US3565080A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Neuromuscular block monitoring apparatus
Assignee: SmithKline Beecham Corp
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Filing: 1967-07-19
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Granted: 1971-02-23
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Expires: 1987-07-19
Abstract
Abstract A neuromuscular block monitoring device, comprising a battery, an oscillator circuit to translate the power supplied by said battery into electrical impulses and having a variable impedance and switch arranged to set the frequency at either a twitching or a tetanus frequency, a potentiometer coupled to said oscillator circuit to control the amplitude of said impulses to form an electrical signal having the effect of stimulating the ulnar nerve and/or the nerve motor point muscle junction of a limb of the body, and a pair of spaced electrodes to apply the output of the potentiometer to the ulnar nerve and/or the nerve motor point muscle junction of a limb of the body. There is also provided a splint having a strain gage mounted thereon and a display device for displaying the electrical output from said strain gage, the splint being adapted to fit on the thumb of a patient, and said strain gage responsive to the movement of the splint resulting from the application of electrical impulses to the patient.
Inventors
- 👤 Walter S Ide
- 👤 William H Nickerson
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 18:48
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61N; A61N1/00; A61N1/18; A61N1/32; A61N1/36; A61N1/36003; A61B; A61B5/00; A61B5/05; A61B5/103; A61B5/11; A61B5/1104; A61B5/1106; A61N1/36014; A61N1/36017; A61B2505/00; A61B2505/05; A61B5/68; A61B5/6801; A61B5/6813; A61B5/6825; A61B5/6826; A61N1/36021
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
144 words
A neuromuscular block monitoring device comprising a battery, an oscillator circuit to translate the power supplied by said battery into electrical impulses, said oscillator circuit including first circuit elements to produce said electrical impulses at a twitching frequency and second circiut elements to produce said electrical impulses at a tetanus frequency, a switch arranged to select either of said first and second circuit elements to provide either one or the other of said frequencies, means coupled to said oscillator circuit to control the amplitude of said impulses to form an electrical signal having the effect of stimulating the ulnar nerve and/or the nerve motor point muscle junction of a limb of the body, and a pair of spaced electrodes to apply the output of the control means to the ulnar nerve and/or the nerve motor point muscle junction of a limb of the body.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
144 words
A neuromuscular block monitoring device comprising a battery, an oscillator circuit to translate the power supplied by said battery into electrical impulses, said oscillator circuit including first circuit elements to produce said electrical impulses at a twitching frequency and second circiut elements to produce said electrical impulses at a tetanus frequency, a switch arranged to select either of said first and second circuit elements to provide either one or the other of said frequencies, means coupled to said oscillator circuit to control the amplitude of said impulses to form an electrical signal having the effect of stimulating the ulnar nerve and/or the nerve motor point muscle junction of a limb of the body, and a pair of spaced electrodes to apply the output of the control means to the ulnar nerve and/or the nerve motor point muscle junction of a limb of the body.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
30 words
A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said control means includes a transformer for stepping up the voltage of the electrical impulses to a voltage level required for stimulation.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
174 words
A neuromuscular block monitoring device, comprising a battery, a transistorized relaxation oscillator circuit to translate the power supplied by said battery into electrical impulses, said oscillator including a first amplifying means, a second amplifying means, a capacitor coupled between said first and second means, and first and second circuit means coupled at one end intermediate said first amplifying means and said capacitor and aT the other end to said battery to set the frequency of said impulses at either a twitching or a tetanus frequency, said circuit means including a switch for selecting one or the other of said circuit means coupled to said oscillator circuit to control the voltage, current and wave shape of said impulses to form an electrical signal having the effect of stimulating the ulnar nerve and/or the nerve motor point muscle junction of a limb of the body, and a pair of spaced electrodes to apply the output of the control means to the ulnar nerve and/or the nerve motor point muscle junction of a limb of the body.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
174 words
A neuromuscular block monitoring device, comprising a battery, a transistorized relaxation oscillator circuit to translate the power supplied by said battery into electrical impulses, said oscillator including a first amplifying means, a second amplifying means, a capacitor coupled between said first and second means, and first and second circuit means coupled at one end intermediate said first amplifying means and said capacitor and aT the other end to said battery to set the frequency of said impulses at either a twitching or a tetanus frequency, said circuit means including a switch for selecting one or the other of said circuit means coupled to said oscillator circuit to control the voltage, current and wave shape of said impulses to form an electrical signal having the effect of stimulating the ulnar nerve and/or the nerve motor point muscle junction of a limb of the body, and a pair of spaced electrodes to apply the output of the control means to the ulnar nerve and/or the nerve motor point muscle junction of a limb of the body.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
187 words
A neuromuscular block monitoring device, comprising a battery, a transistorized relaxation oscillator circuit to translate the power supplied by said battery into electrical impulses, said oscillator including a first transistor amplifying means of a first conductivity type, a second transistor amplifying means of an opposite conductivity type, a capacitor coupled between said first and second amplifying means, and a variable resistance means to provide only two different values of resistance, said variable resistance means coupled between said capacitor and said first means to establish the frequency of said impulses at a twitching frequency or at a tetanus frequency, and a switch arranged to select either one or the other of said values of resistance to select one or the other of said frequencies, a transformer coupled to said first and second means to step up the voltage of said impulses from said oscillator to a level such as to have an effect of stimulating the ulnar nerve and/or the nerve motor point muscle junction of a limb of the body, and a pair of spaced electrodes for applying the electrical impulses to the body of a patient.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
187 words
A neuromuscular block monitoring device, comprising a battery, a transistorized relaxation oscillator circuit to translate the power supplied by said battery into electrical impulses, said oscillator including a first transistor amplifying means of a first conductivity type, a second transistor amplifying means of an opposite conductivity type, a capacitor coupled between said first and second amplifying means, and a variable resistance means to provide only two different values of resistance, said variable resistance means coupled between said capacitor and said first means to establish the frequency of said impulses at a twitching frequency or at a tetanus frequency, and a switch arranged to select either one or the other of said values of resistance to select one or the other of said frequencies, a transformer coupled to said first and second means to step up the voltage of said impulses from said oscillator to a level such as to have an effect of stimulating the ulnar nerve and/or the nerve motor point muscle junction of a limb of the body, and a pair of spaced electrodes for applying the electrical impulses to the body of a patient.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
221 words
An ulnar nerve and/or nerve motor point muscle junction of a limb of a body stimulating device, comprising in combination a source of direct current energy, a first transistor of a first conductivity type having emitter, base and collector electrodes, said emitter of said first transistor coupled to the source of energy, a second transistor of an opposite conductivity type having emitter, base and collector electrodes, said collector of said first transistor coupled to the base of the second transistor, a capacitor coupled to the base of said first transistor and to the collector of said second transistor, and the emitter of said second transistor coupled to said source of energy, a voltage step-up transformer coupled to the emitter of said first transistor and to the collector of said second transistor, means coupled to said transformer for applying the output of said transformer to the ulnar nerve and/or the nerve motor point muscle junction of a limb, and a variable resistance means coupled at one end intermediate the capacitor and the base of the first transistor and at the other end to the source of energy to set the frequency of the device to either a twitching frequency or a tetanus frequency, and a switch arranged to vary said resistance means to select either one or the other of said frequencies.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
221 words
An ulnar nerve and/or nerve motor point muscle junction of a limb of a body stimulating device, comprising in combination a source of direct current energy, a first transistor of a first conductivity type having emitter, base and collector electrodes, said emitter of said first transistor coupled to the source of energy, a second transistor of an opposite conductivity type having emitter, base and collector electrodes, said collector of said first transistor coupled to the base of the second transistor, a capacitor coupled to the base of said first transistor and to the collector of said second transistor, and the emitter of said second transistor coupled to said source of energy, a voltage step-up transformer coupled to the emitter of said first transistor and to the collector of said second transistor, means coupled to said transformer for applying the output of said transformer to the ulnar nerve and/or the nerve motor point muscle junction of a limb, and a variable resistance means coupled at one end intermediate the capacitor and the base of the first transistor and at the other end to the source of energy to set the frequency of the device to either a twitching frequency or a tetanus frequency, and a switch arranged to vary said resistance means to select either one or the other of said frequencies.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
35 words
A device according to claim 5, wherein said variable resistance means comprises a first resistor and a second resistor and wherein the switch is connected to select either one or the other of said resistors.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
226 words
A device according to claim 6, wherein said means coupled to said transformer includes a pair of electrodes and a gas tube indicating means coupled across said electrodes. 8. A neuromuscular block monitoring device for providing two different frequency signals to the ulnar nerve and/or the nerve motor point muscle junction of a limb of the body and for monitoring the effect of said signals, said device comprising in combination, a source of direct current energy, an oscillator circuit to translate the power supplied from said energy source into electrical impulses and having means to set the frequency of said impulses only at a twitching frequency rate and or at a tetanus frequency rate, means coupled to saiD oscillator circuit to control the amplitude of said impulses to form an electrical signal having the effect of stimulating the ulnar nerve and/or the nerve motor point muscle junction of a limb of the body, a pair of spaced electrodes suitable for applying said electrical impulses to the ulnar nerve and/or the nerve motor point muscle junction of a limb of the body, a switch arranged to adjust said frequency setting means to select one or the other of said a detection device adapted to be positioned upon a limb of the body for detecting the degree of flexing of the limb in response to said electrical impulses.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
61 words
A device according to claim 8, wherein said detection device comprises a splint adapted to be mounted on a body limb and a strain gauge supported by said splint to detect bending of said splint. 10. A device according to claim 9, including a display device coupled to said strain gauge for detecting the change in current passing through the gauge.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1974-02-22 | 1974-08-24 | 1975-02-23 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1978-02-22 | 1978-08-24 | 1979-02-23 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1982-02-22 | 1982-08-24 | 1983-02-23 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |