Patent Application
20060111743
This invention relates to a method for arresting seizures in individuals, and in particular to non-pharmacological methods for arresting seizures.
Witnessing an individual having a seizure can be traumatic and frightening. There is a tendency for a person watching the seizure to panic, feeling helpless and hopeless during the seizure event. People often support the individual having a seizure with verbalizations, assurances, and touching. Unfortunately, people unconsciously communicate their own concern and panic, which may result in an exacerbation of the seizure episode. It is important to abbreviate seizure episodes.
These seizures can be caused by a host of diseases and illnesses, including epilepsy and many central nervous system diseases. Many methods exist today to control or arrest these seizures, but they generally involve administering strong medications to the individual or other invasive measure, such as stimulating predetermined nerves to cease the seizures. These measures and methods are generally administered by trained medical professionals.
Some of these invasive methods include, implanting a signal generator and electrodes that stimulate a particular nerve or the central nervous system in the individual. Another method involves implanting a pacemaker in the brain of an individual that detects and ameliorates seizures caused by epilepsy. Other times, non-invasive methods are used to arrest these seizures and can include using a pillow for supporting the head of a person experiencing a seizure.
Many pharmaceutical compositions and preparations exist to combat or arrest these seizure and include administering effective amounts of 4,4′-thiodianiline, 4,4′-diaminobenzophenone, 4,4′-methylenedianiline, 4,4′-diaminodiphenyl ether, or (3-aminophenyl)-(4-aminophenyl) amine, an analog, or a pharmaceutically accepted salt or complex. Other pharmaceutical compositions include comprise administering S-tofisopam substantially free of R-tofisopam to an individual. Other methods include administering preparations containing of agmatine, congeners, analogs or derivatives thereof. Still other methods include administering pharmaceutical compositions containing 2-phenyl-1,3-propanediol dicarbamate or formulations of Coenzyme Q. In addition, many tranquilizer formulations have been administered to arrest seizure activity in individuals.
Information relevant to attempts to address these problems can be found in U.S. Pat. App. Pub. Nos. US2004/0138721 filed 13 Nov. 2003 by Osorio et al.; US2003/0186942 filed 16 Jan. 2003 by Crooks et al.; US2003/0083716 filed 23 Oct. 2003 by Nicolelis.; US2003/0055048 filed 8 Nov. 2003 by Leventer et al.; US2002/0072770 filed 11 Sep. 2001 by Pless; US2002/0065323 filed 15 Jun. 2001 by Crooks et al.; and U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,649,607 issued 18 Nov. 2003 to Leventer et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,597,954 issued 22 Jul. 2003 to Pless; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,374,140 issued 16 Apr. 2002 to Rise; U.S. Pat. No. 6,263,876 issued 24 Jul. 2001 to Butts; U.S. Pat. No. 5,292,772 issued 8 Mar. 1994 to Sofia; U.S. Pat. No. 4,500,524 issued 19 Feb. 1985 to Catsimpoolas; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,491,594 issued 1 Jan. 1985 to Ogawa et al. However, each one of these references suffers from one or more of the following disadvantages: administration of strong medications and pharmaceuticals to individuals, invasive means of implanting electrodes, and otherwise expensive methods for arresting seizure activity.
Therefore, there is a need for a technique that efficiently and inexpensively arrests the seizures affecting individuals without the necessity of administering medications and pharmaceuticals or using electricity and implanted electrodes.
The foregoing problems are solved and a technical advance in the art is achieved by the present method for arresting seizure activity. The method includes a simple and effective technique for abbreviating seizures of all kinds. The method involves the application of a cold thermal material to the back of the person during ictus (seizure). The cold thermal material can include block, cubed or crushed ice or other known devices that provide cold temperatures, such as commonly known ice packs or chemical cold packs.
It has been found that holding the ice on the person's back during and until the seizure subsides, results in termination of the seizure with the return to a functional and alert state common to the patient. This technique enables doctors, family, care people and individuals to be proactive in assisting a person experiencing a seizure by arresting and/or shortening the seizure and augmenting recovery.
Preferably, the present method for arresting seizure activity includes applying ice directly on the skin of the back of a person suffering from seizure activity. A benefit of this technique is that it provides the doctor, family, care person and/or individual a simple method of assisting another person who is suffering from a seizure.
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the method for arresting seizures will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings.
The present technique for arresting seizures is directed at aborting ictus with concomitant benefits. Ictus means a seizure, stroke, blow, or sudden attack due to a condition or disease, such as epilepsy. The thermal cold material application procedure can be administered in any setting where the seizure episode may occur. Generally, cold thermal material means any device, apparatus, or material that is capable of producing temperatures at, near, or below 32° F. and that are administrable to the exposed skin of the back of a person experiencing the seizure. Some examples of thermal cold material include: ice, blocks of ice, chunks of ice, crushed ice, frozen gel packs, chemical ice packs, or objects that can maintain a temperature at, below, or near 32° F. or a temperature lower than 32° F., but that will not cause damage to the skin during its application to the skin. Preferably, the cold thermal material is capable of producing temperatures in the range of from about 0° F. to about between 50° F. More preferably, the cold thermal material is capable of producing temperatures in the range of from about 20° F. to about 40° F. Most preferably, the cold thermal material is capable of producing temperatures at or near 32° F.
Generally, the sooner the cold thermal material 102 is applied during a seizure event, the more effective and immediate the intervention is in arresting or abbreviating the seizure. It has been noted that the post-ictus recovery time is shorter and recovery appears augmented when prompt use of the technique is employed. Application of cold thermal material 102 either terminates or significantly abbreviates ictus and post-ictus duration. This technique is considered helpful for seizures of any origin, including cancers of the central nervous system.
If the individual is prone to “chain” episodes or displays evidence of returning to ictus after removal of the cold thermal material 102, the cold thermal material 102 should once again be applied until the individual 100 regains a conscious state.
Although there has been described what is at present considered to be the preferred embodiments of the present invention, it will be understood that the invention can be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. For example, there may exist other portions of the body where the application of the cold thermal material may also be effective in arresting seizure activity. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all aspects as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is indicated by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description.
