Ultrasonic therapy apparatus and method

Abstract

An ultrasonic apparatus is used for diagnosis and therapy of patients being treated for post-myocardial infarction. The instrument administers treatment prescribed by the physician in response to signs and symptoms continuously being monitored by the diagnostic portion of the instrument. Both the diagnosis and the treatment are non-invasive and atraumatic in nature. The diagnostic portion of the instrument is sensitive to conditions which are potentially hazardous to the patient's life, such as premature ventricular contractions, low cardiac output, and formation of secondary lesions, and initiates treatment capable of reversing these undesirable conditions. An ultrasonic transduer for producing low level ultrasound is positioned upon the chest of the patient and is acoustically coupled to the skin. The extent of the damage to the myocardium as well as the abnormal performance of the heart is reduced through the use of low level acoustical dosages applied in the manner prescribed by the physician and upon the patient's response to treatment. A computer is used to administer the treatment strategy programed into the machine which can distinguish between the various combinations of symptoms and responses of the patient to provide the prescribed optimal treatment for the particular set of circumstances and conditions which exist at any instant in time. Various non-invasive diagnostic input devices are also applied to the skin of the patient as a basis of control of the low intensity sound.