Iontophoretic treatment system

In an iontophoretic system for infusion of medical substances into a biological subject, the combination comprising:

• electrically conductive electrode means adapted to be located adjacent a surface of said subject to be treated;
• a drug storage reservoir adjacent said electrode means and adapted to receive at least one medical substance between said electrode means and said surface of said subject to be treated;
• means for conducting an electrical current through said surface of said subject in a first direction through said electrode means on said subject to deliver said medical substance to said subject;
• and
• means for periodically and regularly reversing the polarity of said electrode means to cause said electrical current to flow in a second direction opposite to said first direction, at a relatively low frequency which prevents skin damage to said subject and simultaneously provides adequate molecular transport time for said drug to be delivered into said surface of said subject, whereby drug infusion may be continuous for extended periods of time, said means having at least one setting wherein said forward current delivery and reverse current delivery are of substantially equal magnitude and duration.

A method of iontophoretic infusion of substances into a biological subject, comprising the steps of:

• locating an electrically conductive electrode adjacent to a surface of said subject to be treated;
• placing at least one substance at said electrode at said surface of said subject to be treated;
• conducting an electrical current through said surface of said subject in a first direction from said electrode to deliver said substance to said subject;
• and
• reversing at a relatively low frequency, between approximately 20 times per second and approximately once every three minutes, the polarity of said electrode to cause said electrical current to flow in a second direction opposite to said first direction, wherein said current flow in said first and second directions are of substantially equal magnitude and duration whereby skin damage to said subject is avoided and drug infusion is continued for an extended period of time to deliver said drug.

A method of iontophoretic infusion of substances into a biological subject, comprising the steps of:

• locating an electrically conductive electrode upon said subject to be treated;
• placing at least one substance between said electrode and a surface of said subject to be treated;
• conducting an electrical current through said surface of said subject in a first direction from said electrode to deliver said substance to said subject;
• and
• reversing the polarity of said electrode to cause said current to flow in a second direction opposite to said first direction, at a relatively low frequency which prevents skin damage to said subject and simultaneously provides adequate molecular transport time for said substance to be delivered into said surface of said subject, wherein said current flow in said first and second directions are of substantially equal magnitude and duration whereby infusion of said substance is continued for an extended period of time and wherein the polarity reversal occurs after the accumulated time periods of actual substantial electrical current flow in either direction equal a selected period of time between approximately 0.05 seconds and approximately 3 minutes.