Electrotherapy method
DC CAFCFirst Claim
1. A method for applying electrotherapy to a patient through electrodes external to a patient, the electrodes being electrically connected in a predetermined polarity to an energy source charged to an initial level, the method comprising the following step:
- discharging the energy source across the electrodes in the predetermined polarity until the end of a predetermined time period or until an electrical unit measured across the electrodes decays to a predetermined terminal level, whichever occurs first.
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Litigations
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Accused Products
Abstract
This invention provides an external defibrillator and defibrillation method that automatically compensates for patient-to-patient impedance differences in the delivery of electrotherapeutic pulses for defibrillation and cardioversion. In a preferred embodiment, the defibrillator has an energy source that may be discharged through electrodes on the patient to provide a biphasic voltage or current pulse. In one aspect of the invention, the first and second phase duration and initial first phase amplitude are predetermined values. In a second aspect of the invention, the duration of the first phase of the pulse may be extended if the amplitude of the first phase of the pulse fails to fall to a threshold value by the end of the predetermined first phase duration, as might occur with a high impedance patient. In a third aspect of the invention, the first phase ends when the first phase amplitude drops below a threshold value or when the first phase duration reaches a threshold time value, whichever comes first, as might occur with a low to average impedance patient. This method and apparatus of altering the delivered biphasic pulse thereby compensates for patient impedance differences by changing the nature of the delivered electrotherapeutic pulse, resulting in a smaller, more efficient and less expensive defibrillator.
232 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A method for applying electrotherapy to a patient through electrodes external to a patient, the electrodes being electrically connected in a predetermined polarity to an energy source charged to an initial level, the method comprising the following step:
discharging the energy source across the electrodes in the predetermined polarity until the end of a predetermined time period or until an electrical unit measured across the electrodes decays to a predetermined terminal level, whichever occurs first. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 16)
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9. A method for applying electrotherapy to a patient through electrodes connected to an energy source, the method comprising the following steps:
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discharging the energy source across the electrodes to deliver electrical energy to the patient in a multiphasic waveform; monitoring a patient-dependent electrical parameter during the discharging step; adjusting a discharge parameter based on a value of the monitored electrical parameter, the adjusting step comprising discharging the energy source across the electrodes in a phase of the multiphasic waveform until the end of a predetermined time period or until the monitored electrical parameter reaches a predetermined value, whichever occurs first. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18)
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Specification