Electromagnetic Tissue Treatment Power Control for Hotspot Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current energy emitting devices for tissue treatment suffer from temperature hotspots due to edge effects, leading to patient pain and unpredictable power delivery, which can result in under-treatment or over-treatment, and existing sensors fail to provide precise tissue temperature measurements.
Innovation Solution
The method involves generating electromagnetic energy with a generator and adjusting operating conditions based on instantaneous received power values to maintain consistent power delivery, using a power sensing unit and processor to manage time intervals and adjust power variance within threshold tolerance levels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If energy is delivered through an electrode to treat tissue, then therapeutic effect is achieved, but temperature hotspots form at the edges of the electrode causing patient pain
Solution Approach 1:
The electrode surface is segmented into multiple independent heating zones arranged in an array. Each zone can be independently controlled to distribute the electromagnetic energy more uniformly across the treatment area, preventing concentration of energy at the edges and thereby reducing temperature hotspots that cause patient pain.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the electrode surface are designed with different properties - the central region and peripheral regions have different impedance characteristics. This allows localized control of energy distribution, directing more energy to areas that need it while reducing energy concentration at edges, thus maintaining treatment efficacy while reducing patient pain.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If energy intensity is lowered to reduce temperature hotspots and patient pain, then patient comfort improves, but treatment efficacy is compromised due to insufficient energy delivery
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the operating parameters of individual heating zones in real-time based on feedback from temperature sensors and impedance measurements. This allows the system to maintain optimal energy delivery for treatment efficacy while preventing temperature hotspots that cause patient discomfort, resolving the contradiction between comfort and efficacy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms that continuously monitor temperature, impedance, and power delivery. Based on this feedback, the control system adjusts the energy distribution across different zones to maintain treatment efficacy while preventing patient discomfort from hotspots, enabling simultaneous optimization of both parameters.
3Device complexity
If open loop power control is used with fixed operating conditions, then device simplicity is maintained, but power delivery becomes unpredictable due to load impedance changes
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses feedback from impedance sensors and power measurements to dynamically adjust operating parameters. This closed-loop control compensates for load impedance changes caused by tissue properties, patient movement, and tissue perfusion, maintaining consistent power delivery while managing the increased system complexity through efficient control algorithms.
4Reliability
If sensors are added to provide feedback for power adjustment, then power delivery consistency improves, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses multi-functional sensors that serve multiple purposes - measuring impedance, temperature, and power delivery simultaneously. This reduces the total number of sensors needed while achieving consistent power delivery, thereby managing device complexity while improving reliability.
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 approach reduces temperature hotspots, alleviates patient discomfort, and ensures precise and consistent therapeutic results by maintaining equal power delivery to the tissue, minimizing pain and ensuring effective treatment.
Implementation Method 1
electromagnetic energy generators that convert electromagnetic energy to different forms of output energy... convert electromagnetic energy to energy forms that can be absorbed by human tissue, such as radio frequency (RF) current, a RF electromagnetic field
Implementation Method 2
This allows the energy emitting devices to heat human tissue, thereby triggering a biological reaction in the heated tissue to achieve a therapeutic effect
Implementation Method 3
determining one or more instantaneous received power values based on measured electrical parameters
Data Source
AI summary
A device (40) delivers energy to biological tissue (49) during time intervals that extend over a treatment period of time. While delivering a portion of the energy in a time interval of the time intervals, the device (40) determines one or more instantaneous received power (IRP) values based on measured electrical parameters. The device (40) determines, at least once during the time interval, a power variance based at least on the one or more IRP values. The device (40) updates a duration of one or more of the time intervals based on determining that a change in the power variance satisfies a threshold tolerance level. The device (40) adjusts, during the time interval, at least one of operating condition of a generator (41) to cause an amount of the energy delivered to the biological tissue (49) to be equal or substantially equal to an amount of energy identified by a treatment energy delivery value.