METHOD AND DEVICE FOR ASSESSING SENSORY SENSITIVITY UNDER ANESTHESIA CONDITIONS Russian patent published in 2006 - IPC A61B5/05 

FIELD: medicine; medical engineering.

SUBSTANCE: method involves acting with stimulus like electric current pulses applied to patient skin via electrodes on one or several patient body regions and fixing response to the stimulus by recording galvanic skin reflex response on skin areas not exposed earlier to stimulus action. The response being available, retained sensory sensitivity conclusions are to be drawn. Sensory and pain sensitivity are determined in advance without anesthesia on every patient skin region, to which electric current pulses are to be applied, by questioning the patient and individual electric current sensory and pain sensitivity thresholds corresponding to them and to each stimulating electrode. Electric current pulse amplitude is selected in an interval above the sensory threshold and below the pain sensitivity threshold. Galvanic skin reflex is considered to be response to the stimulus when recording it during time interval not exceeding 10 s after having sent the stimulus. The device has electrode group for producing stimulating pulses and transducers for reading physiologic responses with appropriate electrodes connected to control and recording unit having indicator display. The electrodes for producing the stimulating pulses are pairwise connected to each other and to control and recording unit pulse oscillator. Outputs of pulse oscillator control unit are connected to the first control input of the pulse oscillator and one of galvanic skin reflex signal detection unit inputs, output of unit for measuring electric resistance being connected to the other input. The output is connected with its input to the galvanic skin reflex signal detection unit electrodes. Galvanic skin reflex signal detection unit outputs are connected to the second control input of the pulse oscillator and to indicator display. Galvanic skin reflex signal detection unit input/output is connected to computer interface unit.

EFFECT: high reliability of measurement data; optimum time for recording galvanic skin reflex signals.

2 cl, 3 dwg