DEVICE AND METHOD FOR REDUCING PATIENT TRANSTHORACIC IMPEDANCE FOR THE PURPOSE OF DELIVERING A THERAPEUTIC CURRENT

• US 20120310315A1
• Filed: 12/06/2011
• Published: 12/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CardioThrive, Inc.
• Original Assignee: CardioThrive, Inc.
• Inventors: Savage, Walter T., Savage, Shelley J., Morrison, Douglas C., Geraty, Thomas K., Brinkerhoff, Mark D., Boeder, Ronald S., Ton, Tony M., Greger, Jeffrey S., Maclay, Walter N., Gray, Peter
• Granted Patent: US 8,781,576 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/116
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0531 Measuring skin impedance
• 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 1/0476 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 1/0502 Skin piercing electrodes
• 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 1/3925 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
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 80/00 Products made by additive manufacturing

Abstract

A device and method for reducing patient transthoracic impedance for the purpose of delivering a therapeutic current are provided. In one embodiment, the device for reducing patient transthoracic impedance for the purpose of delivering a therapeutic current may be used in a defibrillator. The device for reducing patient transthoracic impedance for the purpose of delivering a therapeutic current may be a microneedle array that may have a number of different configurations and may be made with different materials.

Claims

1. A defibrillator, comprising:

two paddles for delivering a shock to a patient;

each paddle having a microneedle array with two or more rows of conductive microneedles;

a device for generating a therapeutic current to deliver the shock to the patient through the two paddles; and

wherein the two paddles cause electroporation of a skin surface of the patient and deliver the therapeutic current through the skin surface.

2. The defibrillator of claim 1, wherein each microneedle in the microneedle array has the same shape.

3. The defibrillator of claim 1, wherein each microneedle in the microneedle array has a different shape.

4. The defibrillator of claim 1, wherein each microneedle in the microneedle array has a cylindrical shape.

5. The defibrillator of claim 1, wherein each microneedle in the microneedle array has a pyramidal shape.

6. The defibrillator of claim 5, wherein each pyramidal shaped microneedle further comprises one more portions that extend from a surface of the pyramidal shaped microneedle to increase an effective surface area of the pyramidal shaped microneedle.

7. The defibrillator of claim 1, wherein each microneedle in the microneedle array has one of a prism shape, a curved blade shape and a C-channel shape.

8. The defibrillator of claim 1, wherein each paddle has the microneedle array around an outer circumference of the paddle.

9. The defibrillator of claim 1, wherein the microneedle array is a first quadrant of microneedles, a second quadrant of microneedles, a third quadrant of microneedles and a fourth quadrant of microneedles wherein the four quadrants are separated from each other.

10. The defibrillator of claim 1, wherein the microneedle array is at least a first quadrant of microneedles and a second quadrant of microneedles wherein the quadrants are separated from each other.

11. The defibrillator of claim 1, wherein each microneedle is constructed from one of a pharmaceutical grade stainless steel, gold, titanium, nickel, iron, gold, platinum, tin, chromium, copper, alloys, silicon, silicon dioxide, capacitive carbon, graphite and polymers.

12. The defibrillator of claim 1, wherein each microneedle is constructed from a biocompatible material.

13. The defibrillator of claim 1 further comprising an impedance sensor that measures a depth of skin surface penetration of the microneedles.

14. A method for reducing patient transthoracic impedance for the purpose of delivering a therapeutic current, the method comprising:

providing a microneedle array having two or more rows of microneedles;

performing electroporation of a skin surface of the patient;

puncturing one or more layers of the skin surface using the microneedle array; and

delivering a therapeutic current through the skin surface at a reduced power due to a reduced transthoracic impedance caused by the electroporation and/or the microneedles.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising determining, using an impedance sensor, a depth of penetration in the skin surface of the microneedles.