Independent protection system for an electrical muscle stimulation apparatus and method of using same

A method for reducing the risk of cardiac fibrillation when delivering electrostimulation to a patient comprising the steps of:

• applying electrostimulation to a patient in a form of transcutaneous nerve stimulation or muscle stimulation according to an electrostimulation treatment program configured to stimulate contraction of a muscle of a muscle group proximate a cardiac region of the patient;
• monitoring electrical pulses of the electrostimulation applied to the patient;
• detecting at least one characteristic of the monitored electrical pulses that meets at least one of a plurality of characteristic detection criteria, wherein the at least one characteristic is indicative of an increased likelihood of inducing cardiac fibrillation when the electrostimulation treatment program is applied to the patient;
• and
• altering the electrostimulation treatment program in response to detecting the at least one characteristic in the monitored electrical pulses to reduce the risk of inducing cardiac fibrillation when electrostimulation is applied to the patient.

An electrostimulation system operable to reduce the risk of cardiac fibrillation when delivering electrostimulation to a patient, the electrostimulation system comprising:

• at least one electrode assembly;
• an electrical pulse generator configured to deliver electrical pulses to a muscle of the pectoralis major or latissimus dorsi of a patient via the at least one electrode assembly according to a muscle electrostimulation treatment program configured to stimulate contraction of the muscle;
• monitoring circuitry configured to monitor the electrical pulses of the electrostimulation applied to the patient;
• characteristic detection circuitry configured to detect at least one characteristic of the monitored electrical pulses that meets at least one of a plurality of characteristic detection criteria, wherein the at least one characteristic is indicative of an increased likelihood of inducing cardiac fibrillation when the electrostimulation is applied to the patient;
• and
• a circuitry configured to alter an operating state of the electrostimulation system in response to the detection of the at least one characteristic in the monitored electrical pulses to reduce the risk of inducing cardiac fibrillation when electrostimulation is applied to the patient.