HK1156271B - Electrical treatment apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides a treatment method and apparatus for performing a diagnostic or therapeutic treatment. The apparatus comprises: a treatment head (20) for applying a diagnostic or therapeutic treatment to the body of a patient; means (44, 46, 50) for delivering the treatment through the treatment head; a processor (42) for controlling the treatment; an input arrangement (34, 38) operable by a practitioner to activate the delivery means for initiating the treatment; a sound generator operable at any time before and during the treatment by operation of the or a further input arrangement by the practitioner to generate pleasing sounds; and a speaker for supplying the sounds as output during treatment to distract and hold the attention of the patient.

Description

Electronic therapeutic equipment

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an electronic therapeutic device for medical diagnosis or treatment of individual patients, in particular children.

More particularly, the present invention relates to a hand-held device for applying electrical impulses to the body of a patient through the skin to treat various clinical conditions.

One aspect of the present invention is an improvement to the therapeutic device in the applicant's previously published patent application WO2005/118061, which is incorporated herein by reference.

Background

There are various forms of electronic treatment apparatus that use electromagnetic radiation or have electronic control circuitry that constitute standard equipment for a doctor's surgery or a clinic or hospital. For example, the handheld scanning device utilizing electromagnetic radiation may be used to assist in the diagnosis of certain clinical conditions and the advancement of medical treatments, and the handheld device described in the above-mentioned application may also be used to medically treat various clinical conditions by means of electrical stimulation.

If the patient is an adult, the use of such a device is generally very simple, and the doctor or medical assistant can perform the required operations simply by positioning the patient at the desired treatment location and performing the steps appropriate for the relevant medical application, depending on the function of the device. However, when the patient is a child, problems may arise, and the child may be restless, bored, and reluctant to remain in the necessary treatment position. This is a significant problem as it affects the treatment.

Disclosure of Invention

The object of the present invention is to provide a new treatment device which is efficient and easy to use and which solves the problem of carrying out diagnostic or medical treatments on patients, in particular children.

At least in its preferred form, the invention is applicable to handheld treatment devices.

The present invention provides an electronic device for medical treatment for diagnosis or treatment, comprising: a treatment head for diagnosing or treating a patient's body; a control circuit for controlling the treatment; input means for activating the device; a speaker; and a sound generator operable as said input device to cause said speaker to emit sound that is pleasing to the patient, particularly a child patient.

Preferably, the sound generator is configured to store and provide to the speaker the following sounds: voices of different animals, nursery rhymes, popular children songs, children program passages, fairy tales, or other stories.

Further advantageously, the sound generator comprises a sound memory storing a collection of sound topics, a processor generating a selection command, and a selection circuit selecting a sound from one of the sound topics collected by the collection of sound topics for output via a speaker in accordance with the selection command.

In a preferred form of the invention, the treatment apparatus further comprises a display screen, the processor being responsive to input from the input device by issuing a selection command to the sound generator indicating to the display screen the sound selected for output.

Conveniently, the input device provides, in cooperation with the processor, a function of scrolling the theme of the sound and the intra-theme sound in the memory, while displaying the scrolled items on the display screen.

In its preferred form, the treatment device is a battery-powered hand-held device.

Preferably, the invention is applicable to a hand-held treatment device for applying electrical pulses to a living body through the skin to treat a variety of clinical conditions, the device comprising: a pair of electrodes in contact with the skin; a waveform generator for repeatedly generating an alternating current waveform, the waveform generator applying an electric pulse to the skin through the electrodes; a detector for detecting changes in skin impedance and generating an output signal representative of the changes in skin impedance; a monitor responsive to signals from the detector for monitoring the skin's response and controlling the duration of the action of the electrical impulses accordingly.

Preferably, the monitor generates a first display when a predetermined level of response is reached and a second display when a predetermined treatment is completed.

The device may be used in a non-invasive and beneficial manner for particular applications in the treatment of various clinical conditions.

For example, the invention is applicable to a handheld treatment device that applies electrical pulses of relatively high voltage amplitude and short duration through the skin to a patient's body to promote a healing process in the body, which treatment relies on electrical stimulation using alternating current through a biofeedback system based on responses to skin impedance. Preferably, the duration of the pulse from the device is short (about 10 microseconds) and the voltage amplitude is relatively high (80 volts). By carefully monitoring the specific measured parameters of the pulses on the display screen of the device, the effect of the pulses is tightly controlled. Because of the short duration of each pulse, the energy of the signal is very small and the potential for deleterious effects is minimal.

In a preferred embodiment, the change in skin impedance, which occurs as a result of local and global conditions, is displayed as a numerical value on a display screen during treatment. In addition, other operating conditions of the signal exchange between the skin and the treatment device can be displayed numerically on the display screen (amplitude, frequency, gradient, speed, etc.). The medical personnel may use these numerical representations to guide the course of treatment through a number of protocols.

In this embodiment, when the processor further has a scroll function, the scroll function may refer to scrolling between the operation representation on the display screen and the menu of the sound theme.

The invention has a plurality of advantages, one of which is: the generation of a pleasant sound during treatment may serve as a trigger point for relaxing the patient, which may be arbitrarily generated by a physician or other medical personnel, as relaxation may be particularly effective during treatment.

The apparatus according to the invention is also of significant advantage in the treatment of children, since during treatment the attention of the child may be diverted from the delivery of potentially painful or unpleasant treatments, and thus calm down to improve the treatment, and their attention may be attracted by outgoing sounds, musical phrases or stories in the device, thus preventing them from feeling bored and irritated. Therefore, they may be more actively involved in the treatment. All of which are convenient to use and improve the therapeutic effect of using the therapeutic apparatus.

It is a feature of another aspect of the invention to provide a method of treating a patient with the present therapeutic apparatus.

According to this aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of treating a patient using the electronic device described above, comprising the steps of: the device is activated by operating the input means, the patient's body is diagnosed or treated by the treatment head of the device, the treatment process is controlled, and the sound generator is operated to cause the loudspeaker to emit sounds that are pleasant to the patient, in particular to a child patient.

Drawings

The invention is further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a handheld electronic therapeutic device in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the main operating circuitry of the treatment apparatus of FIG. 1;

fig. 3 is a block diagram of circuitry in the treatment device that generates sounds that are pleasing to a child during treatment.

Detailed Description

Referring to fig. 1 to 3, the present invention comprises a handheld treatment device 10 for applying electrical pulses through the skin to an adult or pediatric patient. For the purposes of this specification, the treatment of a child by a medical professional, such as a doctor or nurse, will be described below.

The treatment device 10 shown in fig. 1 is designed to be brought into contact with the skin and to generate short alternating electrical pulses, which are applied to the skin via the treatment head 20.

The treatment device 10 comprises a body 30 carrying the treatment head 20, which is designed in its entirety to fit exactly on the hand of a medical professional. The treatment head 20 has a pair of electrodes 32 for performing the treatment, and the back of the body 30 has an "on/off" switch 34, a display screen 36 and a series of user control buttons 38. As shown in fig. 1, the number of such buttons is 4, but may be any number, depending on the number of different functions that the medical personnel need to control.

As shown in fig. 2 and 3, the electronic control circuit is provided in the main body 30 of the treatment apparatus 10. For alternating current pulsed treatment of the patient's body by electrodes 32, the operation of the treatment device 10 is controlled by an "on/off" switch 34 and powered by a battery 40.

As shown in fig. 2, a Central Processing Unit (CPU) 42 containing a clock 44 is used to generate a train of outputs in the form of rectangular pulses at point a. This pulse is provided to waveform generator 46 for triggering an ac decaying oscillation at point B, which oscillation is repeatedly triggered by the pulse from CPU42 and applied to one of the electrodes 32. A voltage signal is effectively generated by the electrode 32 at point C, in response to the skin impedance (represented as resistance 48), the magnitude of which depends on whether the electrode is open circuit or in contact with the skin. The voltage signal is applied to a comparator 50 where it is compared to a threshold voltage V output by the CPU42_thAnd (6) comparing. Comparator 50 generates a pulse output at point D, the rising edge of each pulse corresponding to the portion of the voltage from electrode 32 above the threshold level and the falling edge of each pulse corresponding to the portion of the voltage from electrode 32 below the threshold level. A counter 52 in the CPU42 is also connected to the clock 44 for counting the clock signal for the duration t of each of the pulses to produce a value representing the duration of the pulse. These values are transferred to the memory 56 via the memory bus 54.

Two medical personnel controls 38 may be used to provide inputs to the CPU42 to cause the CPU42 to adjust the frequency, duration and amplitude of the pulses provided to the waveform generator 46 and to determine whether the pulses are repeatedly provided at regular intervals or in groups. This is effectively accomplished by deactivating one of the user keys 38 as a menu control and scrolling through a menu system on the treatment device display 36, using another of the control keys to enter the predetermined parameter. The waveform generator 46 is adapted to responsively provide a corresponding ac waveform to the electrodes 32, which adjusts the electrical pulses applied to the skin and controls the treatment. The CPU42 processes the information acquired during the treatment, displays the results on the display screen 36, and stores them in the memory 56. The CPU42 may also be used to activate one or more audio indicators 58 to indicate certain events in the course of treatment.

In addition, a switch 60 and load 62 in series are connected across the two electrodes 32 and switch into a circuit in response to the output from the CPU42 to simulate skin contact when the electrodes 32 are not in contact with the patient's skin or to provide a filter in the case of high skin sensitivity.

To obtain a measurement value corresponding to the skin impedance, the most desirable method is to measure the peak voltage value of each ac signal obtained at point C. However, we have found it more practical to measure the duration t of each initial half-wave, for which purpose the comparator 50 generates a pulse pair threshold voltage V_thIn response to the crossing point, the counter 52 counts to a value determined each time by each pulse generated in the signal at point D. These values are displayed on the display screen 36 of the treatment device 10 under the control of the CPU 42.

Referring to fig. 1, the first reading of the count value corresponding to the half wavelength t of the first signal generated at the start of treatment is shown at display position 36a in the upper left corner of display screen 36; as the half wavelength t changes during treatment, the count value representing the half wavelength t also changes, this change being displayed at display location 36b in the lower left corner of the display screen 36, and another count value representing the change in skin impedance over time (i.e., dZ/dt) being displayed at display location 36c of the display screen 36, and being derived by calculating the rate of change of t. At some predetermined time during the treatment, the CPU42 triggers the audio indicator 58 to ring. At the same time, the CPU42 stops the counter 52, and the count value at the display position 36b is fixed and stored into the memory 56. At another predetermined time during the treatment, i.e., when the value at the display position 36c shows 0, the CPU42 first triggers the audio indicator 58 to beep and then terminates the generation of the pulse signal a.

According to the present invention, in addition to the functions already described, another series of functions are provided for making the treatment device 10 emit sound pleasant to the child, with the aim of attracting the attention of the child before treatment, in particular during treatment. These functions are primarily included in the audio indicator 58 and are controlled by the remaining two user keys 38 once a voice menu for producing a sound suitable for children is selected on the display screen 36 by using the menu control keys 38 as previously described. These functions of the present invention will now be described in conjunction with fig. 3.

As shown in fig. 3, the functions of the sound generation system are controlled by two user keys 38 in cooperation with a CPU42 of the treatment device 10, respectively, according to the present invention. The CPU42 activates the audio indicator 58 to generate sounds suitable for children, which are effective for attracting the attention of children, in response to the operation of the two user keys 38. To this end, the audio indicator 58 includes: a communication interface 70 for interfacing with the CPU 42; a sound storage 72 for storing a collection of sound themes; a sound selector 74 for selecting individual sounds or voices from a certain voice theme stored in the voice memory 72. The selected sound is provided to an audio amplifier 76 and then output through a speaker 78. The sound themes stored in the sound memory 72 may now include, by way of example only: sound collection of different animals, or ballad collection of talking or singing, popular children song collection, popular children television show selection, and/or fairy tales or other children story collection.

In a preferred form of the invention, the menu control 38 is operable to cause the CPU42 to scroll through the menu system of the treatment apparatus and find a sound menu that produces a sound suitable for children as previously described. One of the two pre-selected user keys 38 is then used as a selection key for selecting a sound menu and selecting a desired sound from the sound menu, and the CPU42 is notified accordingly. Preferably, operation of the pre-selected user key 38 causes the CPU42 to display the corresponding presentation on the display screen 36.

Upon selection of the sound menu to produce a particular sound theme from the sound memory 72, the CPU42 instructs the memory system 56 to store the current operating state of the treatment device 10 and the latest read data on the display screen 36 for the other functions of the device so that the display screen 36 can be used for the sound selection process. The sound selector 74 then accesses the sound memory 72 and provides a list of available sound topics to the CPU 42. The CPU42 displays the list on the display screen 36 and slowly scrolls through the list until the pre-selected user key 38 is operated on an item on the display screen 36 prompting the medical personnel that the item is the selected sound theme. Accordingly, the CPU42 causes a particular selection list of sounds in the selected sound theme to be displayed and slowly scrolls again until the pre-selected user key 38 is operated on a particular item on the display screen 36 prompting the medical personnel that the item is the selected sound. The CPU42 communicates the item to the sound selector 74, which sound selector 74 then accesses the relevant content in the sound memory 72. The other of the two pre-selected user keys 38 is operated to provide the selected sound to the speaker 78 through the audio amplifier 76.

At the same time, the CPU42 may set the time at which the selected sound is displayed on the display screen 36, retrieve the previous operating state from the memory system 56 after a predetermined time, e.g., three seconds, and restore the display screen 36 to display the previous state. If no selection is made after a period of time, the CPU42 will typically return the display to the operational view.

The selected sound is played through the speaker 78 until the menu control keys and the pre-selected user key 38 are reactivated to select another sound, or until the sound is played to the natural end.

The basic operation of the handheld treatment device 10 will now be described by way of an example of a pediatric patient.

First, the medical professional turns the device on via the "on/off" switch 34 and sets the desired treatment regimen as previously described.

Next, the medical professional operates the menu control user key 38 to bring up a menu for generating sounds appropriate for the child, thereby activating the sound generation system of the handheld treatment device 10 associated with generating sounds appropriate for the child. Subsequently, the medical professional activates the first pre-selected user key 38 to select the sound menu, and operates the menu control key 38 again to scroll through the sound themes and sounds stored in the sound memory 72 while asking the child patient which theme and which sound the patient wishes to select. After selecting a topic, the medical professional activates the second pre-selected key 38 to begin playing the sound and causes the display 36 to revert to the previous treatment mode to begin treatment.

Next, the medical personnel select a certain range of the patient's body for treatment and apply electrical pulses to different body areas within this range. A number of initial readings are generated and stored in the memory 56, and based on the readings at the display location 36a, the medical professional may select areas where the initial readings are relatively high, indicating a relatively high skin impedance, and apply a dose of treatment at those locations until the audible indicator 58 rings. Thus, a series of new readings are generated at display location 36b and stored in memory 56. The medical professional now selects the highest one of the second series of readings and uses another set of electrical pulses until the audible indicator 58 beeps. At this point, a final reading is obtained and displayed at display position 36b corresponding to 0 at display position 36c, which is also stored in memory 56.

At any time during the treatment, the medical personnel may interrupt the treatment to select a sound more suitable for the child, as previously described, and may also allow the display screen to revert to its previous operating state to continue the treatment.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the medical personnel will actually administer an accurate treatment plan under the direction of the CPU 42.

In the illustrated embodiment, the handheld device 10 is used to apply electrical impulses to the skin of a patient to treat various clinical conditions of the patient. It will be appreciated, however, that various modifications may be made within the scope of the invention.

For example, the circuit of fig. 3 may be used in any other handheld medical device to provide sound to distract or attract the attention of a child prior to or during medical diagnosis or treatment.

The invention is also applicable to a treatment apparatus in which a hand-held treatment head for performing the treatment is connected to a computer with a processor for controlling the treatment, but independently of each other. In this case, the means for delivering the treatment to the treatment head, the input means for initiating the treatment and causing the sound generation, and the sound generator may be distributed between the treatment head and the computer. The treatment head may be connected to the computer by cable, wirelessly, such as Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity), or any other conventional connection.

The circuit of fig. 3 may also be used in other non-handheld medical devices in general.

The apparatus of fig. 3 is shown with the sound memory 72 and sound selector 74 separate from the processor 42. Of course, these circuits may also be provided in the processor 42.

Other possible variations include: the display 36 is replaced with a different visual indicator and the user keys or control buttons 38 are replaced with another input device.

Likewise, the scrolling function for selecting a particular sound and sound theme, which is currently implemented by activating the CPU42 by pressing one of the pre-selected user keys 38, may be replaced by another device. According to this arrangement, the CPU42 causes the entire list to be displayed on the display screen 36 with a control slider or scroll wheel to move a cursor on the display screen to select a subject from the list.

The treatment device according to the invention represents a significant advantage in the treatment of children, in that it provides the child with an entertainment function, which can draw the interest of the child or distract it during the treatment. This may have a calming effect and help in the treatment, or at least may protect the child from dysphoria and prevent disruption of the treatment.

Claims (5)

1. A therapeutic device for performing diagnosis or therapy, comprising: a handheld therapeutic device comprising:

a treatment head for diagnosing or treating a patient's body in response to a user input;

an input device operated by a medical personnel to provide the user input to initiate a treatment; and

a display screen having a state for displaying information related to the treatment and a state for displaying a menu system;

a control circuit comprising a processor for controlling the treatment;

the processor being arranged to control the display screen to activate the display of the state of the menu system on the display screen and to select a sound theme from a sound menu suitable for the child in response to a further user input selectively applied to the input device at any time prior to and during treatment; the processor is further configured to cause the display screen to change from the state of displaying the sound menu to the state of displaying the treatment-related information after a predetermined time;

a sound generator under the control of the processor, responsive to selection of the sound theme, for generating a selected sound theme;

a speaker to provide sound from the sound theme as output during treatment.

2. The therapeutic device of claim 1 wherein the sound generator comprises:

a sound storage for storing a collection of sound themes, and

and the selection circuit is used for responding to a selection command from the processor and selecting a corresponding sound theme from the sound memory as output.

3. The treatment apparatus of claim 2, wherein the collection of sound themes comprises at least one of the group of sound themes consisting of: animal sounds, nursery rhymes, popular children songs, television program clips, and stories.

4. The therapeutic apparatus of claim 1 wherein said processor scrolls said menu system in a state in which said menu system is displayed on said display screen in response to user input from said input device generating a scroll command, selects and causes a menu of sound themes to be presented on said display screen, and scrolls the menu of sound themes across said display screen.

5. The treatment apparatus of claim 1, wherein the treatment device comprises a pair of electrodes in contact with the skin; a waveform generator for repeatedly generating an alternating current waveform and applying an electric pulse to the skin through the electrode; a detector receiving a feedback signal from the skin and generating an output signal representative of the skin impedance; a monitor responsive to the output signal from the detector, monitoring the skin's response and controlling the duration of application of the electrical pulses.