
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Specification