# US 2008/0188905 A1 · Stimulus dose system and method for electroconvulsive therapy > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2008/0188905 A1 - Document ID: US20080188905A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 11/670,589 - Filed: 2007-02-02 - Published: 2008-08-07 - Earliest claimed: 2007-02-02 - Assignees: Somatics, Inc. - Inventors: Conrad M. Swartz - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20080188905A1 ## CPC - A61N 1/36025: {for treating a mental or cerebral condition} - A61N 1/38: for producing shock effects - A61N: ELECTROTHERAPY; MAGNETOTHERAPY; RADIATION THERAPY; ULTRASOUND THERAPY (measurement of bioelectric currents A61B; surgical instruments, devices or methods for transferring non-mechanical forms of energy to or from the body A61B18/00; anaesthetic apparatus in general A61M; incandescent lamps H01K; infrared radiators for heating H05B) ## Abstract A method of treating a patient includes administering an electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) stimulus to the patient. The current is greater than about 0.9 ampere or 1.0 ampere, or is between about 1.0 and about 2 amperes. The energy delivered is about 100 Joules or less across an impedance of 200 ohms. The stimulus may have a pulsewidth between about 0.5 and about 2.0 msec and/or a frequency in the range of about 10 to about 180 Hz, or the stimulus may have a pulsewidth between about 0.2 and about 0.499 msec and/or a frequency in the range of about 15 to about 300 Hz. An apparatus for ECT comprises a generator adapted to deliver such an electroconvulsive therapy stimulus to a patient. A method of calculating ECT dose comprises multiplying a charge to be delivered by the current (or voltage) to an exponential power between 2 and 4. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of treating a patient, the method comprising administering an electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) stimulus to the patient, wherein the current is greater than about 0.9 ampere. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the current is greater than about 1 ampere. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the current is between about 1.0 and about 2.0 amperes. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein the energy delivered is less than or equal to about 100 Joules across an impedance of 200 ohms. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4 wherein the current varies by 0.1 ampere or less. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the stimulus comprises pulse stimuli having a pulsewidth between about 0.5 and about 2.0 msec. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein the pulse stimuli have a frequency in the range of about 10 to about 180 Hz. ### Claim 8 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the stimulus comprises pulse stimuli having a pulsewidth between about 0.2 and about 0.499 msec. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the pulse stimuli have a frequency in the range of about 15 to about 300 Hz. ### Claim 10 An apparatus for electroconvulsive therapy comprising an electroconvulsive therapy stimulus generator, wherein the generator is adapted to deliver an electroconvulsive therapy stimulus to the patient, the stimulus comprising a current greater than about 0.9 ampere. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the generator is adapted to deliver a stimulus comprising a current greater than about 1 ampere. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the generator is adapted to deliver a stimulus comprising a current between about 1.0 and about 2.0 amperes. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the generator is further adapted to deliver a stimulus with an energy less than or equal to about 100 Joules across an impedance of 200 ohms. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the generator is adapted to deliver a current that varies by 0.1 ampere or less. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the apparatus is adapted to deliver a pulse stimuli having a pulsewidth in the range of about 0.5 to about 2.0 msec and having a frequency in the range of about 10 to about 180 Hz. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the apparatus is adapted to deliver a pulse stimuli having a pulsewidth in the range of about 0.2 to about 0.499 msec and having a frequency in the range of about 15 to about 300 Hz. ### Claim 17 A method of calculating the dose of an electroconvulsive therapy stimulus to be delivered to a patient, the method comprising multiplying a charge to be delivered by the current to an exponential power, wherein the exponential power is between about 2 and about 4. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein the exponential power is between about 2 and about 3. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, wherein the exponential power is about 3. ### Claim 20 A method of calculating the dose of an electroconvulsive therapy stimulus to be delivered to a patient, the method comprising multiplying the charge to be delivered by the voltage to an exponential power, wherein this exponential power is between about 2 and about 4. ### Claim 21 (depends on 10) The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the generator is adapted to deliver a stimulus and to calculate the stimulus as time-averaged nth exponential power of voltage multiplied by the time-averaged mth exponential power of current multiplied by charge, where the sum of the numbers n and m is between about 2 and about 4. ### Claim 22 (depends on 12) The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the generator is adapted to deliver a voltage in the range of about 220 to about 500 volts, and results from the calculation of a current range of 1 A to 2 multiplied by a dynamic impedance in the range of about 150 ohms to about 300 ohms.