Electrical muscle controller
First Claim
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1. Heart control apparatus, the apparatus comprising:
- circuitry for generating a non-excitatory electric field adapted to stop fibrillation;
timing circuitry configured to determine an estimated activation time and configured to determine an application time for said field relative to said activation time;
a sensor configured to detect fibrillation;
a controller adapted to operate the circuitry in response to the detected fibrillation to generate a non-excitatory field which is applied at a timing and a magnitude where it does not reset the synchronization of the heart by forcing a significant percentage of the cardiac tissue into a refractory state; and
elongate electrodes for applying said non-excitatory electric field, wherein said field generated is characterized by a timing relative to the activation of the heart or of a portion thereof, and of a magnitude, shape, duty, cycle, phase, frequency, and duration which is unable to generate a propagating action potential.
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Abstract
A method of modifying the force of contraction of at least a portion of a heart chamber, including providing a subject having a heart, comprising at least a portion having an activation, and applying a non-excitatory electric field having a given duration, at a delay after the activation, to the portion, which causes the force of contraction to be increased by a least 5%.
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Citations
33 Claims
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1. Heart control apparatus, the apparatus comprising:
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circuitry for generating a non-excitatory electric field adapted to stop fibrillation; timing circuitry configured to determine an estimated activation time and configured to determine an application time for said field relative to said activation time; a sensor configured to detect fibrillation; a controller adapted to operate the circuitry in response to the detected fibrillation to generate a non-excitatory field which is applied at a timing and a magnitude where it does not reset the synchronization of the heart by forcing a significant percentage of the cardiac tissue into a refractory state; and elongate electrodes for applying said non-excitatory electric field, wherein said field generated is characterized by a timing relative to the activation of the heart or of a portion thereof, and of a magnitude, shape, duty, cycle, phase, frequency, and duration which is unable to generate a propagating action potential. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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17. Heart control apparatus, the apparatus comprising:
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circuitry for generating a non-excitatory electric field adapted to stop fibrillation; timing circuitry configured to determine an estimated activation time and configured to determine an application time for said field relative to said activation time; a sensor configured to detect fibrillation; a controller adapted to operate the circuitry in response to the detected fibrillation; and elongate electrodes for applying said non-excitatory electric field, wherein said field generated is characterized by a timing relative to the activation of the heart or of a portion thereof, and of a magnitude, shape, duty, cycle, phase, frequency, and duration which is unable to generate a propagating action potential.
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30. A method of heart control, comprising:
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providing heart control apparatus, the apparatus comprising; circuitry for generating a non-excitatory electric field adapted to stop fibrillation; timing circuitry configured to determine an estimated activation time and configured to determine an application time for said field relative to said activation time; a sensor configured to detect fibrillation; a controller adapted to operate the circuitry in response to the detected fibrillation; and elongate electrodes for applying said non-excitatory electric field, wherein said field generated is characterized by a timing relative to the activation of the heart or of a portion thereof, and of a magnitude, shape, duty, cycle, phase, frequency, and duration which is unable to generate a propagating action potential; and electrifying said elongate electrodes in response to a detection of fibrillation or arrhythmia. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33)
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Specification