Surgery – Truss – Pad
Patent
1996-08-09
1998-03-03
Lacyk, John P.
Surgery
Truss
Pad
128639, A61B 50416
Patent
active
057224048
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to biomedical electrodes, namely suction or vacuum electrodes for use in carrying out examinations or treatments in which an electrode element is kept in electrical contact with the skin of a patient. Examples of such electrodes are ECG and EEG electrodes. More particularly, the invention concerns a sealing element for a biomedical electrode, namely a sealing element having an annular sealing rim or lip which terminates in a sealing edge adapted to engage the skin. The sealing element forms a vacuum bell or cup defining a vacuum chamber in which the electrode element is positioned.
In use of the vacuum electrode, the sealing element is attached to an electrode holder having a vacuum port connected to a source of vacuum. An air passageway provides communication between the vacuum chamber and the vacuum port. When the sealing edge of the sealing lip engages the skin of the patient and the thus sealed vacuum chamber communicates with the vacuum port, the ambient air pressure can press the electrode element in the vacuum chamber against the skin of the patient through the intermediary of the electrode holder.
An example of a known sealing element of the general kind with which the present invention is concerned is disclosed in WO93/16633.
In use of electrodes of the kind mentioned above, wet contaminants in the form of sweat or other secretions from the skin area to which the electrode is applied are often present. In many cases, conductive gel, saline or other conductive agents are applied to the skin to improve electrical contact between the skin and the electrode element.
It has been found that the contaminants--unless otherwise specified, the term "contaminants" as used hereinafter includes perspiration conductive gel, saline and the like--often have an unfavourable and unpredictable influence on the signals picked up from the patient through the electrode element, for example in ECG measurements.
An explanation for this unfavourable influence is not yet fully verified. However, one contributory cause is believed to be that because of the conductive contaminants, the electrode element is in electrical contact with the skin not only over the specific defined skin area which is engaged by the electrode element, but also over an indeterminate surrounding skin area.
A further contributory cause may be that the electrical contact of the electrode element with the skin varies during the course of the examination or treatment.
An unavoidable leakage of air between the skin and the circumferential sealing edge of the sealing element and air bubbles which enter the vacuum chamber and migrate along the skin around the electrode element are believed to be another cause for the variations. A further possible cause is a gradual drying up of the contaminants during use of the electrode.
The variations result both in variations of the conductivity of the interface region between the electrode element and the skin and, when static electric fields are present, in dipole variations on and beneath the surface of the skin, and consequent strong spurious signals.
Until now, the disturbing effect of the static fields on the signal quality of vacuum electrodes has not been clearly identified. Instead, the disturbances that have occurred, have been attributed to conductivity variations.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The primary object of the invention is to provide a solution to the problem described above, namely to provide a vacuum electrode in which the electrical connection between the electrode element and the skin area to which the vacuum electrode is applied is not subject to variations of the kind explained above.
To this end, the invention provides a vacuum electrode device and a sealing element for a vacuum electrode device. The sealing element includes a vacuum cup defining a vacuum chamber adapted to accommodate a skin-engaging portion of an electrode element and communicating with a vacuum passageway through which a vacuum can be applied to the vacuum chamber. The vac
REFERENCES:
patent: 4369793 (1983-01-01), Staver et al.
patent: 4556065 (1985-12-01), Hoffmann
patent: 4938218 (1990-07-01), Goodman et al.
patent: 5345935 (1994-09-01), Hirsch et al.
Humanteknik AB
Lacyk John P.
Ruddy David
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