RU2458712C1 - Apparatus for treating epilepsy - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: medicine.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to medical equipment. An apparatus comprises: two data retrieval electrodes placed on a tenth cranial nerve or cerebral portions, two stimulating electrodes placed on the tenth cranial nerve, a stimulation unit, a control unit. The stimulation unit comprises two series switchboards, an operating amplifier, a sigma particle, an analogue-to-digital converter, a microprocessor, a transmitter-receiver. A digital-to-analogue converter, a generator, a switchboard are series connected on a second output of the microprocessor. A magnetoelectric generator is connected to the microprocessor. A power element supplies the unit. The control unit consists of series transmitter-receiver, microcontroller. A real-time clock, a flash memory, USB microcircuit are parallel connected to the microcontroller. The power element supplies the unit. The control unit comprises a permanent magnet separated from the electric circuit by a screening wall in order to eliminate magnetism on the electric circuit.

EFFECT: invention provides higher clinical effectiveness ensured by adaptation of the apparatus to an epileptic seizure.

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Description

The invention relates to medical equipment, namely to devices that stimulate the human nervous system with electric pulses to suppress the epileptic activity of the body, and can be used in the treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy with generalized and partial seizures.

For the treatment of drug-resistant resistive epilepsy, vagus nerve stimulation is used by direct electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve in the neck to change the functioning of the main pathways of the brain.

Closest to the claimed is a device for the treatment of epilepsy company Cyberonics (USA) Generator Model 102 (US 2008/018346 A1, 07/31/2008) adopted as a prototype.

The prototype contains: two electrodes implanted on the vagus nerve, stimulating block, command block.

The stimulating unit contains a series-connected receiving path, an analog-to-digital converter, a microcontroller, a digital-to-analog converter, a generator connected to the electrodes. A magnetoelectric trigger generator is connected to the second input of the microcontroller. The unit also includes a battery.

The command unit includes a permanent magnet.

The electrodes are implantable metal conductors of a spiral shape, enclosed in a polymer casing.

Stimulation of the nerve is carried out by electric pulses, the main parameters of which are presented in the table.

The device has two operating modes - automatic and forced.

Instrument Parameters Characteristics input current range 0.25-3.5 mA Sampling step 0.25, accuracy ± 0.25≤1 mA, ± 10%> 1 mA carrier frequency of the acting signal 1, 2, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 Hz, ± 6% modulation signal duration 130, 250, 500, 750, 1000 µsec ± 10% duration of exposure to the generated signal 7, 14, 21, 30, 60 s ± 15% discretization of the duration of the impact of the generated signal 0.2; 0.3; 0.5; 0.8; 1.1; 1.8; 3 min and 5 to 180 min (5 to 60 min in 5 min increments; 60 to 180 min in 30 min increments)

The device operates as follows. The microcontroller of the stimulating block forms the parameters of the acting electric signal in accordance with the program laid down in it. The generated parameters of the acting signal from the microcontroller enter the digital-to-analog converter, which converts the digital signal into analog form. The converted analog signal is fed to a generator that generates an acting electrical pulse in accordance with the specified signal parameters. Thus obtained electrical signal is supplied to the electrodes, which directly affect the vagus nerve. The microcontroller of the stimulating unit is programmed by an external programmer located at the attending physician. To do this, a receiving path is installed in the stimulating unit, which receives information from the programmer via the radio channel. The signal received by the receiving path enters the microcontroller for programming it. A magnetoelectric generator connected to a microcontroller is used to force the stimulus unit to turn on (when an attack occurs) in order to stimulate the vagus nerve. The magnetoelectric generator is switched on using a permanent magnet located in the command unit.

The disadvantages of the prototype:

- the period of exposure to the signal may not coincide with the moment of epileptic seizure;

- the frequency and amplitude of the acting pulse are rigidly fixed.

These shortcomings reduce the effectiveness of treatment, since it does not fully compensate for the effect of an epileptic seizure on the body.

The invention is aimed at creating a device for the treatment of epilepsy, providing increased treatment efficiency by adapting the device to the individual characteristics of an epileptic seizure of a particular patient.

The specified technical result in the implementation of the invention is achieved by the fact that in the known device for the treatment of epilepsy, containing electrodes, a stimulating unit including a battery, a series-connected receiving path, a computing element, a digital-analog converter, a generator, in addition, a magnetoelectric generator is connected to the input of the computing element , as well as a command unit containing a permanent magnet, a feature is that the stimulating unit additionally contains the last An interconnected switch, an operational amplifier, a sigma-delta modulator, an analog-to-digital converter, a microprocessor, a transceiver path, in addition, the device contains two receive electrodes and two stimulating electrodes, a command unit containing a battery, a serially transceiver path, a microcontroller and parallel-connected with a microcontroller real-time clock, flash memory, USB port.

The invention is illustrated in the figure, which shows the functional structural diagram of the device.

The device contains: two electrodes for removing information 1 installed on the vagus nerve or brain regions, two stimulating electrodes 2 installed on the vagus nerve, stimulating block 3, command block 4.

The stimulating unit 3 consists of a series-connected switch 5, an operational amplifier 6, a sigma-delta modulator 7, an analog-to-digital converter 8, a microprocessor 9, a transceiver tract 10. A digital-to-analog converter 11, a generator 12, a switch 5 are connected in series to the second output of the microprocessor 9. The magnetoelectric generator 13 is connected to the microprocessor 9. The unit is powered by a battery 14.

The command unit 4 consists of a series-connected transceiver path 15, the microcontroller 16. A real-time clock 17, a flash memory 18, a USB port microcircuit are connected in parallel with the microcontroller 16. The unit is powered by a power supply 20. The command unit includes a permanent magnet 21, separated from the electrical circuit by a shielding partition in order to eliminate magnetic interference on the electrical circuit.

The device is made on standard electro-radio elements.

The electrodes for removing information 1 are metal conductors of a spiral or flat shape, enclosed in a polymer casing. Stimulating electrodes 2 are implantable metal conductors of a spiral shape, enclosed in a polymer casing.

Stimulation of the vagus nerve is carried out by electric pulses with selection of frequency and amplitude, period of the acting electric signal for each specific patient, the main parameters of which are as follows:

stimulation frequency range 1-30 Hz;

output current 0-3.5 mA;

adjustment step 0.25 mA.

The device operates as follows: from the vagus nerve or parts of the brain, the electrical signal is removed by the implanted two electrodes 1. The captured electrical signal is sent to the stimulating unit 3, in which the electrical signal is received through switch 5. The electrical signal through switch 5, which determines the operating mode device, enters the operational amplifier 6, where it is amplified. The amplified electrical signal is transmitted to the input of the sigma-delta modulator 7, which carries out its cleaning from noise. The purified and amplified electrical signal enters the analog-to-digital Converter 8, where it is converted from analog to digital form. The digitized signal is transmitted to the microprocessor 9, which processes the received signal in accordance with the adaptive program and, if necessary, generates parameters of the acting signal to suppress an epileptic seizure. The acting signal is fed to a digital-to-analog converter 11, which converts the digital signal into an analog signal and then transfers it to the input of the generator 12. The generator 12 generates an electrical signal based on the calculated parameters, which is fed through the switch 5 to the electrodes 2, which stimulate the vagus nerve. At the same time, the microprocessor 9 duplicates the parameters of the acting signal at the input of the transceiver path 10, which transmits it over the air to the command unit 4. The received signal from the output of the transceiver path 10 enters the microprocessor 9.

The command unit 4 receives the signal through the transceiver path 15, received by the transceiver path 15, the signal is input to the microcontroller 16, where the received signal is processed. Information from the stimulating block 3 about the epileptic seizure, the parameters of the epileptic seizure and the parameters of the acting signal is recorded in the flash memory 18 and, if necessary, can be transferred to the PC of the attending physician via the USB port 19 connected to the microcontroller 16. The microcontroller 16 is connected to the real clock time 17 for recording a record of information received from the stimulating unit 3 of information. The command unit 4 also performs the functions of the programmer of the stimulating unit 3. This function is performed by entering the necessary information from the PC of the attending physician through the USB port 19 into the microcontroller 16 of the command unit 4. The information entered into the microcontroller 16 is fed to the transceiver path 15 of the command unit 4. The transceiver path 15 of the command unit 4 carries out the broadcast of the signal to the stimulating unit 3.

The device also has the function of forcibly turning on the stimulating unit 3 by means of a permanent magnet 21 installed in the command unit 4, which, under the influence of a magnetic field, acts on the magnetoelectric generator 13 installed in the stimulating unit 3. Under the influence of the magnetic field, the magnetoelectric generator 13 generates an electrical signal serving for the microprocessor 9 command to force the start of the parameters of the stimulating signal to stimulate the vagus nerve .

Using the inventive device allows the stimulation of the vagus nerve depending on the patient’s condition, and the applied algorithmic and software-mathematical software allow you to create an adaptive system with the setting of the affecting parameters of the electrical signal for the treatment of epilepsy taking into account the patient’s condition.

Claims (1)

A device for the treatment of epilepsy, containing electrodes, a stimulating unit including a battery, a series-connected receiving path, a computational element, a digital-to-analog converter, a generator; in addition, a magnetoelectric generator is connected to the input of the computational element, as well as a command unit containing a permanent magnet, characterized in that the stimulating unit further comprises a series-connected switch, an operational amplifier, a sigma-delta modulator, an analog-to-digital conversion In addition, the device contains two receiving electrodes and two stimulating electrodes, the command unit contains a battery element, the transceiving path, the microcontroller and the real-time clock, flash memory, and USB port connected in parallel with the microcontroller.

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