ELECTRODE SET, IN PARTICULAR FOR A DEFIBRILLATOR

Abstract

An electrode set is disclosed for a defibrillator, the set including at least two electrodes each having a carrier layer, a conductive contact layer, a conductive gel layer, and a non-conductive electrode cover. In the storage state of the electrode set, the electrode covers lie against each other in a planar relationship at least portion-wise, on the side that is remote from the gel layer of the at least two electrodes. The gel layers of the electrodes are directly in contact with each other in a portion-wise manner by way of two openings in the electrode covers.

Claims

1. An electrode set, in particular for a defibrillator, comprising at least two electrodes, each comprising: a carrier layer; a conductive contact layer; a conductive gel layer; and a non-conductive electrode cover, wherein, in the storage state of the electrode set, the electrode covers lie against each other in planar relationship at least portion-wise, on the side that is remote from the gel layer of the at least two electrodes, wherein the gel layers of the electrodes are directly in contact with each other in portion-wise manner by way of at least two openings in the electrode covers.

2. An electrode set as set forth in claim 1, wherein the number is limited to two electrodes per electrode set.

3. An electrode set as set forth in claim 1, wherein, in the storage state of the electrode set, a current conductor is fixed to the electrodes.

4. An electrode set as set forth in claim 1, wherein, in that in the storage state of the electrode set, a gas-tight packaging encloses the electrode set.

5. An electrode set as set forth in claim 1, wherein, in the storage state of the electrode set, the current conductor is passed out of the gas-tight packaging.

6. An electrode set as set forth in claim 1, wherein a respective separate electrode cover is provided for each electrode.

7. An electrode set as set forth in claim 1, wherein the electrode covers form a common, one-piece, electrode cover.

8. An electrode set as set forth in claim 7, wherein the electrode covers which are at least portion-wise substantially flat are constantly connected to each other by way of a fold line.

9. An electrode set as set forth in claim 8, wherein a fold line for connecting the electrode covers is provided by a perforation which is produced at least portion-wise.

10. An electrode set as set forth in claim 7, wherein the connected electrode covers are folded together and are disposed in the storage state between the electrodes.

11. An electrode set as set forth in claim 1, wherein the overall surface area of the electrode covers is at least double the area of the gel layers of the electrodes.

12. An electrode set as set forth in claim 1, wherein those surfaces of the electrode covers, in opposite relationship to the surfaces on which the electrodes are fixed, are free of electrodes.

13. An electrode set as set forth in claim 1, wherein the electrode covers have at least one respective opening in a receiving region.

14. An electrode set as set forth in claim 13, wherein the electrode covers have at least one large opening in a receiving region and at least one small opening in a further receiving region.

15. An electrode set as set forth in claim 14, wherein, in the storage state of the electrode set, the at least one small opening aligns with the at least one large opening.

16. An electrode set as set forth in claim 14, wherein, in the storage state the at least one small opening is disposed completely in the region of the at least one large opening when the electrode cover is folded along the fold line.

17. An electrode set as set forth in claim 14, wherein the area of the at least one small opening is between 30% and 70% of the area of the at least one large opening.

18. An electrode set as set forth in claim 13, wherein the openings are formed by circles.

19. An electrode set as set forth in claim 1, wherein at least one positioning aid and/or fold line is shaped out by the electrode covers.

20. A process for producing an electrode set, in particular for a defibrillator, the process comprising: producing different openings in a material extending on a web of an electrode cover by at least one hole stamping punch or by a laser; applying a basic material of the electrodes which are not punched out or applying the finished electrodes to the material of the electrode cover, that runs on a web; finishing a shape of the electrodes by at least one electrode punch or a laser with removal of the residual material and cutting out of the shape of the electrode covers with the electrodes which are preferably glued on in pair-wise relationship and simultaneously perforating the fold line by the card punch or a laser, wherein the operation of cutting out the shape of the electrode cover with the electrodes which are glued on in pair-wise relationship and simultaneous perforation of the fold line by the card punch are also effected in a separate working step or in the case of separate electrode covers can be omitted; and pulling off the residual material of the electrode cover and the produced openings in a separate working step or during one of the other working steps.

21. A process for producing an electrode set as set forth in claim 20, wherein production of the openings in the material of the electrode cover is effected before gluing of the electrodes on the material of the electrode cover.

22. A process for producing an electrode set as set forth in claim 20, wherein the laser and/or the hole punch, the electrode punch and the card punch are parts of an automated production installation for producing the electrode set.

23. A process for producing an electrode set as set forth in claim 20, wherein an automatic feed passes the material for the electrode cover and the electrodes through the production installation.

24. A process for checking a conductance of a gel layer in an electrode set, the process comprising passing checking current (K) from an electrical device, preferably a defibrillator, through a packaged electrode set disposed in a storage state, wherein the at least one small opening is completely in a region of at least one large opening and thus forms a contact surface electrodes in the electrode set relative to each other, which contact surface is defined by an area of the small opening and through which the checking current (K) can pass an electrode cover and the conductance (S) can be ascertained.

Description

[0034] Further details and advantages of the disclosure will be described more fully hereinafter by means of the specific description with reference to the embodiments by way of example illustrated in the drawings in which:

[0035] FIG. 1 shows a diagrammatic exploded view of the constituent parts of an electrode,

[0036] FIG. 2 shows a plan view of an electrode cover,

[0037] FIGS. 3a and 3b show a diagrammatic view of the production procedure when stamping the electrodes on the electrode cover,

[0038] FIG. 4 shows a diagrammatic view of an electrode set without packaging in the opened condition,

[0039] FIG. 5 shows a diagrammatic sectional view of an electrode set in the packaged condition,

[0040] FIG. 6 shows a diagrammatic view of an electrode set connected to a defibrillator,

[0041] FIG. 7 shows a diagrammatic view of the current flow in the checking operation (inline measurement) of an electrode set, and

[0042] FIG. 8 shows a diagrammatic view of an electrode set without packaging on individual electrode covers.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] FIG. 1 shows an exploded view of one of electrodes which are normally arranged in pairs, comprising a carrier layer 2, preferably made from a thin foam material, a contact layer 3, preferably made from a metal film which is electrically conductive and is connected to the contact element 7. The contact element 7 is conductively fixed to a current conductor 6 having a plug 8 at its end. The gel layer 4 is disposed at the contact layer 3. The gel layer 4 comprises an adhesive, electrically conductive material and when using a defibrillator makes the connections between the body and the electrode. An adhesive element 9 is used for connecting the individual layers together. The insulating element 11 and the cover element 12 serve for insulating and covering for example a conductive rivet making the connection between the contact element 7 and the contact layer 3. The electrode cover 5 is glued by way of the gel layer 4 of the electrode 1 and protects the gel layer 4 from sticking to the second electrode which is not visible in FIG. 1.

[0044] The electrode cover 5 further has a fold line 13 which permits bending, or in other words also folding, of the electrode cover.

[0045] FIG. 2 shows an electrode cover 5 with a fold line 13 which was produced here by perforation in the form of an interrupted line. The electrode cover 5 is divided into two regions by way of the fold line 13, on the one hand into the receiving region 20a and on the other hand into the receiving region 20b. An electrode is subsequently placed on each of those receiving regions 20a, 20b. They are not yet visible in FIG. 2. A respective opening 14, 15 is disposed in each of the receiving regions 20a and 20b. The openings are so arranged that, after folding of the electrode cover 5 over the fold line 13, the opening 15 is aligned with the opening 14. If an opening 14, 15 is of larger dimensions than the other then that reduces the possibility of the openings 14, 15 not being mutually aligned after being folded together. When the electrode cover 5 is folded together for example the small opening 15 can find place in the large opening 14 and can be completely accommodated thereby. If the electrode cover were of a two-part configuration (see FIG. 8) then two openings 14, 15 of differing sizes would also simplify the assembly processa lower degree of precision is necessary when folding them together or fitting them together. Thus the assembly process can be quicker and more advantageous.

[0046] FIG. 3a diagrammatically shows the production process for the electrode 1. In a production step the two openings 14, 15 are stamped out of a material traveling as a web for the electrode covers with the hole stamping punches 21.

[0047] In a further working step in a web the prepared electrode 1 is glued on to the material of the electrode cover. In a next working step one or more electrodes 1 are stamped, cut or lasered out of the material for the electrodes by means of an electrode stamping punch 21 either in succession or at the same time. In a further working step the remaining film, that is no longer necessary, of the carrier layer 2 of the electrode 1 is pulled off. The electrodes 1 are still disposed with their gel layer 4 placed correctly over the openings 14, 15 on the material for the electrode cover 5.

[0048] In a further working step a pair of electrodes is cut out of the material of the electrode covers by way of the card punch 23 or a laser 27. The remaining material of the film for the electrode covers 5 is removed in the next working step. Perforation of the fold line 13 in the electrode cover 5 can be produced by laser or can be effected in one working step with stamping by the card punch 23 or also subsequently in a further step.

[0049] FIG. 3b shows the same working steps as FIG. 3a as a plan view. The openings 14, 15 are only still shown in broken line after application of the carrier layer 2 for the electrodes, as the openings would otherwise no longer be visible in the diagrammatic view. In this view perforation of the fold line 13 is effected at the same time with stamping by the card punch 23 or can be cut by means of a laser 27 in the same way as the outlines of the electrode covers 5.

[0050] FIG. 4 shows an unpackaged electrode set 30 on an electrode cover 5. The electrode cover 5 which is here shown transparently is the uppermost layer in this diagrammatic view. The adhesive electrodes are stuck to the underside of the electrode cover 5. In this unfolded condition of the electrode cover 5 the small opening 15 is not in contact with the large opening 14. As soon as the electrode cover 5 is folded together by way of the fold line 13, here shown as a broken-line perforation, the gel layers 4 of the electrodes are joined to each other by way of the small opening 15.

[0051] FIG. 5 shows a diagrammatic sectional view of a packaged electrode set 30. In this case the packaging 10 encloses the complete unit consisting of the electrodes 1 and the electrode cover 5. In this case the current conductor 6 is passed gas-tightly out of the packaging. The current conductor 6 is connected to the contact layer 3 by way of connecting elements 17. The current conductor 6 which is passed out of the gas-tight packaging 10 has a plug 8 at one end. The electrode set 30 can be connected to a defibrillator 35 with that plug. The electrode cover 5 is disposed in the folded-together condition between the two electrodes 1, which is indicated here by two layers. An opening 14, 15 is provided in each of those layers consisting of the electrode cover. The gel layers 4 of the electrodes 1 are in contact with each other by way of those openings 14, 15. The contact area which is thus produced between the gel layers 4, in other words also referred to as the checking contact 16, represents the sole connection between the two gel layers 4 of the packaged electrodes 1.

[0052] FIG. 6 shows an electrode set 30 in the connected condition to a defibrillator 35 by way of a current conductor 6 and a plug 8. In this condition a checking current can be delivered from the defibrillator 35 to the electrode set 30 and received again. If there were a problem with the conductivity of the gel layer of the packaged electrodes 1 the defibrillator 35 would produce an error warning.

[0053] FIG. 7 diagrammatically shows the configuration of the checking current K starting from the defibrillator 35 through the plug 8 into the current conductor 6, preferably a two-pole cable, into the electrode set 30. In the electrode set 30 the current K flows by way of the contact element 7 into the contact layer 3 connected to the gel layer 4. The checking contact 16 formed by the openings 14, 15 allows the checking current K, shown as an arrow, to flow from the one gel layer 4 into the other gel layer 4. Subsequently the checking current K follows its further path back to the connecting element 7 and into the two-pole cable connected to the defibrillator 35 by way of the plug 8. If the checking current K can flow through the electrode set 30 without major resistance, in other words: if the inline measurement operation were successful, the electrode set 30 can continue to be used and does not have to be replaced. If the conductivity of the gel layer 4 is no longer sufficient, which could happen as a consequence of mechanical damage to the packaging or the entire electrode set 30, that is registered as a fault at the defibrillator 35. In that case the electrode set 30 has to be replaced.

[0054] FIG. 8 shows an unpackaged electrode set 30 with a respective electrode 1 on a respective electrode cover 5. In this embodiment the electrode covers are not of a one-piece structure. The electrode covers 5 which are shown here as transparent are disposed as diagrammatically illustrated in front of the electrodes 1 and conceal the electrodes 1. In this condition of the electrode covers 5, in which they are not folded together, the small opening 15 is not in contact with the large opening 14. As soon as the electrode covers 5 are placed together at their sides remote from the electrodes the electrodes 1 come into communication with each other by way of the small opening 15. What is important in that respect is that, when the electrode covers 5 are placed together, care is taken to ensure that the openings 14, 15 are aligned, or the small opening 15 is actually disposed in the larger opening 14. That can be effected for example by way of positioning aids 18 arranged in the electrode covers 5. Thus for example a device can receive the electrode covers 5 at the positioning aids 18 and connect them together in the correct position. The positioning aids 18 can also be afforded by virtue of the outside shape of the electrode cover 5 and does not have to be in the form of an opening.