External defibrillator

• US 8,615,295 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2010
• Issued: 12/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CardioThrive, Inc.
• Original Assignee: CardioThrive, Inc.
• Inventors: Savage, Walter T., Savage, Shelley J., Maclay, Walter N., Morrison, Douglas C., Geraty, Thomas K., Brinkerhoff, Mark D., Boeder, Ronald S., Ton, Tony M., Greger, Jeffrey S.
• Primary Examiner(s): PATTON, AMANDA K
• Application Number:
  US12/724,269
• Publication Number:
  US 20100241181A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,380 Days
• Field of Search: 607 4- 5, 607/142
• US Class Current: 607/5
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/046 Specially adapted for shock therapy, e.g. defibrillation
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0472 Structure-related aspects
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0492 Patch electrodes A61N1/0412, A61N1/0428 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/327 for enhancing the absorption properties of tissue, e.g. by electroporation
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3904 External heart defibrillators [EHD]
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3918 characterised by shock pathway, e.g. by electrode configuration
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3925 Monitoring; Protecting
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3968 Constructional arrangements, e.g. casings A61N1/375 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3993 User interfaces for automatic external defibrillators

Abstract

A variety of arrangements and methods relating to a defibrillator are described. In one aspect of the invention, a defibrillator includes two paddles that each include a defibrillator electrode covered in a protective housing. The two paddles are sealed together using a releasable seal to form a paddle module such that the housings of the paddles form the exterior of the paddle module. An electrical system including at least a battery and a capacitor is electrically coupled with the paddles. The battery is arranged to charge the capacitor. The capacitor is arranged to apply a voltage at the defibrillator electrodes, which generates an electrical shock for arresting a cardiac arrhythmia.

Claims

1. A portable defibrillator comprising:

two paddles electrically connected to each other, each paddle including a defibrillator electrode covered in a separate protective housing, the two paddles sealed together using a releasable seal to form a paddle module, the protective housings of the two paddles forming the exterior of the paddle module; and

an electrical system, incorporated partially within the paddle module, coupled to the defibrillator electrode in each paddle, the electrical system including at least a battery and a capacitor, the battery arranged to charge the capacitor, the capacitor arranged to apply a voltage at the defibrillator electrodes to facilitate delivering an electrical shock suitable for arresting a cardiac arrhythmia.

2. The portable defibrillator as recited in claim 1, wherein the releasable seal is frangible.

3. The portable defibrillator as recited in claim 1, wherein the releasable seal is formed using at least one selected from the group consisting of:

a lock, a tape, an adhesive, a pin and a water resistant seal.

4. The portable defibrillator as recited in claim 1, further comprising a connecting structure between the two paddles including a sheet-like section having a first surface and an opposing second surface, the first surface of the connecting structure having instructions for using the defibrillator.

5. The portable defibrillator as recited in claim 4, wherein each defibrillator electrode includes a contact surface and wherein the paddles and the connecting structure are arranged such that the first surface of the connecting structure faces in a direction substantially opposite that of the contact surfaces of the paddles when the connecting structure is substantially fully extended and arranged substantially flat between the paddles.

6. The portable defibrillator as recited in claim 5, wherein the connecting structure includes at least one electrically conductive wire and a plurality of sheets made at least partly of an electrically insulating material, the at least one wire forming an electrical connection between the paddles and being embedded within at least one of the sheets, the plurality of sheets being flexibly and serially connected to form the connecting structure.

7. The portable defibrillator as recited in claim 4, wherein a display screen is mounted on the first surface of the connecting structure, the display screen electrically coupled to the electrical system and arranged to display instructions for using the defibrillator, the display screen being at least one selected from the group consisting of:

an electronic display, an electronic ink display, a liquid crystal display, a plasma screen and a plurality of light emitting diodes.

8. The portable defibrillator as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

one or more processors coupled to the two paddles; and

a computer readable storage medium coupled to the two paddles and the one or more processors, the computer readable medium including computer code that is executable by the one or more processors, the computer code comprising;

executable computer code operable to assess whether the releasable seal has been broken;

executable computer code operable to charge the capacitor using the battery based on assessing whether the releasable seal has been broken; and

executable computer code operable to receive and analyze signals received from a chest of a person through the paddles.

9. The portable defibrillator as recited in claim 8, wherein the computer code further comprises:

executable computer code operable to determine whether the signals received from the chest of the person correspond to a cardiac arrhythmia; and

executable computer code operable to prevent a delivery of more than 10 electrical shocks by the paddles even when it is determined that the signals received from the chest of the person correspond to a cardiac arrhythmia.

10. The portable defibrillator as recited in claim 9, wherein the computer code further comprises:

executable computer code operable to send message data wirelessly to a remote server based on the assessing as to whether the releasable seal has been broken.

11. The portable defibrillator as recited in claim 10 wherein the message data includes at least one selected from the group consisting of:

GPS data indicating a current location of the defibrillator and health data based on the signals received from the chest of the person.

12. The portable defibrillator as recited in claim 10, wherein the computer code further comprises:

executable computer code operable to receive and store customizable data from a computing device external to the defibrillator; and

executable computer code operable to selectively identify a destination device based on the customizable data, wherein the message data is sent to the remote server identified using the customizable data.

13. The portable defibrillator as recited in claim 8 wherein:

at least one of the paddles includes a sensor;

the computer code further comprises executable computer code operable to receive and process sensor data from the sensor, the sensor data indicating at least one of the group consisting of;

an amount of pressure applied against the paddle and an amount of moisture near the paddle; and

executable computer code operable to display a warning signal on an exterior of the defibrillator, the warning signal based on the received sensor data.

14. The portable defibrillator as recited in claim 1 wherein each paddle includes a paddle guard made of a flexible, electrically insulating material that is unexposed and disposed within the paddle module, the paddle guard arranged such that portions of a chest of the person outside a profile of each paddle are covered by the paddle guard when the paddle is placed on the chest of the person, thereby reducing a probability that an operator of the paddles will come in direct contact with the person receiving the therapeutic shock during defibrillation.

15. The portable defibrillator as recited in claim 1 wherein:

a total volume of the capacitor in the defibrillator is less than 600 cubic centimeters; and

the electrical system delivers less than 6 electrical shocks, each electrical shock lasting between 4 and 20 milliseconds and involving applying an electrical voltage of between 1400 and 2000 volts at the defibrillator electrodes.

16. The portable defibrillator as recited in claim 1 wherein each of the defibrillator electrodes is covered with an electrically conductive adhesive layer.

17. The portable defibrillator as recited in claim 1 wherein the exterior of the paddle module lacks sharp edges and is substantially smooth such that there is no recess anywhere on the exterior of the paddle module that is deeper than 4 millimeters, thereby reducing a tendency of the paddle module to get caught on other objects.

18. The portable defibrillator as recited in claim 1, wherein exposed portions of the housings of the paddles constitute at least a majority of all exposed surface area on the exterior of the paddle module.

19. The portable defibrillator as recited in claim 1 wherein the paddle module further comprises a ribbed membrane extending along a side of the paddle module to facilitate holding of the paddle module.

20. The portable defibrillator as recited in claim 1, wherein the paddles in the paddle module are arranged such that an electrically conductive contact surface on the two paddles directly face one another.

21. The portable defibrillator as recited in claim 1, wherein a display screen is mounted in the housing of one of the paddles, the display screen facing in a direction opposite that of the defibrillator electrode of the one of the paddles, the display screen electrically coupled to the electrical system to display images related to using the defibrillator.

22. The portable defibrillator as recited in claim 1, further comprising a power module that includes a housing, the electrical system being disposed at least in part within the housing of the power module, the power module being electrically and physically connected to at least one of the paddles via at least one cable.

23. The portable defibrillator as recited in claim 1, wherein each paddle includes a groove extending along a side arranged to receive a thumb of a person, the groove having a raised edge, the raised edge of each of the paddles cooperating to form a central ridge that extends along a central axis of the paddle module, the grooves of the sealed paddles being arranged symmetrically around the central ridge.

24. The portable defibrillator as recited in claim 1, wherein the electrical system generates no more than 10 shocks at the defibrillator electrodes of the paddles without a recharging of the battery.

25. The portable defibrillator of claim 1, wherein the electrical system is housed in one of the paddles.

26. The portable defibrillator of claim 1, wherein the electrical system is housed within the two paddles.

27. The portable defibrillator of claim 1, wherein the electrical system is partially housed within a separate power module.

28. The portable defibrillator of claim 1, wherein each defibrillator electrode includes a plurality of electrically conductive protrusions.

29. A portable defibrillator comprising:

two paddles, each paddle including a defibrillator electrode covered in a protective housing;

a connecting structure that electrically and physically connects the two paddles to each other;

an electrical system including at least a battery and a capacitor, the battery arranged to charge the capacitor, the capacitor arranged to apply a voltage at the defibrillator electrodes to facilitate delivering an electrical shock suitable for arresting a cardiac arrhythmia, a part of the electrical system being disposed within the housing of each paddle; and

wherein the two paddles are sealed together using a releasable seal to form a paddle module such that the defibrillator electrodes of the paddles are unexposed and the housings of the paddles cooperate to form an exterior of the paddle module.

30. The portable defibrillator as recited in claim 29, wherein the releasable seal is frangible.

31. The portable defibrillator as recited in claim 30, wherein the releasable seal involves at least one selected from the group consisting of:

a tape, an adhesive, a water resistant seal and a pin.

32. The portable defibrillator as recited in claim 29, wherein:

the connecting structure is folded and positioned directly between the defibrillator electrodes of the two paddles; and

the connecting structure is arranged to unfold when the two paddles are unsealed and pulled away from one another.

33. The portable defibrillator as recited in claim 29, wherein;

each paddle in the paddle module includes a recess, the recesses of the paddles cooperating to form a cavity in the paddle module; and

the connecting structure is positioned within the cavity.

34. The portable defibrillator of claim 29, wherein each defibrillator electrode includes a plurality of electrically conductive protrusions.

35. A portable defibrillator comprising:

two paddles, each paddle including a defibrillator electrode covered in a protective housing;

a connecting structure that electrically and physically connects the two paddles to each other;

an electrical system including at least a battery and a capacitor, the battery arranged to charge the capacitor, the capacitor arranged to apply a voltage at the defibrillator electrodes to facilitate delivering an electrical shock suitable for arresting a cardiac arrhythmia, a part of the electrical system being disposed within the housing of each paddle; and

wherein the connecting structure includes a sheet-like section with a first surface and an opposing second surface, the first surface of the connecting structure having instructions on using the defibrillator, the paddles and the sheet being arranged such that the first surface of the connecting structure faces in a direction substantially opposite that of a conductive surface of the paddles when the connecting structure is substantially fully extended and arranged substantially flat between the paddles.

36. A portable defibrillator comprising:

two paddles, each paddle including a defibrillator electrode covered by a protective housing;

a flexible connecting structure that physically and electrically connects the two paddles to each other, the connecting structure having a sheet-like section with a first surface and an opposing second surface, the first surface of the connecting structure displaying instructions for using the defibrillator; and

an electrical system coupled with the two paddles, the electrical system including at least a battery and a capacitor, the battery arranged to charge the capacitor, the capacitor arranged to apply a voltage at the defibrillator electrodes to facilitate delivering an electrical shock suitable for arresting a cardiac arrhythmia.

37. The portable defibrillator as recited in claim 36 wherein the connecting structure includes a plurality of serially connected sheet-like sections, the connecting structure being foldable along crease lines dividing the sheet-like sections, adjacent sheet-like sections being connected to one another using at least one of the group consisting of:

a hinge, a binding and a plastic material.

38. The portable defibrillator as recited in claim 36 wherein the paddles and the connecting structure are arranged such that the first surface of the connecting structure faces in a direction substantially opposite that of contact surfaces of the defibrillator electrodes when the connecting structure is substantially fully extended and arranged substantially flat between the paddles.

39. The portable defibrillator as recited in claim 36, wherein the two paddles are sealed together using a releasable seal to form a paddle module such that the defibrillator electrodes of the paddles are unexposed and the housings of the two paddles cooperate to form the exterior of the paddle module.

40. The portable defibrillator as recited in claim 39 wherein the paddle module includes one or more springs coupled with the connecting structure, the one or more springs arranged to apply pressure upon the connecting structure, such that the connecting structure springs out from the paddles when the releasable seal of the paddle module is opened and the paddles are moved apart from one another.

41. The portable defibrillator as recited in claim 39, wherein:

the connecting structure is folded and positioned directly between the defibrillator electrodes of the two paddles; and

the connecting structure is arranged to unfold when the two paddles are unsealed and pulled away from one another.

42. The portable defibrillator as recited in claim 39, wherein:

the connecting structure is coiled within the paddle module; and

the connecting structure is arranged to uncoil when the two paddles are unsealed and pulled away from one another.

43. The portable defibrillator as recited in claim 36, wherein the connecting structure includes one or more embedded conductive wires that are covered in an electrically insulating material, the insulating material in the connecting structure helping to limit the leakage of current from the wires and direct electrical current through the connecting structure, such that electrical current is applied to a body of a person entirely through the defibrillator electrodes when the defibrillator electrodes have a voltage differential of between 1400 and 2000 volts and the defibrillator electrodes and the connecting structure are positioned on the body of the person.

44. The portable defibrillator of claim 36, wherein each defibrillator electrode includes a plurality of electrically conductive protrusions.