WO2003105951A1

WO2003105951A1 - Electric stimulator

Info

Publication number: WO2003105951A1
Application number: PCT/RU2002/000348
Authority: WO
Inventors: Oleg Kuzovlev; Liudmila Khazina; Iosif Blinkov
Original assignee: Oleg Kuzovlev; Liudmila Khazina; Iosif Blinkov
Priority date: 2002-06-13
Filing date: 2002-07-24
Publication date: 2003-12-24
Also published as: RU2002115468A; AU2002330804A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to the means for electric therapy, in particular, for alternating or pulsed current treatment devices, and can be used for the stimulation of processes in biological objects. The electric stimulator contains an electronic unit and at least two stimulating electrodes.

Description

Electric Stimulator

The present invention relates to the means for electric therapy, in particular, for alternating or pulsed current treatment devices, and can be used for the stimulation of processes in biological objects.

The present device is used to implement the method of exogenous bioresonance therapy (RU Patent 2067879) based on treatment with weak electromagnetic fields, the specific characteristic parameters of which provide for resonance interaction with the biological oscillations present in the patient's body organs and tissues. The random bioelectric activity frequencies have been determined experimentally and clinically for some of the body organs, and for others the random bioelectric activity frequencies have been determined theoretically on the basis of well-known mathematical regularities. The method is implemented by treating the patient with electric current either in a contact way using electrodes or in a contactless way using a magnetic field induced by inductors, loops or belts.

Known is electric stimulator (RU Patent 2008038, 1994) that contains an inductivity coil wired to a power source. Said electric stimulator is intended for the treatment of mimetic muscle paresis caused by facial nerve peripheral branch lesion.

Disadvantage of said electric stimulator is its narrow possible application range.

Also known is electric stimulator (RU Patent 2020980, 1994). Said electric stimulator contains the first, the second and the third time-variable frequency generators, the first, the second and the third frequency modulators, the first, the second and the third master frequency generators, a control unit and an amplifier. Said electric stimulator is intended for the stimulation of neural and muscle tissues.

Disadvantage of said electric stimulator is its complex structure and consequent operation unreliability.

The closest counterpart of the present electric stimulator is the device described in RF Patent 2178319, 2002. Said electric stimulator is intended for the percutaneous stimulation of neural and muscle tissues and for the direct contact stimulation of muscle tissue and contains a low frequency driving pulse generator with pulse frequency and duration controls and a direct current source, a switching device, a voltage divider and stimulating electrodes, connected in series, the output of said generator being connected to the switching device control input.

The operation principle of said electric stimulator is as follows. The pulse generator produces randomly frequency and duration modulated low frequency control pulses that are fed to the switching device control input (for example, to the base of a transistor switch, and further, if a control pulse is present, saturate the transistor, i.e. close the transistor switch, while if a control pulse is absent, cut the transistor off, i.e. open the transistor switch, in such a way that said states of the transistor alternate at the preset random frequency and duration of the control pulses). The current supplied by the direct current source, the voltage of which is equal to the maximum stimulating pulse amplitude, is transformed by the switching device to direct pulsed current that is fed to the voltage divider, the latter being in the form of a potentiometer used to adjust the stimulating pulse amplitude in an arbitrary manner. The amplitude adjusted stimulating pulse is finally fed to the stimulating electrodes.

Disadvantage of said electric stimulator design is the impossibility of its readjustment which obviously restricts its applications.

The technical objective of the present invention is the development of a contact electric stimulator that controls the activity of muscle and neural tissues.

The technical result of the electric stimulator implementation is the possibility of treating the neural and muscle tissues with electric pulses at pathogenetically important structure-resonant ' frequencies.

It is suggested to achieve said technical result using a device containing a control unit and at least two stimulating electrodes, wherein the electronic unit contains a programmable logical integrated circuit, wherein the first input is connected to the driving pulse generator, the second input is connected to control unit, the first output is connected to the indicator panel, the second output is connected to the sound alarm, the third and the forth outputs are connected to the first and the second inputs of the frequency switch, the output of which is connected via the amplifier to the stimulating electrodes, wherein the programmable logical integrated circuit allows logical programming with a personal computer connected to the additional input of the programmable logical integrated circuit, all the elements of the electronic unit are connected to the power unit, the stimulating electrodes are made from an elastic conducting material, for example, graphitized conducting tissues, and the programmable logical integrated circuit is one of the ALTERA type. For example, the programmable logical integrated circuit can be ALTERA IPM7128FLC8415, the driving generator can be made on the basis of a K1533LA30 integrated circuit (Russian model) that is capable of generating signals at frequencies of up to 1.8

MHz. The indicator panel and the sound alarm are intended for the indication of operation mode change and the start and end of a treatment cycle. The control unit is intended for starting the device.

The programmable logical integrated circuit controls the generation conditions for the pulse generator which generates electric pulses that are fed to the switching device which forms the final current pulses that are fed to the stimulating electrodes.

The drawing shows the principal diagram of the device wherein 1 denotes the driving pulse generator, 2 denotes the control unit, 3 denotes the programmable logical integrated circuit, 4 denotes the indicator panel, 5 denotes the switching device, 6 denotes the amplifier, 7 denotes the sound alarm, 8 denotes the power unit and 9 denotes the stimulating electrodes.

The device suggested herein can be used for the neural and vascular tissue restoration treatment, in which case it should be operated as follows. One of the conducting tissues stimulating electrodes is applied to the affected area, and the second electrode is applied to an unaffected area adjacent to said affected area. Prior to the application the electrodes should be wetted, preferably, with boiled water. The electrodes are then connected to the amplifier outputs. Basically, the electrodes are affixed to the patient's skin with an elastic bandage covered with a polymer film to prevent bandage wetting. The current control of the control unit is set to the no current position. Further the electric stimulator is plugged into

220 V / 50 Hz mains. The device feeds the electrodes with a sequence of triangular pulses at envelope frequencies from 200 Hz to 50,000 Hz with corresponding carrier frequencies. The treatment session time can be set to within 60 min with a timer. The treatment session time is evenly subdivided between various frequency modes. For example, if the patient experiences pricking or vibration under the electrodes at the first of the frequency modes used, the current should be reduced until the unpleasant sensations are cleared off. At other frequencies the patient can restore the current to the maximum level, because in the frequency range used for the stimulation the patient is guaranteed against unpleasant sensations provided the pulse shape and the electrode areas are as required under the invention specification. When the treatment session is over the current control is set back top the zero current position, the device is unplugged and the electrodes are removed from the patient's body.

For muscle and ligament restoration the device should be operated as follows. Both electrodes are applied to the affected area. Prior to the application the electrodes should be wetted, preferably, with boiled water. The electrodes are then connected to the amplifier outputs. Basically, the electrodes are affixed to the patient's skin with an elastic bandage covered with a polymer film to prevent bandage wetting. The current control of the control unit is set to the no current position. Further the electric stimulator is plugged into 220 V / 50 Hz mains. The device feeds the electrodes with a sequence of rectangular pulses at frequencies that stimulate the tissues under the electrodes. The envelope frequency is 2000 Hz, which guarantees against the interference with functional physiological conditions of the neuromuscular apparatus. The carrier frequency is 6/12/24 times the envelope frequency and provides for the improvement of physiological fluid microcirculation in the tissue. To avoid muscle adaptation to the electric pulse irritation induced by stimulation, the continuous signal is interrupted at 2/4/8 Hz to stimulate the sympathetic nervous system, the pulse and pause durations being equal. Initially, the carrier frequency is set to 24 times the envelope frequency, and the pulse interruption frequency is set to 8 Hz, then the interruption frequency is reduced to 4 Hz and finally to 2 Hz, the carrier frequency remaining the same. Further, the carrier frequency is set 'to 12 times the envelope frequency, and the interruption frequency is sequentially set to 8, 4 and Hz. The same operation sequence is used for the carrier frequency 6 times the envelope frequency. In each frequency mode the patient is able to adjust the current to the maximally comfortable level at which the muscles squeeze visibly. The treatment session time can be set to within 60 min with a timer. When the treatment session is over the current control is set back top the zero current position, the device is unplugged and the electrodes are removed from the patient's body.

Device application examples are given below for both of the embodiments.

Patient M, female, 38, underwent an acute respiratory disease, complicated with a left facial nerve peripheral paralysis (wide opening of the eye, lacrimation, angle of mouth downturning, salivation, affected mouth angle opening). One of the two electrodes was applied to the affected side of the face, the eye being protected with a cotton ball and polyethylene film. The second electrode was applied to the unaffected neck area. The treatment sessions were repeated on a daily basis. Traces of eye and mouth muscle activity restoration were observed by the fifth treatment session. By the seventeenth treatment session the eye and mouth muscle activity restored completely. No relapse or side effects were observed.

Patient B., male, 63, suffered from chronic ankle sprain, complicated after physical loads, due to the large body weight (110 kg at 166 cm height). Both graphitized tissue electrodes were wetted with boiled water and applied to the ankle joint area. The pulse feeding mode was according to the latter of the device embodiments described. The ankle sprain symptoms were relieved after the first session. A relapse occurred in 6 months after a long range load carrying attempt. The relapse symptoms (walking and, to a smaller extent, resting pain and joint tumor) were relieved after the first session as in the first treatment course.

The device is capable of treating neural, vascular and muscle tissues and the ligamentous apparatus with pathogenetically important structure resonance frequencies.

Claims

What is claimed is a

1. Electric stimulator containing an electronic unit and at least two stimulating electrodes, wherein the electronic unit contains a driving pulse generator, a direct current source and a switching device, characterized in that said electronic unit contains a programmable logical integrated circuit, wherein the first input is connected to the driving pulse generator, the second input is connected to control unit, the first output is connected to the indicator panel, the second output is connected to the sound alarm, the third and the forth outputs are connected to the first and the second inputs of the frequency switch, the output of which is connected via the amplifier to the stimulating electrodes, wherein the programmable logical integrated circuit allows logical programming with a personal computer connected to the additional input of the programmable logical integrated circuit, all the elements of the electronic unit are connected to the power unit, the stimulating electrodes are made from an elastic conducting material and the programmable logical integrated circuit is one of the ALTERA type.

2. Electric stimulator according to Claim 1, wherein said electrodes are made from a graphitized conducting tissue.

3. Electric stimulator according to Claim 1, wherein said programmable logical integrated circuit is one of the ALTERA type.

4. Electric stimulator according to Claim 1, wherein said driving pulse generator is made on the basis of a K1533LA30 integrated circuit (Russian model) that is capable of generating signals at frequencies of up to 1.8 MHz.