Apparatus and method for preparing a patient's scalp for attaching electrodes
OwnerLorraine M. Erneyinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus and method for preparing the skin of a patient's scalp for attaching electrodes, the method comprising the steps of providing a squeezable member having a hollow interior, wherein a skin abrasive solution is in the interior, wherein the squeezable member includes a restrictive member having a restrictive opening for restricting flow of the skin abrasive solution out of the squeezable member, and an applicator tip through which the solution leaving the restrictive member exits the squeezable member including an interior member and a compressible exterior member having corresponding shapes; squeezing the squeezable member; scrubbing skin portions of the scalp of the patient with the tip; and attaching electrodes to the skin portions of the patient's scalp.
Claims18
A method for preparing the skin of a patient's scalp for attaching electrodes to the scalp, said method comprising the steps of:
- providing a squeezable member comprising a body, an applicator, and a skin abrasive prep;
- said body having a hollow interior chamber in which said skin abrasive prep is located, said hollow interior chamber having a cross-sectional area;
- said applicator including a retainer and a tip, said retainer being releasably secured to said body by either a threaded screw connection, a friction hold connection, or a tongue and groove connection;
- said tip being configured to enable said skin abrasive prep to flow therethrough from said hollow interior chamber of said body via a restrictive member interposed between said tip and said hollow interior chamber;
- said tip including an interior member having one or more openings therein and a hollow interior, and a compressible exterior member applied over the interior member and the one or more openings in the interior member, wherein said interior member is relatively more rigid than the compressible exterior member, and said compressible exterior member and interior member having similar, corresponding shapes;
- said restrictive member including an opening having a cross-sectional area which is less than said cross sectional area of said hollow interior chamber;
- said body being configured to be squeezed in a direction to cause said skin abrasive prep to flow from said hollow interior chamber through said opening of said restrictive member into said hollow interior of said interior member of said tip and then passing out of said interior member through said one or more openings in the interior member to said compressible exterior member, and then passing through said compressible exterior member out of said tip;
- squeezing said squeezable member in said direction to cause said skin abrasive prep to flow from said hollow interior chamber through said opening of said restrictive member into said hollow interior of said interior member of said tip and then through said one or more openings in the interior member to said compressible exterior member, then through said compressible exterior member out of said tip;
- bringing said less rigid compressible exterior member of said tip of said applicator into engagement with portions of skin of said patient's scalp and scrubbing said portions of skin of said patient's scalp using a back and forth rubbing motion with said abrasive prep exiting from said tip to produce a scrubbed portion of the patient's scalp, said interior member having a rigidity required for an adequate manual pressure to be applied against the patient's scalp with the tip to repeatedly scrub said portions of the patient's scalp without breaking;
- removing said less rigid compressible exterior member of said tip of said applicator from engagement with said scrubbed portions of the patient's scalp;
- and
- thereafter attaching electrodes to scrubbed portions of the patient's scalp.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.