Electrophysiological analysis system and method

Abstract

The disclosure relates to an electrophysiological analysis system which includes a plurality of electrodes, a power supply for successively applying a substantially continuous voltage ranging approximately from 1 to 5 volts and lasting from 0.1 to 5 seconds to different slotted electrode pairs, a collecting and storing device for recording the variation of a current flow in the electrode pairs to which the voltage slots are applied, a device enabling the current variations obtained by comparison between at least two current variations caused by supposed identical conditions and a device comparing data related to the current variations recorded for several electrode pairs and enabled with reference data. The system can be used for chronoamperometrically detecting pathologies, pathological areas and organ dysfunctions.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An electrophysiological examination device for detection of a pathology, the device comprising:
 (a) a plurality of electrodes configured to be in direct skin-to-electrode contact with distant parts of a human body, and each of the electrodes having a skin contact area of at least 1 square centimeter;   (b) a power supply operable to be electrically coupled to pairs of the electrodes to apply DC voltage, the applied DC voltage being configured to induce production of chloride ions which affects current flowing in the electrode pairs when the electrophysiological examination system is in use;   (c) a display screen; and   (d) a processor configured to compare at least two current changes with reference data and produce an output indicative of the pathology on the display screen connected to the processor.   
     
     
         2 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the power supply is programmable to adjust voltage levels of pulses of the DC voltage. 
     
     
         3 . The device of  claim 2 , wherein the power supply is programmable to adjust a duration of the pulses. 
     
     
         4 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the power supply includes a switching circuit to apply, to a given pair of the electrodes, voltage pulses of opposite sign. 
     
     
         5 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein at least two of the electrodes are each in direct contact with a sole of a patient's foot. 
     
     
         6 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the processor compares current changes obtained for several series of pulses of the DC voltage applied several times to the electrodes, and validates these changes if a difference below a given threshold is determined. 
     
     
         7 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the display screen displays graphical representations of real time values of the pathology measured by the electrode pairs and corresponding graphical representations of the reference data. 
     
     
         8 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the processor determines a slope of current changes at a start of each pulse of the DC voltage. 
     
     
         9 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the display screen displays a radar graph of patient measurement results obtained with different pairs of the electrodes in a polar coordinate system, the display screen having a substantially rectangular periphery. 
     
     
         10 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the power supply is provided in a mobile unit that is equipped with a plurality of connectors for the electrodes, and the processor is a personal computer. 
     
     
         11 . The device of  claim 1 , further comprising a wireless communication channel connecting the processor to an interface to which the electrodes are connected. 
     
     
         12 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the display screen visually indicates similarities and differences between sets of measurements coming from a same patient at different times. 
     
     
         13 . An electrophysiological examination device for detection of pathologies, the device comprising:
 (a) two hand-contacting electrodes;   (b) two foot sole-contacting electrodes;   (c) a power supply sending Direct Current to at least one of the electrodes;   (d) an interface electrically connected to the electrodes;   (e) a computer using electrophysiological measurements from the electrodes to diagnose if a patient is disposed to diabetes;   (f) a display screen connected to the computer displaying patient values used in the diagnosis; and   (g) a communications link allowing a connection of the computer to the interface, the link including at least one of: (i) a USB link, and (ii) a wireless link.   
     
     
         14 . The device of  claim 13 , wherein the power supply includes a switching circuit to apply, to a given pair of the electrodes, voltage pulses of opposite sign. 
     
     
         15 . The device of  claim 13 , wherein the power supply adjusts voltage levels of pulses of the Direct Current. 
     
     
         16 . The device of  claim 13 , wherein the power supply adjusts a duration of pulses of the Direct Current. 
     
     
         17 . The device of  claim 13 , wherein the computer compares current changes obtained for several series of pulses of the Direct Current applied several times to the electrodes, and compares the current changes to a threshold. 
     
     
         18 . The device of  claim 13 , wherein the display screen displays graphical representations of real time values of the patient's pathology measured by the electrodes and displays corresponding graphical representations of reference data. 
     
     
         19 . The device of  claim 13 , wherein the display screen displays a radar graph of patient measurement results obtained with different pairs of the electrodes in a polar coordinate system. 
     
     
         20 . The device of  claim 13 , wherein the display screen visually indicates similarities and differences between sets of measurements coming from a same patient at different times, and the display screen has a substantially rectangular periphery. 
     
     
         21 . The device of  claim 13 , wherein the link is the USB link. 
     
     
         22 . The device of  claim 13 , wherein each of the electrodes has a skin-contact area of at least 1 square centimeter. 
     
     
         23 . An electrophysiological device comprising:
 (a) one left hand-electrode having a surface area of at least 1 square centimeter;   (b) one right hand-electrode having a surface area of at least 1 square centimeter;   (c) one left foot-electrode having a surface area of at least 1 square centimeter;   (d) one right foot-electrode having a surface area of at least 1 square centimeter;   (e) an adjustable power supply sending Direct Current to pairs of the electrodes and selectively reversing polarity between the pairs of the electrodes;   (f) a processor using real time electrophysiological signals indicative of patient pH or ion chloride values sensed by the electrodes, and the processor comparing the real time signals to previously stored reference data; and   (g) a display screen connected to the processor to display pathological information from the processor based at least in part on the comparison.   
     
     
         24 . The device of  claim 23 , wherein the processor diagnoses diabetes. 
     
     
         25 . The device of  claim 23 , further comprising a wireless link allowing communications between the processor and an interface connected to the electrodes. 
     
     
         26 . The device of  claim 23 , further comprising a USB link allowing communications between the processor and an interface connected to the electrodes. 
     
     
         27 . The device of  claim 23 , wherein the foot-electrodes contact soles of a patient's feet. 
     
     
         28 . The device of  claim 23 , wherein the power supply includes a switching circuit to reverse the polarity to a given pair of the electrodes. 
     
     
         29 . The device of  claim 23 , wherein the display screen displays graphical representations of real time values of the pathological information of a patient as measured by the electrodes and the display screen displays corresponding graphical representations of the reference data. 
     
     
         30 . The device of  claim 23 , wherein the display screen displays a radar graph of patient measurement results obtained with different pairs of the electrodes in a polar coordinate system. 
     
     
         31 . The device of  claim 23 , wherein the display screen visually indicates similarities and differences between sets of measurements coming from a same patient at different times, and the display screen has a substantially rectangular periphery. 
     
     
         32 . The device of  claim 23 , wherein the left hand-electrode is positioned in direct contact with a left hand of a patient and the left foot-electrode is positioned in direct contact with a left foot of the patient, further comprising an analogue-to-digital converter being part of an acquisition circuit connected to the electrodes and the power supply. 
     
     
         33 . The device of  claim 23 , wherein the Direct Current includes pulses of continuous DC voltage that the power supply applies to the electrodes exhibit a square waveform. 
     
     
         34 . The device of  claim 23 , further comprising a circuit and the processor detecting current changes flowing in pairs of the electrodes over a total time period having a duration that is less than 1 minute in order to create the pH or chloride ion values and determine if a patient is prone to diabetes within the same time period duration.