Electrotherapy device and method

• US 20020103513A1
• Filed: 07/10/2001
• Published: 08/01/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bio-Medical Research Limited
• Original Assignee: Bio-Medical Research Limited
• Inventors: Crowe, Michael Louis, Minogue, Michael Conor
• Granted Patent: US 6,728,577 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/46
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/321 Electromedical belts

Abstract

A method for stimulating abdominal muscles of a subject, comprising the steps of providing at least three electrodes, one of the at least three electrodes being a central electrode and the other two of the at least three electrodes being side electrodes located on the subject spaced apart from the central electrode on respective sides thereof, and passing at least one pulsed signal subcutaneously through the subject between selected electrodes of the at least three electrodes.

Claims

1. A method for stimulating abdominal muscles of a subject, comprising the steps of:

providing at least three electrodes, one of the at least three electrodes being a central electrode and the other two of the at least three electrodes being side electrodes located on the subject spaced apart from the central electrode on respective sides thereof; and

passing at least one pulsed signal subcutaneously through the subject between selected electrodes of the at least three electrodes.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of applying the at least one pulsed signal to the subject so that the signal passes subcutaneously through the subject between at least one selected pair of the at least three electrodes.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the at least one pulsed signal is applied simultaneously to each of the selected pairs of electrodes.

4. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the at least one pulsed signal is applied sequentially to each of the selected pairs of electrodes.

5. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein one of the selected pairs of electrodes comprises one side electrode and the central electrode, and another selected pair of electrodes comprises the other side electrode and the central electrode.

6. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein one of the selected pairs of electrodes comprises the two side electrodes.

7. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein one of the selected pairs of electrodes comprises one of the side electrodes and one of a pair of first and second central electrodes making up the central electrode, and another of the selected pairs comprises the other of the side electrodes and the other of the pair of first and second central electrodes making up the central electrode.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein one of the selected pairs of electrodes comprises the first and second central electrodes which act as one single electrode and one of the side electrodes, and another of the selected pairs of electrodes comprises the first and second central electrodes which act as one single electrode and the other side electrode.

9. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein one of the selected pairs of electrodes comprises the first and second central electrodes.

10. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the pulsed signals applied to the respective pairs of electrodes may be the same or different.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein each pulsed signal comprises a plurality of pulses at intervals in the range of 5 milliseconds to 1000 milliseconds.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein each pulsed signal comprises a plurality of pulses at intervals in the range of 20 milliseconds to 40 milliseconds.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein each pulsed signal comprises a plurality of pulses at intervals of approximately 30 milliseconds ±

20%.

14. The method as claimed claim 1, wherein the interval between pulses of each pulsed signal is adjustable.

15. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein each pulsed signal comprises pulses of duration in the range of 10 microseconds to 200000 microseconds.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein each pulsed signal comprises pulses of duration in the range of 50 microseconds to 1000 microseconds.

17. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein each pulsed signal comprises pulses of duration in the range of 100 microseconds to 500 microseconds.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein each pulsed signal comprises pulses of duration of approximately 300 microseconds ±

20%.

19. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the duration of each pulsed signal is adjustable.

20. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein each pulsed signal comprises a plurality of pulses of magnitude in the range of 0 mA to 100 mA.

21. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the magnitude of each pulse of each pulsed signal is adjustable.