Defibrillator Electrode Packaging Reducing False Asystole

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Solution Overview

Problem

External defibrillators often produce false asystole indications due to the pre-connected adapter cable and electrode combination being misinterpreted as a patient's ECG signal, leading to unnecessary alarms and disruptions during emergency situations.

Innovation Solution

The use of a laminated metallic foil bag for packaging defibrillator electrodes, combined with high dielectric materials on the release liners and backing layers, reduces the capacitance between the electrodes and the foil bag, preventing excessive capacitance that could be misinterpreted as a patient's ECG signal.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of time

If pre-connected adapter cable and electrode combination is used, then electrode connection speed is improved, but false asystole indications increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveelectrode connection timeVSAvoidECG signal detection accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of timeVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and eliminates the harmful capacitance effect by removing the dielectric layer between the electrode and foil bag, thereby removing the source of false asystole indications while maintaining the pre-connected configuration benefit

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent converts the potentially harmful capacitance effect into a beneficial design feature by intentionally creating a visible gap between the electrode and foil bag, transforming what could be a source of false detections into a design element that prevents harmful electrical coupling while maintaining packaging integrity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

2Object-affected harmful factors

If electrodes are packaged in laminated metallic foil bag, then electrode protection is improved, but capacitance between electrode and foil bag increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveelectrode contamination protectionVSAvoidcapacitance-induced false detections
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the electrode assembly into distinct components with a visible gap between the electrode and foil bag, preventing direct contact and thereby eliminating the parasitic capacitance that would cause false asystole indications while maintaining the protective foil packaging

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces air as an intermediary medium between the electrode and the metallic foil bag, which has very low dielectric properties, thereby preventing direct electrical coupling and reducing capacitance to negligible levels while maintaining the protective packaging function

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This solution effectively reduces false asystole alerts by minimizing the capacitance seen by the defibrillator, ensuring accurate ECG signal detection and reducing unnecessary alarms during pre-connection and application of electrodes.

Implementation Method 1

reduces the capacitance between the electrodes and the foil bag, preventing excessive capacitance that could be misinterpreted as a patient's ECG signal

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCapacitance: Capacitance

Implementation Method 2

The use of a laminated metallic foil bag for packaging defibrillator electrodes, combined with high dielectric materials on the release liners and backing layers

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectDielectric: Dielectric

Data Source

PatentEP2482917B1Pre-connected electrode pads with reduced susceptibility to false asystole indications by a defibrillator
Publication Date: 2018.07.11 KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS NV
  • EP2482917B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2482917B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2482917B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4

AI summary

A defibrillator electrode set for a defibrillator which senses the capacitance of an attached electrode set includes an electrode set coupled to the defibrillator by an adapter cable. The adapter cable and electrode set are pre-connected to the defibrillator prior to use. The electrodes are stored in a sealed foil package to retard gel desiccation prior to use. To reduce the capacitance of the electrode set seen by the defibrillator, the capacitance between the stored electrodes and the foil package is reduced by using a thicker dielectric layer for the layer of an electrode which opposes a wall of the foil package. In a constructed embodiment, one sixteenth inch thick polyethylene foam is used for the electrode layer opposing the wall of the foil package.