Method and device for improving blood flow by a series of electrically-induced muscular contractions

Abstract

A treatment method and device for promoting a localized increase in the flow of blood through a blood vessel in an area of the body, the method including the steps of: (a) providing a system including: (i) at least a first electrode operatively contacting a first portion of body tissue; (ii) at least a second electrode operatively contacting a second portion of body tissue; and (iii) a signal generator, operatively connected to the first electrode and the second electrode, for providing a plurality of electrical impulses to the electrodes; (b) applying the electrical impulses so as to subject the muscular tissue to at least one voltage differential, thereb inducing repeated, contracting, directional movement of muscular tissue associated within the blood vessel, so as to produce a localized increase in the flow of blood through the blood vessel.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A treatment method for promoting a localized increase in a flow of blood through a blood vessel in an area of a body, comprising the steps of: 
 (a) providing a system including: 
 (i) at least a first electrode operatively contacting a first portion of body tissue;  
 (ii) at least a second electrode operatively contacting a second portion of body tissue, and  
 (iii) a signal generator, operatively connected to said first electrode and said second electrode, for providing a plurality of electrical impulses to said electrodes, and  
   (b) applying said electrical impulses so as to subject said muscular tissue to at least one voltage differential, thereby inducing a repeated, contracting, directional movement of muscular tissue associated with the blood vessel, so as to produce a localized increase in the flow of blood through the blood vessel.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said voltage differential acts upon said muscular tissue to produce a periodic repetitive undulating motion that imposes on the blood vessel a repetitive periodic motion of peristaltic character.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said at least a first electrode is a first plurality of electrodes, and wherein said at least a second electrode is a second plurality of electrodes, and wherein said providing the localized increased in the flow of blood is achieved by spacing said electrodes of said first plurality and of said second plurality along a length of the area and establishing said at least one voltage differential in a sequential and repetitive fashion between said electrodes of said first plurality and said electrodes of said second plurality.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the step of: 
 (c) placing said at least a first electrode at one end of the area, and placing said at least a second electrode at a second end of the area, and wherein said voltage differential established between said electrodes is made up of two wave forms propagated in opposite directions so as to obtain a resultant signal of defined direction, frequency and strength whereby said repeated, contracting movement of muscular tissue is induced.    
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein said at least a first electrode is a first single electrode, and said at least a second electrode is a second single electrode.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the step of: 
 (c) optimizing said localized increase in the flow of blood.    
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein said optimizing is based upon sensory controlled adjustment.  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein said optimizing is performed based upon instrumentally measured blood flow.  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein a pressure sensor is utilized to determine said blood flow.  
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the step of: 
 (c) synchronizing said plurality of electrical impulses with pulses of blood corresponding to heartbeats, to obtain said localized increase in the flow of blood.    
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein said synchronizing is achieved by monitoring blood pressure in the body.  
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the step of: 
 (c) obtaining a periodic measurement of the flow of blood through the blood vessel, and    (d) optimizing said localized increase in the flow of blood based upon said measurement.    
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the step of: 
 (c) modulating a parameter of a wave signal established across said at least a first electrode and said at least a second electrode.    
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein said parameter includes a frequency of said wave signal.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein said parameter includes a form of said wave signal.  
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein said parameter includes a voltage of said wave signal.  
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the step of: 
 (c) modulating a parameter of said repeated, contracting movement to achieve defined target characteristics for the flow of blood.    
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein said signal consists of a positive voltage differential phase and a negative voltage differential phase, and wherein said positive phase and said negative phase have a time overlap.  
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein said time overlap is between 1 microsecond and 500 microseconds.  
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein said time overlap is between 10 microseconds and 100 microseconds.  
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein said signal consists of a plurality of positive voltage differential peaks and a plurality of negative voltage differential peaks, and wherein each of said peaks has a duration of 30-500 microseconds.  
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein each of said peaks has a duration of 50-300 microseconds.  
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein each of said positive peaks has a duration of 150-300 microseconds.  
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein said signal consists of a plurality of pulses, each of said pulses including a positive voltage differential phase and a negative voltage differential phase, and wherein said plurality of pulses has a frequency in the range of 0.5-150 pulses per second (PPS).  
     
     
         25 . A treatment method for promoting a localized change in a flow of blood through a blood vessel in an area of a body, comprising the steps of: 
 (a) providing a system including: 
 (i) at least a first electrode operatively contacting a first portion of body tissue;  
 (ii) at least a second electrode operatively contacting a second portion of body tissue, and  
 (iii) a signal generator, operatively connected to said first electrode and said second electrode, for providing a plurality of electrical impulses to said electrodes;  
   (b) placing said at least a first electrode at one end of the area, and placing said at least a second electrode at a second end of the area, and    (c) applying said electrical impulses so as to establish a voltage differential between said electrodes, said voltage differential being made up of two wave forms propagated in opposite directions between said electrodes, so as to produce a localized change in the flow of blood through the blood vessel.    
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein said electrical impulses are applied so as to induce a repeated, contracting, directional movement of muscular tissue associated with the blood vessel.  
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein said localized change is an increase in the flow of blood through the blood vessel.  
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein said localized change is a decrease in the flow of blood through the blood vessel.  
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 27 , further comprising the step of: 
 (d) synchronizing said plurality of electrical impulses with pulses of blood corresponding to heartbeats, to obtain said localized increase in the flow of blood.    
     
     
         30 . A treatment method for promoting a localized decrease in a flow of blood through a blood vessel in an area of a body, comprising the steps of: 
 (a) providing a system including: 
 (i) at least a first electrode operatively contacting a first portion of body tissue;  
 (ii) at least a second electrode operatively contacting a second portion of body tissue, and  
 (iii) a signal generator, operatively connected to said first electrode and said second electrode, for providing a plurality of electrical impulses to said electrodes, and  
   (b) applying said electrical impulses so as to subject said muscular tissue to at least one voltage differential, thereby inducing a repeated, contracting movement of muscular tissue associated with the blood vessel, so as to produce a localized decrease in the flow of blood through the blood vessel.    
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein said repeated contracting movement is a directional movement.  
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein said voltage differential acts upon said muscular tissue to produce a periodic repetitive undulating motion that imposes on the blood vessel a repetitive periodic motion of peristaltic character.  
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 30 , further comprising the step of: 
 (c) placing said at least a first electrode at one end of the area, and placing said at least a second electrode at a second end of the area, and wherein said voltage differential established between said electrodes is made up of two wave forms propagated in opposite directions so as to obtain a resultant signal of defined direction, frequency and strength whereby said repeated, contracting movement of muscular tissue is induced.    
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 33 , wherein said signal consists of a positive voltage differential phase and a negative voltage differential phase, and wherein said positive phase and said negative phase have a time overlap.  
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein said time overlap is between 1 microseconds and 500 microseconds.  
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 33 , wherein said signal consists of a plurality of positive voltage differential peaks and a plurality of negative voltage differential peaks, and wherein each of said peaks has a duration of 30-500 microseconds.  
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 33 , wherein said signal consists of a plurality of pulses, each of said pulses including a positive voltage differential phase and a negative voltage differential phase, and wherein said plurality of pulses has a frequency in the range of 0.5-150 pulses per second (PPS).  
     
     
         38 . A device for promoting a localized change in a flow of blood through a blood vessel, the device comprising: 
 (a) at least a first electrode operatively contacting a first portion of body tissue;    (b) at least a second electrode operatively contacting a second portion of body tissue, and    (c) a signal generator, operatively connected to said first electrode and said second electrode, for providing a plurality of electrical impulses to said electrodes, and    (d) control means for controlling signals produced by said signal generator,    wherein said control means and said signal generator are designed and configured, and said electrodes are displaced, so as to establish a voltage differential between said electrodes, said voltage differential being made up of wave forms propagated in opposite directions between said electrodes, said voltage differential for promoting a localized change in the flow of blood through the blood vessel.    
     
     
         39 . The device of  claim 38 , wherein said change is an increase in the flow of blood through the blood vessel.  
     
     
         40 . The device of  claim 38 , wherein said change is a decrease in the flow of blood through the blood vessel.  
     
     
         41 . The device of  claim 38 , wherein said voltage differential is a plurality of voltage differentials.  
     
     
         42 . The device of  claim 38 , wherein said voltage differential is controlled by said control means so as to induce a repeated, contracting, directional movement of muscular tissue associated with the blood vessel, thereby achieving the localized increase in the flow of blood through the blood vessel.  
     
     
         43 . The device of  claim 38 , wherein said control means control said wave forms so as to obtain a resultant signal of defined direction, frequency and strength, whereby a repeated, contracting movement of muscular tissue is induced.  
     
     
         44 . The device of  claim 38 , further comprising: 
 (e) an instrument for measuring blood flow, operatively connected to said control means.    
     
     
         45 . The device of  claim 44 , wherein said control means are further designed to initiate said sequence of electrical impulses based on an input from said instrument.  
     
     
         46 . The device of  claim 44 , wherein said instrument includes a pressure sensor, and wherein said input includes blood pressure data.  
     
     
         47 . The device of  claim 38 , wherein said control means are further designed to synchronize said sequence of electrical impulses with pulses of blood corresponding to heartbeats.  
     
     
         48 . The device of  claim 38 , wherein said signal generator includes at least two signal generators.  
     
     
         49 . The device of  claim 38 , further comprising: 
 (e) amplifiers, operatively connected in parallel to said signal generator.    
     
     
         50 . The method of  claim 38 , wherein said signal consists of a plurality of pulses, each of said pulses including a positive voltage differential phase and a negative voltage differential phase, and wherein said plurality of pulses has a frequency in the range of 0.5-150 pulses per second (PPS).  
     
     
         51 . The method of  claim 50 , wherein said plurality of pulses has a frequency in the range of 25-150 pulses per second (PPS).