External magnetic field impulse pacemaker non-invasive method and apparatus for modulating brain through an external magnetic field to pace the heart and reduce pain
This invention incorporates the discovery of new principles which utilizes magnetic fluxes generated by time varying square wave currents of precise repetition, width, shape and magnitude to cause them to move through multi-turns of conductive material generally in the form of a coil, in order to stimulate the cardiovascular system in humans or animals by directing the fields externally through the chest wall or the skull in order to correct arrhythmias and/or heart blocks. The new method of cardiovascular stimulation evolved from experimental observations of cardiac muscle cells which when separated, oscillate at different frequencies and propagate at different rates at specific sites in and around the heart and a cell oscillating at a higher frequency when touching a cell oscillating at a lower frequency causes the lower oscillating one to speed up and synchronize at the higher rate. The Purkinje cells both in heart muscle and the brain appear to respond to the external magnetic fluxes and entrain, stepwise downward to the normal muscle contractile rate of about 1.25 Hertz. The repetition rate for normalizing a human heart lies between 7 and 8 Hertz, to within 1/100 Hertz for each patient, and a superimposed frequency at about ten times the adjusted rate has been seen to diminish or extinguish angina pain in some patients. A timer device, an adjustment device, and a device to deliver current to a coil which emits the magnetic flux is described. A theoretical model of the process is described.
The invention relates to medicine and veterinary. The device for magnetotherapy comprises a variable generator (1) of current pulses, an energy accumulator (2) and a circuit (3) for discharge of the energy accumulator (2), including a controlled switching element (5) and an inductor (4) capable of producing a therapeutic pulsed magnetic field, and also a unit (7) for controlling the duration of pulses of the magnetic field produced by the inductor (4) and a controller (10) of the amplitude of pulses of the magnetic field. According to the invention, the discharge circuit (3) of the energy accumulator (2) includes a unit (6) for controlling the slope of the leading edge of pulses of the magnetic field produced by the inductor (4). The device is predominantly intended for arresting and relieving acute pain syndromes, phantom limb pain and attacks of bronchial asthma, and also for treating mastities of cattle.
Apparatus (40) for generating a localized magnetic field inside a body of a living subject (44) includes first and second electromagnets (46,48), adapted to be positioned in proximity to the body so as to apply magnetic fields thereto. The core (50) of at least one of the electromagnets has a shape that can be altered under control of an operator of the apparatus so as to adjust the magnetic fields to assume a desired relation within the body.
The magnetic cardiac pacemaker utilizes bisphasic pulses of mixed frequencies and waveforms that are applied to a field coil to generate magnetic pulses of relatively low intensity (less than 200 Gauss) without the use of leads. The device can be worn externally on the chest near the heart to enable the magnetic field to penetrate the body and control the heart muscle as a non-invasive cardiac pacemaker or it can be inserted subcutaneously as a permanent non-lead system cardiac pacemaker.
A magnetic resonance imaging device is used to provide the static magnetic field for transducers. The static magnetic field in combination with electric current pulses energize phased arrayed transducers to generate acoustic waves or motion. The transducers can be arranged in the magnetic resonance imaging device static magnetic field to focus acoustic shock waves for the disintegration of target calculi in extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy. The magnetic resonance imaging device is also used for target localization and monitoring of the mechanical energy effects of the transducers. In further embodiments, the transducers include coils that are implantable within a subject body and can be moved in the magnetic resonance imaging device's static magnetic field.
Method and apparatus for transcutaneously pacing the heart with background stimuli occurring in the intervals between pacing stimuli to reduce patient discomfort during pacing.
