Combined high voltage pulsed current and neuromuscular stimulation electrotherapy device

Abstract

An electrotherapy stimulation unit having a high voltage pulsed current (HVPC) electrotherapy stimulation device providing short duration low amperage high voltage constant charge HVPC pulses to a patient to reduce pain, and a neuromuscular stimulation (NMS) electrotherapy device providing constant current NMS pulses to a patient to re-educate and prevent atrophy of muscle tissue. The HVPC device has a voltage source and at least one HVPC output circuit having a coil, a switching device, and a holding capacitor. When the switching device is turned on, an increasing current is drawn through the coil. When the switching device is turned off, a voltage spike results across the coil, charging the holding capacitor. Thereafter, the charge dissipates into the patient. The HVPC device senses the voltage provided by the voltage source and calculates the period of time the switching device is turned on based upon the sensed voltage and the preselected peak voltage of the voltage spike. The HVPC device provides a train of HVPC pulses, each HVPC pulse comprising first and second voltage spikes. The HVPC device detects whether a patient is properly connected to the HVPC output of the output circuit. If the second voltage spike is larger than the first by a predetermined value, a patient is not connected to the HVPC output circuit, and the output circuit is disabled.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.